THE PLAGUE

Emile Verhaeren

The Plague is an artist's book made by the designer Bernard Naudin at Emile Verhaeren's own request. The poem deals with the march of Plague through the Flemish countryside, and the reaction of the people there. The translation was made in the year that COVID-19 impacted the world, and the writing seemed eerily contemporary. The original was written out by hand in Naudin's legendary calligraphy. (Naudin had designed fonts and ornamentations for Deberny & Peignot, and was much in demand as a designer at the time). This book is a mimotyped translation using a typeface created from the original handwriting, with the missing letters needed recreated by reference to Naudin's italic font, Tradition.