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El camino de Olaj
The protagonist of this cumulative story with a circular structure is a sort of Prince who, tired of solitude, embarks on a journey of initiation. Various fantastic animals - mythical in inspiration and of symbolic value - accompany him, forming a heterogeneous and compact group: the fish with the back to front tail, the winged horse, the rainbow tiger, the elegant elephant… Olaj's Journey is outstanding for the profusion of colours and the harmony with which Martín León Barreto combines chromatic ranges. The geometric forms of his illustrations are full of movement and dynamism, and are integrated like the pieces of a complex faunal puzzle. The winner of the IV International Compostela Prize for Illustrated Books, it follows an idea based on traditional stories: rhyme, playing with opposition, repeated dialogue, oral tradition…