Rodion Kitaev.
Azbukvar
A Whimsical Journey Through Letters, Riddles, and Dreams
Azbukvar, created by artist Rodion Kitaev, is more than just an ABC book—it’s a vibrant universe teeming with whimsical images, puzzles, games, and hidden secrets. The book invites readers into a world filled with not only birds and animals but also fantastical creatures like the wolf-crow, camel-volcano, and toad-beetle.
All photos: Ruslan Shavaleev
Rodion Kitaev (b. 1984) is an artist and illustrator working in a variety of techniques. He graduated from the Moscow Academic Art Lyceum of the Russian Academy of Arts and the Ivan Fedorov Moscow State University of Printing. Kitaev’s works are held in collections in Austria, Brazil, Germany, Luxembourg, Russia, the United States, Turkey, and France.
The first alphabet appeared when language already existed. From the very beginning, people combined letters into combinations to visualize what was already spoken and had a name. With few exceptions, this is still the case today: letters continue to be grouped into clusters, syllables, and words. However, they always retain their individuality and do not simply become cogwheels in the train of words. <…> One letter can conceal two sounds, or conversely, a pair of letters can be pronounced as one sound. Thus, an ABC book is like a gesamtkunstwerk in a small box: it encompasses painting, music, and narrative.
Kitaev’s imagination shines on every page, crafting a story around each letter of the alphabet. His approach is reminiscent of the surrealists, who blended seemingly unrelated objects and images to explore the subconscious and the dream world. Like the surrealists, Kitaev masterfully intertwines reality with his magical riddles, reminding us that real life can be even more astonishing than the wildest dreams and stories.
Azbukvar is the first in a new series under the children’s publishing program by