''Tree of Codes'' is an artwork, in the form of a book, created by Jonathan Safran Foer, and published in 2010. To create the book, Foer took Bruno Schulz's book '' The Street of Crocodiles'' and cut out the majority of the words. The publisher, Visual Editions, describes it as a "sculptural object." Foer himself explains the writing process as follows: "I took my favorite book, Bruno Schulz’s ''Street of Crocodiles'', and by removing words carved out a new story". Due to the physical difficulties involved in printing a book where most of the words have been cut out, Foer stated that he had to contact several different publishers before finding one who was willing to print it. The only printing office who could do the job was die Keure, from Belgium. He also said that due to the way the book had to be bound, it could not be produced in a

hardcover A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as case-bound) book is one bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy paper, or o ...

edition.

Reception

'' The Times'' described it as "a true work of art." Heather Wagner at '' Vanity Fair'' called it "a quietly stunning work of art." Michel Faber, at '' The Guardian'', said that while Foer showed a strong sense of poetry, the book was less successful as a work of fiction.

Adaptations

The book was adapted into a ballet by choreographer

Wayne McGregor Wayne McGregor, CBE (born 12 March 1970) is a multi award-winning British choreographer and director. He is the Artistic Director of Studio Wayne McGregor and Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet. McGregor was appointed Commander of ...

, composer

Jamie xx James Thomas Smith (born 28 October 1988), known professionally as Jamie xx, is an English musician, DJ, record producer and remixer. He is known for both his solo work and as a member of the English indie pop band The xx. He has been described ...

, and visual artist Olafur Eliasson. It was first shown in the UK as part of the Manchester International Festival in July 2015, for which it was commissioned, and subsequently received its US premiere at the

Park Avenue Armory __NOTOC__ The Park Avenue Armory Conservancy, generally known as Park Avenue Armory, is a nonprofit cultural institution within the historic Seventh Regiment Armory building located at 643 Park Avenue on New York City's Upper East Side. The i ...

in September 2015. Australian composer

Liza Lim Liza Lim (born 30 August 1966) is an Australian composer. Lim writes concert music ( chamber and orchestral works) as well as music theatre and has collaborated with artists on a number of installation and video projects. Her work reflects her i ...

adapted the book into an opera. The joint production by

Cologne Opera The Cologne Opera (German: Oper der Stadt Köln or Oper Köln) refers both to the main opera house in Cologne, Germany and to its resident opera company. History of the company From the mid 18th century, opera was performed in the city's court th ...

and Hellerau featured ensemble

musikFabrik The Ensemble Musikfabrik (music factory ensemble) is an ensemble for contemporary classical music located in Cologne. Their official name is Ensemble Musikfabrik Landesensemble NRW e.V. (Ensemble Musikfabrik of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, ...

and premiered on 9 April 2016. The cast included Emily Hindrichs as Adela,

Christian Miedl Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...

as the Son and Carl Rosman as the Mutant Bird. The opera's US debut took place at the 2018

Spoleto Festival USA Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of America's major performing arts festivals. It was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who sought to establish a counterpart to the Festival dei Du ...

in Charleston, South Carolina in a new production under the direction of Ong Keng Sen. The cast for this production featured

Marisol Montalvo Marisol is a Spanish name, a shortened form of ''María de la Soledad'' ("Mary of heSolitude"), a title given to the Virgin Mary. Literally translated, Marisol is a portmanteau of "mar" + "y" + "sol" in Spanish—which in conjunction mean "sea ...

as Adela,

Elliot Madore Elliot Madore (born April 15, 1987) is a Canadian lyric baritone with an international operatic career. Early life and education Madore graduated from the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and received both his Mas ...

as the Son, and

Walter Dundervill Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...

as The Dresser.Spoleto Festival USA 2018 Event Guide
Accessed: June 6, 2018."

External links

*
Tree of Codes
' at Visual Editions.

References

{{Reflist Novels by Jonathan Safran Foer Novels adapted into ballets Novels adapted into operas Adaptations of works by Bruno Schulz 2010 American novels