Jack of Hearts

A short story written, illustrated and designed by Sandro Asatiani.

A cockroach who writes poems out of crumbs is hopelessly in love with Sofya Andreevna — someone so big, so beautiful, so warm. In the evenings she lays out her cards and wonders about her secret admirer, but the cards never point her to the jack of hearts.

The book is a collage: engravings, wallpaper, lace, playing cards, insect plates and handwriting. The text breaks into fragments and coloured highlights, so the pages read the way the cockroach reads his poems — piece by piece.

28 pages, 148 × 180 mm. Published by Sandro’s Books in English, Italian (Fante di cuori) and Russian. Hardcover edition.