See How Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’ Inspired Centuries of Artists—From Caravaggio to René Magritte
A show at the Rijksmuseum brings together paintings, sculptures, film and other artworks that reinterpret the ancient Roman poet’s tales of transformation
by Christian Thorsberg
Metamorphoses at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21765
#OTD in 1901.
Publication of Maurice Maeterlinck's The Life of the Bee in Belgium.
He infuses his observations of bees with reflections on human society, mortality, and the universe, using the hive as a metaphor for human society. The book discusses various aspects of bee life, including the architecture of the hive, the life cycle of the bees, their social organization, and their production of honey.
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38527
American author E. E. Smith was born #OTD in 1890.
E. E. "Doc" Smith is considered a major figure in the history of science fiction literature, particularly for his development of the space opera genre. His first major work, "The Skylark of Space" (1928), is often considered one of the first space operas. Perhaps his most famous work, the Lensman series, began with "Triplanetary" in 1934.
Books by E. E. Smith at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/9515
English sociologist, economist, feminist and social reformer Beatrice Webb died #OTD in 1943.
Some of her key works, often co-authored with her husband, include The History of Trade Unionism (1894) and Industrial Democracy (1897). One of her most significant research endeavors was her study of the British poor, which resulted in the seminal work The Poor Law Report of 1909.
Books by Beatrice Webb at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/42231
"The burning soul, the burden'd mind,
In books alone companions find."
American writer and editor Sarah Josepha Hale died #OTD in 1879.
She initially gained recognition with the publication of her novel "Northwood: Life North and South" (1827), which addressed the issue of slavery in America. Under her leadership, the magazine "Godey's Lady's Book" became one of the most influential women's magazines in America.
Books by Sarah Josepha Hale at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/43680
Danish novelist, poet, and scientist Jens Peter Jacobsen died #OTD in 1885.
His literary career is highlighted by his two major novels: "Niels Lyhne" (1880) and "Fru Marie Grubbe" (1876). "Niels Lyhne" is an autobiographical novel that follows the life of its eponymous hero, who struggles with faith and existential doubt in a seemingly indifferent world.
Books by Jens Peter Jacobsen at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/2193
French writer Anna de Noailles died #OTD in 1933.
Some of her notable poetic works include "Le Cœur innombrable" (The Uncountable Heart, 1901), "L'Ombre des jours" (The Shadow of Days, 1902), and "Les Éblouissements" (The Dazzlements, 1907). Her salon in Paris was a gathering place for many of the leading intellectual and artistic figures of her time, including Marcel Proust, Colette, and Jean Cocteau, among others.
Books by Anna de Noailles at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/25065
English poet, author and humorist Thomas Hood died #OTD in 1845.
His humorous works often included puns and wordplay, which became immensely popular. These works were frequently published in magazines, including Punch. Some of his well-known comic poems include "Miss Kilmansegg and Her Precious Leg" and "The Song of the Shirt", which highlights the dire conditions of the working class and is considered one of his best works.
Thomas Hood at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/6181
From Canonmills To Coral Islands
10 Nov, Edinburgh – free
From his first day at school in Canonmills to his last day as a world-famous author on the Pacific island of Samoa, Robert Louis Stevenson (RLS) led a remarkable life.
Join folk singer & RLS biographer Jeremy Hodges for a musical journey through that lifelong adventure, featuring Stevenson’s own poetry.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/from-canonmills-to-coral-islands-tickets-1757066466099
#Scottish #literature #19thcentury #Victorian #RobertLouisStevenson #Edinburgh #Samoa
American illustrator Jessie Willcox Smith died #OTD in 1935.
Smith’s career took off when she began working for the Ladies' Home Journal, for which she created many covers and interior illustrations. She illustrated over 60 books throughout her career, including classics such as Charles Kingsley's The Water-Babies, Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses, and Clement Moore’s The Night Before Christmas.
Jessie Willcox Smith at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/7158
“I remember being excited by its ingenious allegory, allusions to nuclear holocaust behind something timeless, almost heraldic. I was drawn, surely, to the unusual combination of spiritual reach and humour, as well as recognising the poet’s extraordinary gift for characterisation in miniature.”
—John Greening on discovering George Mackay Brown
John Buchan: A Man For Our Time?
Prof Murray Pittock discusses John Buchan – a literary legend & a man ahead of his time on issues from Scottish nationalism to the rights of indigenous peoples. Recorded at the 2025 Beyond Borders International Festival.
For want o luve we live on hate,
For want o Heven praise the State,
For want o richts we worship rules,
For want o gods the glibbest fules…
—Sydney Goodsir Smith, “Prolegomenon: The Deevil’s Waltz”
published in A KIST O SKINKLAN THINGS: an anthology of Scots poetry
from the first & second waves
of the Scottish Renaissance (ASL, 2017)
Happy #Scotstober!
https://asls.org.uk/publications/books/volumes/a-kist-o-skinlan-things/
#Scottish #literature #20thcentury #Scots #Scotslanguage #poem #poetry #Scotstober #richts
Concrete Scottish Connections: Finlay, Jandl, Gomringer, & Satie
22 Oct, Edinburgh – free
Ian Hamilton Finlay, Ernst Jandl, & Eugen Gomringer – all born in 1925 – helped shape concrete poetry, breaking linguistic barriers & reimagining the power of words
Against the Croak for Doom: Hamish Henderson’s Vision of Freedom
28 Oct, Clydebank – free
Corey Gibson on the “anonymous song poetry of Scotland” & the “comradely solidarity of the anti-Fascist struggle” in the life & work of the poet, folklorist, & radical Hamish Henderson (1919–2002)
Italian diplomat, author, philosopher and historian Niccolò Machiavelli was born #OTD in 1469.
The Prince is a 16th-century political treatise written in the form of a realistic instruction guide for new princes. "Discourses on Livy" is another important work by Machiavelli, which is a broader political analysis but centers on the concept of republican government, as opposed to the monarchical focus in "The Prince".
Books by Niccolò Machiavelli at PG
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/563
THE GREAT NORTH ROAD by Robert Louis Stevenson, with Stuart Campbell
12 Nov, Blackwell’s South Bridge, Edinburgh. Tickets £3–12
THE GREAT NORTH ROAD – a rollicking tale of highwaymen, murder, mayhem and doomed love – is one of fourteen works RLS left unfinished. Acting as a literary sleuth, Stuart Campbell has taken it upon himself to complete the unfinished tale.
#Scottish #literature #RobertLouisStevenson #HistoricalFiction
Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci died #OTD in 1519.
He was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested on his achievements as a painter, he has also become known for his notebooks, in which he made drawings and notes on a variety of subjects, including anatomy, astronomy, botany, cartography, painting, and paleontology.
Books by Leonardo Da Vinci at PG
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1629
What Was Behind Jonathan Swift’s Modest Proposal?
Swift’s savage animosity towards the Irish Protestant elites is front and center in his biting (perhaps literally) critique of the landlord class.
By: Matthew Wills
https://daily.jstor.org/what-was-behind-jonathan-swifts-modest-proposal/
Modest Proposal at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1080
English writer & humourist Jerome K. Jerome was born #OTD in 1859.
He is best known for his comic masterpiece, Three Men in a Boat, which continues to be celebrated for its vivid depiction of pre-World War I Britain and its light-hearted & humorous examination of the British temperament. Other works include the essay collections Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, Three Men on the Bummel.
Books by Jerome K. Jerome @ PG
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/173
Robert Fergusson (1750–1774) died #OTD, 17 Oct, aged just 24. Notable for his poetry in both Scots & English, his works include “Auld Reikie”, “The Daft Days”, & “Hallow Fair”. His legacies are broad, from the literary & cultural to the medical.
1/5
https://robert-fergusson.glasgow.ac.uk
#Scottish #literature #poetry #18thcentury #RobertFergusson #Scots #Scotslanguage
English writer and poet Edith Nesbit died #OTD in 1924.
She published over 60 books for children, including novels, collections of stories, and picture books. Among her most famous works are "The Railway Children," "Five Children and It," and "The Phoenix and the Carpet." Her work is seen as a precursor to the modern children's fantasy literature genre, influencing later writers such as C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling.
Books by Edith Nesbit at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/407
English novelist and poet Charlotte Smith was born #OTD in 1749.
Smith's first significant literary success came with the publication of "Elegiac Sonnets" in 1784. In addition to her poetry, Smith wrote several novels: her first novel, "Emmeline, or The Orphan of the Castle" (1788), was followed by others such as "Ethelinde" (1789), "The Old Manor House" (1793), and "Desmond" (1792).
Books by Charlotte Smith at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/41281
Oh to be at Crowdieknowe
When the last trumpet blaws,
An’ see the deid come loupin’ owre
The auld grey wa’s…
—Hugh MacDiarmid, “Crowdieknowe”
from Hugh MacDiarmid: Selected Poetry (Carcanet, 2004)
🎨 : “Crowdieknowe”, by Catriona Campbell (b. 1940). Oil on canvas.
https://www.carcanet.co.uk/9781857547566/selected-poetry/
#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #Scots #Scotslanguage #painting #art #visualart
#OTD in 1921.
The première of Luigi Pirandello's Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore at the Teatro Valle in Rome divides the audience.
An absurdist metatheatric play about the relationship among authors, their characters, and theatre practitioners, it premiered at the Teatro Valle in Rome to a mixed reception, with shouts from the audience of "Manicomio!" and "Incommensurabile!", a reaction to the play's illogical progression.
![Metamorphoses (Italian). - Printed in Venice: for Zoane Rosso Vercellese at the request of the noble man Lucantonio Zonta of Florence, in the year 1487, on the 10th day of April. - 146 c.; [*]4, a-r⁸, s⁶; fol. - Typographical mark in the explicit.
A woodcut-illustrated opening page of a 15th-century printed book, framed by an ornate Renaissance border. The border features putti, birds, foliate scrollwork, vases, and grotesque masks arranged symmetrically on all four sides. A frieze of nude figures in a landscape runs along the bottom panel.
The central woodcut illustration depicts a bearded robed figure standing amid various animals — a lion, a rabbit, and a fox — in a landscape with a large rock or mountain, trees, and celestial bodies including a sun with a face and a crescent moon. Two winged birds fly above.
Below the woodcut, the text begins in Italian in two columns, with two decorative woodcut initial letters — a large ornamental I and a P — marking the start of paragraphs. The text opens with "Incomicia il primo libro methAmorphoseos de Ouidio in prosa vulgare traduto con le alegorie. Capitulo primo."
At the bottom centre is a circular library stamp.
Ovidius Naso, Publius - Available in the BEIC digital library and uploaded in partnership with BEIC Foundation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphoses#/media/File:Ovidius_Naso_-_Metamorphoses,_del_MCCCCLXXXXVII_Adi_X_del_mese_di_aprile_-_1583162_Carta_a1r.jpeg](/proxy/post_attachment/999069/f8e2b56de9dc0cdeb5f0498d22c6bc5f.jpg "Metamorphoses (Italian). - Printed in Venice: for Zoane Rosso Vercellese at the request of the noble man Lucantonio Zonta of Florence, in the year 1487, on the 10th day of April. - 146 c.; [*]4, a-r⁸, s⁶; fol. - Typographical mark in the explicit.
A woodcut-illustrated opening page of a 15th-century printed book, framed by an ornate Renaissance border. The border features putti, birds, foliate scrollwork, vases, and grotesque masks arranged symmetrically on all four sides. A frieze of nude figures in a landscape runs along the bottom panel.
The central woodcut illustration depicts a bearded robed figure standing amid various animals — a lion, a rabbit, and a fox — in a landscape with a large rock or mountain, trees, and celestial bodies including a sun with a face and a crescent moon. Two winged birds fly above.
Below the woodcut, the text begins in Italian in two columns, with two decorative woodcut initial letters — a large ornamental I and a P — marking the start of paragraphs. The text opens with \"Incomicia il primo libro methAmorphoseos de Ouidio in prosa vulgare traduto con le alegorie. Capitulo primo.\"
At the bottom centre is a circular library stamp.
Ovidius Naso, Publius - Available in the BEIC digital library and uploaded in partnership with BEIC Foundation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphoses#/media/File:Ovidius_Naso_-_Metamorphoses,_del_MCCCCLXXXXVII_Adi_X_del_mese_di_aprile_-_1583162_Carta_a1r.jpeg")
