Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness

The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness is a masterful allegorical tale for the 21st century, combining literature, music, and visual art to explore the journey into mental illness. The book is inspired by the experiences of its award-winning creator, Matt Ottley, who has lived with bipolar disorder and been hospitalised multiple times. The 50-minute orchestral composition by Ottley, performed by the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno, tenor Ben Reynolds, and narrated by Tina Wilson, is at the heart of the work.

Format: Hardback
Publication date: 01 May 2023
Publisher: One Tentacle Publishing

The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness is a masterful allegorical tale for the 21st century, weaving together the worlds of literature, music, and visual art in the poignant story of one boy's journey into mental illness. Audiences are offered a mesmerizing visual and auditory tour de force about beauty and resilience, society and belief, that at its heart expresses hope for a greater understanding and embracing of difference.

The narrative unfolds around the metaphor of a tree growing within the boy, whose flower is ecstasy and whose fruit is sadness. This luminous, multi-faceted work is inspired by the experiences of its award-winning creator, Matt Ottley, who has lived with bipolar disorder all his life and been hospitalized on numerous occasions in mental health facilities. Having personally experienced the prejudices and challenges that come from suffering a mental illness, Matt's aim is to offer a sensory insight through words, music, and images into the experiences of those who suffer from such debilitating illnesses, particularly psychosis.

At the heart of the work is a 50-minute orchestral composition by Matt Ottley, performed by the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno, tenor Ben Reynolds, and narrated by Tina Wilson. This book comes with a CD recording and download link of the musical work, which forms part of this multi-modal work.

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Matt Ottley is an internationally acclaimed award-winning artist, author, and composer, with more than 40 picture books to his name. His ground-breaking multi-modal work, Requiem for a Beast, won the Children's Book Council of Australia's Picture Book of the Year Award in 2009 as well as the Queensland Premier's Award for YA Literature. It was selected for the White Ravens catalogue in.

Weight: 1158g
Dimension: 243 x 318 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780645042030