Mediterranean

　　The Mediterranean 是無字的。要說文字的話，只有一小段「前敘」，接著是17頁無字跨頁。翻開書，會先在空白的頁面上看到這段：



　　after he had finished drowning,

　　his body sank slowly

　　to the bottom,

　　where the fish

　　were waiting.



　　一段很精簡的文字，這就是作者的切入點。



　　用「地中海」為書名，也沒有任何副標，我想這是作者的風格，像他的The Island一樣，一個看起來再平常不過的名詞，沒想到打開書是一個出乎意想的故事。由一具沉屍開始、到魚群啄食、魚被撈起、魚市、餐桌（從「產地」到餐桌，這其實是一個驚人的食物鏈）；接著再轉折入統治者的高壓手段，後半段才出現難民身影，先是滿滿擠在卡車上，接著是滿滿擠在船上一角的特寫，最終是沉船一景。



　　確實不需要一個字，我們都看到了。



　　——摘錄自Okapi《如何講一個「沒有主角」的故事？──安靜卻衝擊強大的繪本《地中海》（The Mediterranean）》

A lifeless body. One of many in the waters of the Mediterranean. Precarious boats navigate the waters of the sea, from south to north. And more often than not, it is not only hope that drowns. From the creator of The Island.

Armin Greder has illustrated The Great Bear, An Ordinary Day, and I Am Thomas, among others. He is the author and illustrator of The Island and The City. He is the recipient of a number of international recognitions, including the Bologna Ragazzi Award, and he has been nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Prize.