literature

120d

<p>Chì mi rè geàrd na h-oidhche<br>dreòs air chrith ’na fhroidhneas thall air fàire,<br>a’ clapail le a sgiathaibh,<br>a’ sgapadh ’s a’ ciaradh rionnagan na h-àird’ ud…</p><p>—“Bisearta”, by Deòrsa Mac Iain Deòrsa (George Campbell Hay, 1915–1984). Born <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a>, 8 Dec, Hay fought in North Africa & winessed the Allied bombing of Bizerte in 1943</p><p>1/7</p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/gaelic/" rel="tag">#Gaelic</a> <a href="/tags/gaidhlig/" rel="tag">#Gaidhlig</a> <a href="/tags/poem/" rel="tag">#poem</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/warpoetry/" rel="tag">#Warpoetry</a> <a href="/tags/ww2/" rel="tag">#WW2</a></p>

Deorsa Mac lain Deòrsa (George Campbell Hay)
Bisearta

Chì mi rè geard na h-oidhche
dreòs air chrith ’na fhroidhneas thall air fàire,
a’ clapail le a sgiathaibh,
a’sgapadh ’s a’ ciaradh rionnagan na h-àird’ ud.

Shaoileadh tu gun cluinnte,
ge cian, o ’bhuillsgein ochanaich no caoineadh,
ràn corraich no gàir fuatha,
comhart chon cuthaich uaith no ulfhairt fhaolchon,
gun ruigeadh drannd an fhòirneirt
on fhùirneis òmair iomall fhèin an t-saoghail.
Ach siud a’ dol an leud e
ri oir an speur an tostachd olc is aognaidh.

C’ainm nochd a th’ orra,
na sràidean bochda anns an sgeith gach uinneag
a lasraichean ’s a deatach,
a sradagan is sgreadail a luchd thuinidh,
is taigh air thaigh ga reubadh
am broinn a chèile am brùchdadh toit’ a’ tuiteam?
Is cò a-nochd tha ’g atach
am Bàs a theachd gu grad ’nan cainntibh uile,
no a’ spàirn measg chlach is shailthean
air bhàinidh a’ gairm air cobhair, is nach cluinnear?
Cò a-nochd a phàigheas
seann chìs àbhaisteach na fala cumant?

Uair dearg mar lod na h-àraich,
uair bàn mar ghile thràighte an eagail èitigh,
a’ dìreadh ’a uair a’ teàrnadh,
a’ sìneadh le sitheadh àrd ’s a’ call a mheudachd,
a’ fannachadh car aitil
’s ag at mar anail dhiabhail air dhèinead,
an t-Olc ’na chridhe ’s ’na chuisle,
chì mi ’na bhuillean a’ sìoladh ’s a’ leum e.
Tha ’n dreòs ’na oillt air fàire,
’na fhàinne ròis is òir am bun nan speuran,
a’ breugnachadh ’s ag àicheadh
le ’shoillse sèimhe àrsaidh àrd nan reultan.

Bizerta
translated by George Campbell Hay

I see during the night guard
a blaze flickering, fringing the skyline over yonder,
beating with its wings
and scattering and dimming the stars of that airt.

You would think that there would be heard
from its midst, though far away, wailing and lamentation,
the roar of rage and the yell of hate,
the barking of frenzied dogs from it or the howling of wolves,
that the snarl of violence would reach
from yon amber furnace the very edge of the world;
but yonder it spreads
along the rim of the sky in evil ghastly silence.

What is their name tonight,
the poor streets where every window spews
its flame and smoke,
its sparks and the screaming of its inmates,
while house upon house is rent
and collapses in a gust of smoke?
And who tonight are beseeching
Death to come quickly in all their tongues,
or are struggling among stones and beams,
crying in frenzy for help, and are not heard?
Who tonight is paying
the old accustomed tax of common blood?

Now red like a battlefield puddle,
now pale like the drained whiteness of foul fear,
climbing and sinking,
reaching and darting up and shrinking in size,
growing faint for a moment
and swelling like the breath of a devil in intensity,
I see Evil as a pulse and a heart
declining and leaping in throbs.
The blaze, a horror on the skyline,
a ring of rose and gold at the foot of the sky,
belies and denies
with its light the ancient high tranquillity of the stars.

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1140. The French scholar Peter Abelard is found guilty of heresy at the Council of Soissons. </p><p>This council was convened by the Church to examine his book "Theologia Summi Boni", which was seen as challenging orthodox Christian doctrine. Abelard's rational approach to theology and his emphasis on applying logic to faith led to suspicions among church authorities. </p><p>Books by Peter Abelard at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/5441" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/5441"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/5441</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Miniatura medievale dal Roman de la Rose raffigurante Abelardo ed Eloisa.

A vibrant painting depicting a conversation between a man and a woman.

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1y

<p>American writer, historian and poet Elizabeth Fries Ellet died <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1877.</p><p>She is best known for her works on women’s contributions to American history, particularly during the American Revolutionary War. Her extensive research and writings helped to highlight the often overlooked roles that women played in significant historical events.</p><p>Books by Elizabeth F. Ellet at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/45321" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/45321"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/45321</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/history/" rel="tag">#history</a></p>

Elizabeth Ellet
Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891 -- Author Emmet, Thomas Addis, 1828-1919 -- Collector - New York Digital Library image, information, site

A monochromatic image featuring a woman with long hair, captured in the past.

Cover of The Women of The American Revolution, Vol. 1 by E. F. Ellet.

"The Women of the American Revolution, Volume 1" by Elizabeth Fries Ellet, published in 1848, is a seminal work that documents the often overlooked contributions of women during the American Revolutionary War. Ellet's meticulous research and engaging narrative style provide a detailed and vivid portrayal of the lives, sacrifices, and achievements of women who played crucial roles in the struggle for American independence.

Elizabeth Fries Ellet’s "The Women of the American Revolution, Volume 1" remains an important work for its detailed and compassionate portrayal of the contributions of women during a pivotal period in American history. Through her pioneering research, Ellet ensured that the bravery and sacrifices of these women were recorded and honored, providing a richer and more inclusive understanding of the Revolutionary War.

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175d

<p>Zachary Boyd’s Books: Recovering a 17th-Century Scottish Library<br>21 Oct, University of Glasgow & online – free</p><p>Zachary Boyd (c.1585–1653) was a Scottish academic, minister, & poet. Prof Adrian Streete has worked to reconstruct Boyd’s library, bequeathed to Glasgow University – a new & substantial archive, unknown at present to modern scholars</p><p><a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/adrian-streete-zachary-boyds-books-tickets-1700918335529" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/adrian-streete-zachary-boyds-books-tickets-1700918335529"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/adrian-</span><span class="invisible">streete-zachary-boyds-books-tickets-1700918335529</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/17thcentury/" rel="tag">#17thcentury</a> <a href="/tags/earlymodern/" rel="tag">#earlymodern</a> <a href="/tags/bookhistory/" rel="tag">#bookhistory</a></p>

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169d

<p>Royal Shakespeare Company: Wendy & Peter Pan<br>21 October–22 November, Barbican Theatre, London</p><p>An exhilarating new take on a beloved classic myth of love, loss, redemption – & pirates. Ella Hickson’s darkly witty retelling of JM Barrie’s PETER PAN is directed by Jonathan Munby.</p><p><a href="https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2025/event/royal-shakespeare-company-wendy-peter-pan" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2025/event/royal-shakespeare-company-wendy-peter-pan"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2</span><span class="invisible">025/event/royal-shakespeare-company-wendy-peter-pan</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/drama/" rel="tag">#Drama</a> <a href="/tags/theatre/" rel="tag">#theatre</a> <a href="/tags/peterpan/" rel="tag">#PeterPan</a> <a href="/tags/adaptation/" rel="tag">#adaptation</a> <a href="/tags/jmbarrie/" rel="tag">#JMBarrie</a></p>

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1y

<p>"It's much more entertaining to live books than to write them."<br>Daddy-Long-Legs</p><p>American writer Jean Webster (pen name of Alice Jane Chandler Webster) died <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1916.</p><p>Webster's first novel, "When Patty Went to College" (1903), was based on her experiences at Vassar and reflected her humor and insight into college life. Her most known novels are "Daddy-Long-Legs" (1912) and its sequel "Dear Enemy" (1915).</p><p>Books by Jean Webster at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/99" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/99"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/99</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

American novelist Jean Webster (1876-1916)
Unknown (Bain News Service, publisher) - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ggbain.18619.

Vintage portrait of a woman in black and white.

Jerry Junior by Jean Webster.

"Jerry Junior" is a novel written by Jean Webster, published in 1907. Known for its light-hearted and humorous tone, the book reflects Webster's characteristic charm and wit.

The story is set in a picturesque Italian village, which adds a romantic and idyllic backdrop to the unfolding events.

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1y

<p>"All invitations must proceed from heaven perhaps; perhaps it is futile for men to initiate their own unity, they do but widen the gulfs between them by the attempt."</p><p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1924.</p><p>E. M. Forster's novel A Passage to India is published in the U.K. He will write no further fiction in the remaining 46 years of his life. </p><p>A Passage To India at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/61221" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/61221</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

First edition cover of A Passage To India, 1924.

A Passage to India is a 1924 novel by English author E. M. Forster set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement in the 1920s. It was selected as one of the 100 great works of 20th century English literature by the Modern Library and won the 1924 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. Time magazine included the novel in its "All Time 100 Novels" list. The novel is based on Forster's experiences in India, deriving the title from Walt Whitman's 1870 poem "Passage to India" in Leaves of Grass.

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1917.</p><p>The first Pulitzer Prizes are awarded: Laura E. Richards, Maude H. Elliott, and Florence Hall receive the first for biography (for Julia Ward Howe), Jean Jules Jusserand the first for history with With Americans of Past and Present Days, and Herbert B. Swope the first for journalism for his work for the New York World.</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38648" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38648</a></p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39954" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39954</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Cover of Julia Ward Howe, 1819-1910 by Richards, Elliott, and Hall

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1y

<p>In June 1898.</p><p>First appearance of E. W. Hornung's fictional gentleman thief A. J. Raffles in the story "The Ides of March" in Cassell's Magazine (London).</p><p>The stories were collected into one volume—with two additional tales—under the name "The Amateur Cracksman", which was published the following year. Hornung used a narrative form similar to Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories.</p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

The first Raffles story was in the June 1898 issue of Cassell's Magazine.

Cassell's Magazine - http://greatwarfiction.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/raffles/

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1y

<p>Portuguese poet Luís de Camões died <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1580.</p><p>"Os Lusíadas" (1572) is considered Camões' magnum opus. The epic poem consists of ten cantos and is written in ottava rima. The poem celebrates the voyage of Vasco da Gama and the Portuguese discoveries, blending historical events with mythological elements. It extols the virtues of bravery, patriotism, and the divine mission of the Portuguese people.</p><p>Books by Luís de Camões at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1183" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1183"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/1183</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a></p>

The portrait of Camões by Fernão Gomes, copied by Luís de Resende. This is considered to be the most authentic portrait of the poet, whose original, which has been lost, was painted while he was still alive.

An illustration of a bearded man wearing a collar.

Cover of the 1572 edition of Lusíadas.

"Os Lusíadas" ("The Lusiads") is an epic poem by Luís de Camões, first published in 1572. It is considered the most important work in Portuguese literature and a masterpiece of world literature. The poem celebrates the Portuguese voyages of discovery during the Age of Exploration, particularly the journey of Vasco da Gama to India.

"Os Lusíadas" consists of 10 cantos, containing a total of 1,102 stanzas, written in ottava rima (a stanza of eight lines with an abababcc rhyme scheme).

The poem is a blend of historical narrative and mythological elements, combining real events with classical allusions and divine interventions.

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1y

<p>American journalist, teacher, playwright, and poet Angelina Weld Grimké died <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1958.</p><p>Grimké was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural and artistic movement centered in Harlem, New York, during the 1920s and 1930s. Some of her well-known poems include "The Eyes of My Regret," "Tenebris," and "The Black Finger." These works often reflect her personal struggles and the broader societal challenges faced by African Americans.</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65112" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65112</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Angelina W. Grimké from a 1923 publication Negro Poets and their Poems.

An old black and white photo of a woman with short hair, exuding timeless elegance and grace.

Rachel: A Play in Three Acts by Angelina Weld Grimké.

"Rachel: A Play in Three Acts" is a groundbreaking work by Angelina Weld Grimké, an influential African American playwright, poet, and journalist. The play, written in 1916, is notable for its exploration of racial issues, particularly lynching, and its focus on the psychological and emotional impact of racism on African American families.

"Rachel" is a three-act play that revolves around the life of Rachel Loving, a young African American woman who is deeply affected by the racial injustices faced by her family and community.

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1y

<p>Opening The Immutable Library</p><p>Why Dara’s Project Gutenberg Archive is a Big Deal</p><p><a href="https://theimmutable.medium.com/opening-the-immutable-library-7c40a704fcbd" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="theimmutable.medium.com/opening-the-immutable-library-7c40a704fcbd"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">theimmutable.medium.com/openin</span><span class="invisible">g-the-immutable-library-7c40a704fcbd</span></a></p><p>via @dara_proj</p><p>Project Dara has made a copy of the Project Gutenberg collection in the interplanetary filesystem.</p><p>You can browse the collection here: <a href="https://gutenberg.dara.global/" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.dara.global/</a></p><p><a href="/tags/ebooks/" rel="tag">#ebooks</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/publicdomain/" rel="tag">#publicdomain</a></p>

“A book is a fragile creature, it suffers the wear of time, it fears rodents, the elements and clumsy hands. so the librarian protects the books not only against mankind but also against nature and devotes his life to this war with the forces of oblivion.”

― Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose

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165d

<p>In front of me a girl with bare feet,<br>in a beribboned dress, picks white<br>flowers in a field somewhere near Pompeii…</p><p>—Stewart Conn, “Springtime”<br>published in IN THE KIBBLE PALACE (Bloodaxe, 1987)</p><p>Pompeii was destroyed possibly <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a>, 24 Oct, 79CE</p><p><a href="https://www.museoarcheologiconapoli.it/portfolio-item/affreschi/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.museoarcheologiconapoli.it/portfolio-item/affreschi/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.museoarcheologiconapoli.it</span><span class="invisible">/portfolio-item/affreschi/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/classical/" rel="tag">#classical</a> <a href="/tags/roman/" rel="tag">#Roman</a> <a href="/tags/archaeology/" rel="tag">#archaeology</a> <a href="/tags/poem/" rel="tag">#poem</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/pompeii/" rel="tag">#Pompeii</a></p>

Stewart Conn
Springtime

In front of me a girl with bare feet,
in a beribboned dress, picks white
flowers in a field somewhere near Pompeii.

Each day I look at her, head straight,
right hand outstretched as she delicately
plucks the stem. Was she there that night

the lava flowed, birds shrivelled in the sky
and lovers turned to ash, where they lay?
If so, what had she done to deserve it?

I wonder, will it ever be
Springtime again, the blood flow freely;
or has man blighted all hope of recovery?

We are on borrowed time, you and I
and have been from the outset.
All that is left, is to live lovingly.

“Flora”
da Stabiae, Villa di Arianna inv. 8834
www.museoarcheologiconapoli.it

A Roman fresco from Pompeii. Painted on a green background, a young woman, wearing a loose, flowing robe of white and yellow, walks away from the viewer. In her left arm she carries a basket of flowers; her dress slips off her right shoulder as she reaches out to pluck a shoot from a tall flowering plant beside her.

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168d

<p>Tap me with your finger,<br>rub me with your sleeve,<br>hold me, sniff me, peel me<br>curling round and round<br>till I burst out white and cold<br>from my tight red coat…</p><p>—Edwin Morgan, “The Apple’s Song”<br>published in CENTENARY SELECTED POEMS (Carcanet, 2020)</p><p>A poem for Apple Day – 21 Oct – which is definitely about an apple 🍎</p><p><a href="https://www.carcanet.co.uk/9781784109967/centenary-selected-poems/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.carcanet.co.uk/9781784109967/centenary-selected-poems/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.carcanet.co.uk/97817841099</span><span class="invisible">67/centenary-selected-poems/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poem/" rel="tag">#poem</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/20thcentury/" rel="tag">#20thcentury</a> <a href="/tags/edwinmorgan/" rel="tag">#EdwinMorgan</a> <a href="/tags/appleday/" rel="tag">#AppleDay</a></p>

The Apple’s Song
by Edwin Morgan

Tap me with your finger,
rub me with your sleeve,
hold me, sniff me, peel me
curling round and round
till I burst out white and cold
from my tight red coat
and tingle in your palm
as if I’d melt and breathe
a living pomander
waiting for the minute
of joy when you lift me
to your mouth and crush me
and in taste and fragrance
I race through your head
in my dizzy dissolve.

I sit in the bowl
in my cool corner
and watch you as you pass
smoothing your apron.
Are you thirsty yet?
My eyes are shining.

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166d

<p>🚀Launch<br>A CHAOS OF LIGHT: New Writing Scotland 43<br>28 Oct, The Book Nook, Stirling<br>Pay as you please (suggested £3)</p><p>Celebrate this year’s amazing edition of NEW WRITING SCOTLAND & hear a selection of featured authors reading from their work, in English, Gaelic & Scots. All welcome!</p><p><a href="https://thebooknookstirling.co.uk/tickets/New-Writing-Scotland-Anthology-Launch-p566956822/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="thebooknookstirling.co.uk/tickets/New-Writing-Scotland-Anthology-Launch-p566956822/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">thebooknookstirling.co.uk/tick</span><span class="invisible">ets/New-Writing-Scotland-Anthology-Launch-p566956822/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/shortfiction/" rel="tag">#shortfiction</a> <a href="/tags/scots/" rel="tag">#Scots</a> <a href="/tags/scotslanguage/" rel="tag">#Scotslanguage</a> <a href="/tags/gaelic/" rel="tag">#Gaelic</a> <a href="/tags/gaidhlig/" rel="tag">#Gaidhlig</a> <a href="/tags/stirling/" rel="tag">#Stirling</a></p>

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120d

<p>Why Jane Austen's works still resonate, 250 years after her birth</p><p>Why do the works of Jane Austen still hold so much appeal 250 years after her birth? We ask members of the Jane Austen Society of North America as well as writers Sandra Cisneros and Brandon Taylor.</p><p>By Melissa Gray</p><p><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/12/07/nx-s1-5567131/why-jane-austens-works-still-resonate-250-years-after-her-birth" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.npr.org/2025/12/07/nx-s1-5567131/why-jane-austens-works-still-resonate-250-years-after-her-birth"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.npr.org/2025/12/07/nx-s1-5</span><span class="invisible">567131/why-jane-austens-works-still-resonate-250-years-after-her-birth</span></a></p><p>Austen at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/68" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/68"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/68</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Back-view watercolour of Jane Austen by her sister Cassandra Austen, 1804.

A delicate 1804 watercolor by Cassandra Austen showing her sister Jane Austen from behind, seated outdoors beneath a tree. Jane wears an elegant white empire-waist dress and bonnet, gazing at a pastoral landscape in soft, muted tones.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Austen#/media/File:JaneAustenCassandraWatercolour.jpg

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1y

<p>American writer William Sydney Porter died <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1910.</p><p>O. Henry's stories are known for their memorable characters, vivid descriptions, and especially their surprise endings. Some of his most famous stories include "The Gift of the Magi," "The Ransom of Red Chief," "The Last Leaf," and "The Cop and the Anthem."</p><p>Books by O. Henry at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/634" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/634"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/634</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Portrait by W. M. Vanderweyde (1909)
W.M. Vanderweyde, New York - NYPL Digital Gallery

A monochrome image of a man seated in a chair.

The front cover of the first edition of the short story anthology The Four Million by O. Henry, published on April 10, 1906 by McClure, Phillips and Company, New York, 1906.
O. Henry - The 1906 first edition cover: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth139379/m1/1/

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23d

<p>She is tougher than me, harder.<br>Elephant body on a miniature stool<br>keels when rising till the drilled stick<br>plants it upright…</p><p>—Iain Crichton Smith, “For My Mother”<br>from New Collected Poems (Carcanet, 2011)</p><p><a href="https://www.carcanet.co.uk/9781857549607/new-collected-poems/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.carcanet.co.uk/9781857549607/new-collected-poems/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.carcanet.co.uk/97818575496</span><span class="invisible">07/new-collected-poems/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poem/" rel="tag">#poem</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/mothersday/" rel="tag">#MothersDay</a></p>

For My Mother
Iain Crichton Smith

She is tougher than me, harder.
Elephant body on a miniature stool
keels when rising till the drilled stick
plants it upright. Rock
fills the false room

who has more air about her.
Kneaded life like good butter.
Is at seventy not afraid
of the perished dead
who spit and rear

snarling at me, not her,
though forty years younger.
Not riches do I wish me
nor successful power.
This only I admire

to roll the seventieth sea
as if her voyage were
to truthful Lewis rising,
most loved though most bare
at the end of a rich season.

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165d

<p>My brother is skull and skeleton now<br>empty of mind behind the brow<br>in ribs and pelvis empty space<br>bone-naked without a face…</p><p>—William Montgomerie, “Epitaph”<br>For 2nd Officer James S. Montgomerie of the S.S. Carsbreck, torpedoed off Gibraltar, 24th October 1941</p><p><a href="https://asls.org.uk/publications/books/volumes/from_the_line/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="asls.org.uk/publications/books/volumes/from_the_line/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">asls.org.uk/publications/books</span><span class="invisible">/volumes/from_the_line/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poem/" rel="tag">#poem</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/warpoetry/" rel="tag">#warpoetry</a> <a href="/tags/ww2/" rel="tag">#WW2</a> <a href="/tags/ww2history/" rel="tag">#WW2history</a></p>

William Montgomerie
Epitaph
For 2nd Officer James S. Montgomerie of the S.S. Carsbreck, torpedoed off Gibraltar, 24th October 1941

My brother is skull and skeleton now
empty of mind behind the brow
in ribs and pelvis empty space
bone-naked without a face

On a draughty beach drifting sand
clawed by a dry skeleton hand
sifts in the hourglass of his head
time useless to bones of the dead

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23d

<p>I had a holiday from awkwardness. Can you have sex? was solved. Most people have been or known a doubled self like us…</p><p>—Nuala Watt, “Pregnant & Squint”<br>from The Department of Work & Pensions Assesses a Jade Fish (Blue Diode, 2024)</p><p><a href="https://www.bluediode.co.uk/product-page/the-department-of-work-and-pensions-assesses-a-jade-fish-by-nuala-watt" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.bluediode.co.uk/product-page/the-department-of-work-and-pensions-assesses-a-jade-fish-by-nuala-watt"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.bluediode.co.uk/product-pa</span><span class="invisible">ge/the-department-of-work-and-pensions-assesses-a-jade-fish-by-nuala-watt</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/mothersday/" rel="tag">#MothersDay</a> <a href="/tags/poem/" rel="tag">#poem</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/disability/" rel="tag">#disability</a> <a href="/tags/pregnancy/" rel="tag">#pregnancy</a></p>

Nuala Watt
Pregnant and Squint

I had a holiday from awkwardness. Can you have sex? was solved. Most people have been or known a doubled self like us. Briefly my conditions were disabled.

Test to term I never had to console a passer-by spooked by my movement. People knew what to say. When are you due? Do you know what you’re having? Yes, a break.

We were disconcertingly well. Nothing Abnormal Detected said midwives’ scribbles. Just before childbirth, everyone’s disabled. For me, same old, same old. I had cohabited with fatigue for years; my balance was dreadful; I already leaked.

Suddenly I had twice the rights on buses. I could be the belly, if I liked, or the girl balanced on a semi-circle. I qualified for both the reserved seats.

I liked the quaint but truthful phrase ‘with child’.

The government forced me to list what I couldn’t do. I had to excise you from my answers. Whilst I described the most disastrous days, the falls, the fits, the faff, the time I collapsed while trying to use a tampon, my oddly capable body made your kidneys.

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1y

<p>"Words are always getting conventionalized to some secondary meaning. It is one of the works of poetry to take the truants in custody and bring them back to their right senses. Poets are the policemen of language; they are always arresting those old reprobates the words."</p><p>Letter to Ellen O'Leary (3 February 1889)</p><p>~William Butler Yeats (13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939)</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1719" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1719"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/1719</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a></p>

William Butler Yeat by George Charles Beresford.

Black and white photo featuring a man wearing glasses.

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166d

<p>Public Domain Stories</p><p>Explore Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original Sherlock Holmes adventures — preserved and shared by <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/</a>.</p><p><a href="https://sherlockholmes.com/pages/public-domain-stories" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="sherlockholmes.com/pages/public-domain-stories"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">sherlockholmes.com/pages/publi</span><span class="invisible">c-domain-stories</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/publicdomain/" rel="tag">#publicdomain</a></p>

Cover page

Title: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1661/pg1661-images.html

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15d

<p>University of Edinburgh Writer in Residence with Val McDermid<br>2 April, University of Edinburgh. Free, ticketed</p><p>What does it take to build and sustain a life & career in writing over almost forty years? This event marks the re-issue of Val’s earliest crime series – the Lindsay Gordon novels – first published in the 1980s, & seminal in what has become known as the ‘queering of the genre’</p><p><a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/university-of-edinburgh-writer-in-residence-with-val-mcdermid-tickets-1984396694933" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/university-of-edinburgh-writer-in-residence-with-val-mcdermid-tickets-1984396694933"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/univers</span><span class="invisible">ity-of-edinburgh-writer-in-residence-with-val-mcdermid-tickets-1984396694933</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/crimefiction/" rel="tag">#crimefiction</a> <a href="/tags/queer/" rel="tag">#queer</a> <a href="/tags/queerfiction/" rel="tag">#queerfiction</a></p>

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1y

<p>American writer and editor Lucretia Peabody Hale died <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1900.</p><p>Lucretia's most famous work is the series of humorous stories about the Peterkin family, which were originally published in magazines and later collected into books. As part of the broader movement for women's rights in the 19th century, Hale's writings and public activities contributed to the dialogue on women's education and social roles.</p><p>Books by Lucretia Peabody Hale at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1092" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1092"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/1092</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Lucretia Peabody Hale (2 September 1820-12 June 1900) American author born in Boston, Massachusetts.

Lucretia Peabody Hale (1820-1904), an influential figure in the 19th century, made significant contributions to literature and women's rights.

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23d

<p>On Monday she stood at the wooden wash-tub,<br>Suds to the elbow,<br>A slave among the storm-gray shirts and sheets…</p><p>—George Mackay Brown, “The Mother”<br>published in TRAVELLERS, Hachette 2014<br> <br><a href="https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/none/travellers/9781848549487/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.hachette.co.uk/titles/none/travellers/9781848549487/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.hachette.co.uk/titles/none</span><span class="invisible">/travellers/9781848549487/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poem/" rel="tag">#poem</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/mothersday/" rel="tag">#MothersDay</a> <a href="/tags/orkney/" rel="tag">#Orkney</a></p>

The Mother
George Mackay Brown

On Monday she stood at the wooden wash-tub,
Suds to the elbow,
A slave among the storm-gray shirts and sheets.

Tuesday, she pegged the washing high –
The garden a galleon in the gale!
Then lamplight, the iron, the crisp sun-smelling folds.

The rooms thrummed with Gaelic rhythms
A low monotone, on a Wednesday
(And every day), ancient Celtic work-spells.

She was never free like the lipsticked shop-girls
On Thursday afternoon; all her tasks
Were like bluebells in a jar on the window-sill.

On Friday she rose above textures of oat and barley
Into the paradise of cakes.
I licked cream from the wooden spoon.

Saturday night, I followed her basket and purse.
The grocer, silver-spectacled, was king
Of the apples, cheeses, syrup, sweetie-jars, cloves.

We sat, seven, in the high pew on Sunday.
After the psalms, her paper poke
Made sweet thunders all through the sermon.

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