literature

48d

The wind blew as ’twad blawn its last;
The rattling showers rose on the blast;
The speedy gleams the darkness swallow’d;
Loud, deep, & lang the thunder bellow’d:
That night, a child might understand,
The Deil had business on his hand…

—Robert Burns’s “Tam o’ Shanter”, read by Hamish MacDonald; illustrations by Gary Welsh

Happy Halloween!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAqVwCa_x5o

#Scottish #literature #Halloween #poem #poetry #18thcentury #witch #witches #supernatural #folklore

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

In July 1816.

Lord Byron, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, Percy Bysshe Shelley & John Polidori, who have gathered at the Villa Diodati by Lake Geneva in a rainy Switzerland in this 'Year Without a Summer', tell each other tales. This spawns two classic Gothic narratives, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Polidori's The Vampyre. Byron also writes the poem Darkness.

Frankenstein
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/41445

The Vampyre
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/6087

Darkness
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20158

#books #literature #poetry

Title page of first edition of Frankenstein, Volume I.
Author Mary Shelley; publisher Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones

Title page for The Vampyre; A Tale (London: Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, 1819) by John William Polidori, 1795-1821. EC8.P7598.819va (A), Houghton Library, Harvard University

"Darkness:, an 1816 poem by Lord Byron, first published in the 1816 The Prisoner of Chillon and Other Poems collection, page 27, published in London in 1816 by John Murray.

3 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

48d

A boannie nicht for castin kale:
a fat mön vaegin owre Sannis,
a hale gadderie o laads an lasses…

—Christine De Luca, “Hallowe’en Hansel”
published in WAST WI DA VALKYRIES

Listen to Christine reading her poems online here

https://www.christinedeluca.co.uk/pages/wast_wi_da_valkyries

#Scottish #literature #Shetland #Halloween #poem #poetry #Scots #Scotslanguage #Shetlandic

A dark-blue postcard. In the top-left corner is a spider's web; in the bottom right there's a bubbling cauldron. The postcard has the following poem in white text:

Hallowe'en hansel
bi Christine De Luca

A boannie nicht for castin kale:
a fat mön vaegin owre Sannis,
a hale gadderie o laads an lasses.

A spree i der blöd,
laads loupit dykes
purled kale-stocks
iggit een anidder on
ripe da rigs
hunse fur hens
whit a stramash
an dan da dash
tae a porch door
lift da sneck
ball in da booty
rin like da mellishon
dunna look back.

But dee an me
pooskered wi da bassel
fell ahint ta draa breath,
taste wir first smoorikin.
But aa I can mind is da mön
gaffin at me in mi cöttikins
wis ahint a uncan barn
an dy blate hansel
anunder a kendlin o starns.

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

#OTD in 1923.

A riot breaks out at the re-staging of Tristan Tzara's Dadaist play The Gas Heart at the Théâtre Michel, Paris, between those aligned with André Breton and those aligned with Tzara. The conflict leads to a permanent split in the Dada movement and the founding of Surrealism as an alternative.

Francis Picabia at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/49071

Tristan Tzara at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/48499

André Breton at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=andr%C3%A9+breton&submit_search=Go%21

#books #literature

Dada artists, group photograph, 1920, Paris. From left to right, Back row: Louis Aragon, Theodore Fraenkel, Paul Eluard, Clément Pansaers, Emmanuel Fay (cut off). Second row: Paul Dermée, Philippe Soupault, Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes. Front row: Tristan Tzara (with monocle), Celine Arnauld, Francis Picabia, André Breton.

The Dada group poses facing the camera, in various attitudes, most of them smiling. They are dressed in dark jackets and white shirts, the men wearing ties.

2 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

46d

Famous Medieval Words and Their Surprising Origins

Words like castles, Vikings, and even medieval itself instantly evoke the Middle Ages. Some of these terms were used by people of the time, while others were coined centuries later to describe their world. Each carries traces of history, revealing how language has preserved — and reimagined — the medieval past.

https://www.medievalists.net/2025/10/medieval-words-origins/

Medieval words at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=medieval+words

#books #literature

The Squire in the Ellesmere manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

The image shows a finely dressed young man riding a prancing horse. The rider, The Squire, is adorned in elegant, elaborately patterned garments wears a blue hat with white decorations, a dark, elaborately embroidered tunic, and white hose. His short blond hair curls outward under his hat, reflecting the fashionable style of the late 14th century. A richly patterned cloak drapes over his shoulders, flowing behind him as the horse rears gracefully.

The horse is light brown with a well-groomed mane and tail, decorated with red and white harness straps in an ornamental pattern.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Squire_-_Ellesmere_Chaucer.jpg

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

In July 1866.

Anthony Trollope's novel Nina Balatka: The Story of a Maiden of Prague is initially published anonymously (serialisation in Blackwood's Magazine July 1866–January 1867). Trollope is interested in discovering whether his books sell on their own merits or as a consequence of the author's name and reputation.

Nina Balakta at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8897

#books #literature

First edition title page of Nina Balatka by Anthony Trollope.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

"Our deeds are like children that are born to us; they live and act apart from our own will."

In July 1862.

George Eliot's historical novel Romola begins serialization in Cornhill Magazine, the first time she has published a full-length book in this format. George Murray Smith of the publishers Smith, Elder & Co. has agreed a £7,000 advance for it. It was first published as a book, in three volumes, by Smith, Elder & Co. in 1863.

Romola at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/24020

#books #literature

First edition of Romola bye George Sand.

The novel first appeared in fourteen parts published in Cornhill Magazine from July 1862 (vol. 6, no. 31) to August 1863 (vol. 8, no. 44), and was first published as a book, in three volumes, by Smith, Elder & Co. in 1863.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

46d

Rising in November in these days of dusk
I am one life older, watching now as the walls
green over, the stones break into bud;
if this is ebb-tide turned to flood it means that
nightfall might begin again at dawn.
And so it does…

—Robin Robertson, “Crossing the Archipelago”
published in SAILING THE FOREST (Picador, 2014)

https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/robin-robertson/sailing-the-forest/9781447231554

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #November

Crossing the Archipelago
Robin Robertson

Rising in November in these days of dusk
I am one life older, watching now as the walls
green over, the stones break into bud;
if this is ebb-tide turned to flood it means that
nightfall might begin again at dawn.
And so it does. The sea at Djurgården is a mirror
of lost light. I watch snowflakes fall on water,
transparent as tissue, melting back to nothing,
the black water’s endless echo of the night.
A diminished life turns turtle and the day breaks
like a spell; to double back on this, through
ash and silver birch, to that extinguished past, a world
that’s over, will wreck me. Hopeless to return
now: my future lit by bridges, and their burning.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

46d

Bluidy Jack’s Prisoner
13 Nov, Edinburgh. Free, unticketed.

While writing Kidnapped & other classics such as Jekyll & Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson was suffering from the pulmonary disease he called ‘Bluidy Jack’. Join members of the Robert Louis Stevenson Club for an insight into the strange double life of a great Scottish author as they celebrate his 175th birthday

https://cultureedinburgh.com/events/bluidy-jacks-prisoner

#Scottish #literature #19thcentury #Victorian #RobertLouisStevenson

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

"Empires dissolve and peoples disappear,
Song passes not away."

English poet William Watson died #OTD in 1935.

Watson's early work, like Wordsworth's Grave (1890), demonstrated his deep admiration for the Romantic poets and established him as a significant literary figure. Despite his popularity and influence during his lifetime, his work fell out of favor in the years following his death, and he is less well-known today.

William Watson at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/4885

#books #literature

Sir William Watson, English poet.
Elliot & Fry, Ltd. - World's Library of Best Books Part 20

The image typically would depict Watson in a formal pose, characteristic of late 19th and early 20th-century portraiture. He might be dressed in traditional attire, possibly a dark suit with a high-collared shirt, and perhaps looking directly at the camera or slightly off to the side, creating a dignified and thoughtful expression.

The background would likely be plain or subtly textured to keep the focus on Watson's features. The photograph would have been reproduced in "World's Library of Best Books," Part 20, emphasizing its importance as a part of literary history.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

Portuguese poet Tomás António Gonzaga was born #OTD in 1744.

He is best known for his work Marília de Dirceu, a collection of pastoral love poems that became a classic of Portuguese literature. His life took a dramatic turn when he was implicated in the Inconfidência Mineira, a failed conspiracy against Portuguese rule in Brazil. He was arrested and exiled to Mozambique, where he spent the remainder of his life.

Books by Tomás António Gonzaga at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/7794

#books #literature

A drawing of Gonzaga

Unknown author - Pantheon Escolar Brazileiro. p. Cartão 09 (THOMAZ Antonio Gonzaga: Inconfidente, Desmbargador Poeta de "Marilia e Dirceu". Rio de Janeiro, RJ: Livraria de J. G. de Azevedo, [18--]. 1 cartão, zincogravura, p&b, 13,4 x 9cm.

Disponível em: http://objdigital.bn.br/objdigital2/acervo_digital/div_iconografia/icon95726_1396400/icon1396386.jpg. Acesso em: 5 ago. 2019.).

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

44d

In Praise of Librarians in Dangerous Times

Sarah Weinman on the Awesome Responsibility of the Seekers and Keepers of Truth

https://lithub.com/in-praise-of-librarians-in-dangerous-times/

Librarians at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=librarians

#books #literature

Librarians classifying books at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LOC)

The Library of Congress from Washington, DC, United States

The image shows a number of librarians actively engaged in processing library material in a space within the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The room appears to be a large, well-lit working area. Long tables, shelving units and stacks of books and bound volumes are visible.

The librarians seem to be engaged in classification, cataloguing and shelving tasks — handling books, perhaps checking index cards or labels, and placing the volumes in their correct place.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Librarians#/media/File:(Librarians_classifying_books_at_the_Library_of_Congress,_Washington,_D.C.)_(LOC)_-_Flickr_-_The_Library_of_Congress.jpg

2 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

44d

Plato and the Poets

The centuries-old debate should be settled: an intellectual world bereft of poetry is a damaged one.

by Elaine Scarry

https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/plato-and-the-poets/

Plato at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/93

#books #literature #philosophy

Parts of P.Oxy. LII 3679, 3rd century, containing fragments of Plato's Republic.

The visible portion of the papyrus displays Greek text in several lines of uncial script, with some variation in the size of the letters and some spacing between columns or lines.

There are holes, tears, frayed edges and missing sections. Some of the text is missing or worn away, and there are irregular boundaries where pieces have broken off.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato#/media/File:P._Oxy._LII_3679.jpg

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

In December 1894.

An abridgement of Stephen Crane's American Civil War novel The Red Badge of Courage is first published as a serial in The Philadelphia Press. This version of the story, which was culled to 18,000 words by an editor specifically for the serialization, was reprinted in newspapers across America, establishing Crane's fame.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Badge_of_Courage#

The Red Badge of Courage at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/73

#books #literature

Stephen Crane in 1894; print of a portrait by artist and friend Corwin K. Linson.

This portrait captures Crane at a pivotal moment in his life, just as his literary career was beginning to take shape with works like Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and The Red Badge of Courage on the horizon.

The artist has rendered Crane in formal attire, likely a dark suit and tie, fitting for the era, but the overall effect is understated, focusing more on his character than his clothing. Linson's technique—subtle shading and fine lines—gives the portrait a contemplative mood, drawing attention to Crane's intellect and introspection.

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

"Unless one is a genius, it is best to aim at being intelligible."
The Dolly Dialogues

British novelist and playwright Anthony Hope died #OTD in 1933.

Hope wrote numerous other novels and plays, though none achieved the same level of acclaim as "The Prisoner of Zenda." Notable works include "The Dolly Dialogues", a collection of witty sketches, and "The Chronicles of Count Antonio", an adventure novel set in Renaissance Italy.

Anthony Hope at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/63

#books #literature

Anthony Hope Hawkins by Zaida Ben-Yusuf, 1897

Zaida Ben-Yusuf - Philadelphia Museum of Art

Platinum print of Anthony Hope Hawkins.

An individual wearing a suit and sitting on a chair.

Second edition cover of The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope.

The cover might feature decorative borders or frames around the illustration and text, adding to the visual appeal and giving a classic, timeless look. These borders could include intricate patterns or motifs that align with the novel's setting.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

50d

#art #history: every 28th october, i use elsa lanchester (born #otd in 1902) as an excuse to pay homage to mary wollstonecraft shelley's masterpiece, 'frankenstein'. mind you, elsa was pretty cool, herself. difficult not to be when you're the daughter of a suffragette who was also secretary to eleanor marx.
i've got more to say about elsa in the response posts below, so read or ignore as you wish.
#wip #illustration #cinema #literature #frankenstein #maryShelley #elsaLanchester

black & white digital ink (wip) of the actor, elsa lanchester, in her eponymous role from the 1935 film, 'bride of frankenstein'.
elsa's face is turned to her left & she stares intently in that direction, trademark streak dominating her trademark barnet.

digital ink illustration (drawn in 2024) of english actor, elsa lanchester, in her iconic role as the bride of frankenstein.
here, she stares unflinchingly at her audience, her body draped in a frock of satin bandages. 'elsa' is in stylised text beneath her. there's a black deco arch behind her.
colours are cream, violet, mossy green & black.

Edited 50d ago

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

44d

Mind that night in November, the pair of us
bursting from Mareel like late-comers
to the cinema-dark of the evening.
How we nearly missed it, the other show
that night: the aurora, the dancers, unspooling
their reels of green across the sky…

—Roseanne Watt, “Mareel”
published in MODER DY (Polygon, 2019)

https://birlinn.co.uk/product/moder-dy/

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #Shetland #November #auroraborealis

Mareel
by Roseanne Watt

Mind that night in November, the pair of us
bursting from Mareel like late-comers
to the cinema-dark of the evening.
How we nearly missed it, the other show
that night: the aurora, the dancers, unspooling
their reels of green across the sky, despite
a bone-bright moon in the south. Mind
how the waves in Hay’s Dock lit up with this
borrowed phosphorescence, and we skirled
at the spectacle of it all; a sky of light, a sea of sky,
and behind us, the noost of Mareel,
its north-pointed prow.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

50d

So here's #Autumn2025 with box fresh #ShortStories from Helon Habila, Ephameron, Caroline Clark, Kōtuku Titihuia Nuttall and Kasimma – plus Chadwick Allen on the classics of #Indigenous #literature

Catch them all at https://fictionable.world

#books #reading #writing #fiction #comics #translation #blog #bookstodon @bookstodon

The contributors to Fictionable's Autumn 2025 issue. From top left Helon Habila, Kasimma, Ephameron, Kōtuku Titihuia Nuttall, Caroline Clark and Chadwick Allen

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

43d

What Did Sigmund Freud Have to Say About Leonardo da Vinci?

According to Sigmund Freud, Leonardo da Vinci’s early life experiences as a child raised by a single mother shaped his art and research.

by Anastasiia Kirpalov

https://www.thecollector.com/what-sigmund-freud-say-leonardo-da-vinci/

Freud and Da Vinci at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/391
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1629

#books #art #literature

Photographic portrait of Sigmund Freud, signed by the sitter ("Prof. Sigmund Freud")

Freud is shown from the waist up and turned slightly toward the viewer’s left.

He wears a three-piece suit with a waistcoat, crisp white shirt and tie.

He holds a cigar in his right hand. The cigar is held away from the body.

His face shows a contemplative look: his hair is thin and combed back, his beard neatly trimmed, and his gaze direct and thoughtful.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud#/media/File:Sigmund_Freud,_by_Max_Halberstadt_(cropped).jpg

Self-portrait by Leonardo, ~1510–1515, red chalk, Turin, Royal Library, inv. no. 15571

The drawing presents the head and shoulders of Leonardo in three-quarter view, turned slightly to his left.

He has long, wavy hair falling to his shoulders, a full beard and moustache, and a furrowed brow. The hair and beard are depicted with flowing lines of chalk.

The face shows signs of advanced age: deeper lines, pronounced cheekbones, bags beneath the eyes, and sagging of features.

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci#/media/File:Leonardo_self.jpg

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

7d

Another book list to tempt you, this one thanks to the excellent journal, World Literature Today, of their choice of seventy-five notable translations into English published in 2025.
#books #literature #translations #reading @bookstodon

https://worldliteraturetoday.org/blog/lit-lists/world-literature-todays-75-notable-translations-2025-michelle-johnson

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

46d

43 of the Most Iconic Short Stories in the English Language

From Washington Irving to Kristen Roupenian

by Emily Temple

https://lithub.com/43-of-the-most-iconic-short-stories-in-the-english-language/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&utm_id=01K79MGEGZH9P99XV5TYYXXQ4V&_kx=3MZUehzXM-41qlWAMPUiuNZadX2p0SByuNf_t0eMLB0.U5D8ER

Short stories at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/bookshelf/634

#books #literature

Cover page

Title: Rip Van Winkle

Author: Washington Irving

Illustrator: Arthur Rackham

Caption: “He used to console himself by frequenting a kind of perpetual club of the sages, philosophers and other idle personages, which held its sessions before a small inn.”

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/60976/pg60976-images.html

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

43d

Roch the wind in the clear day’s dawin
Blaws the cloods heelster-gowdie ow’r the bay,
But there’s mair nor a roch wind blawin
Through the great glen o’ the warld the day…

—Hamish Henderson, “The Freedom Come-All-Ye”
Published in The Golden Treasury of Scottish Verse, @canongatebooks

https://canongate.co.uk/books/3267-the-golden-treasury-of-scottish-verse/

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #song #HamishHenderson #20thcentury #change #hope

The Freedom Come-All-Ye
Hamish Henderson

Roch the wind in the clear day’s dawin
Blaws the cloods heelster-gowdie ow’r the bay,
But there’s mair nor a roch wind blawin
Through the great glen o’ the warld the day.
It’s a thocht that will gar oor rottans
– A’ they rogues that gang gallus, fresh and gay –
Tak the road, and seek ither loanins
For their ill ploys, tae sport and play

Nae mair will the bonnie callants
Mairch tae war when oor braggarts crousely craw,
Nor wee weans frae pit-heid and clachan
Mourn the ships sailin’ doon the Broomielaw.
Broken faimlies in lands we’ve herriet,
Will curse Scotland the Brave nae mair, nae mair;
Black and white, ane til ither mairriet,
Mak the vile barracks o’ their maisters bare.

So come all ye at hame wi’ Freedom,
Never heed whit the hoodies croak for doom.
In your hoose a’ the bairns o’ Adam
Can find breid, barley-bree and painted room.
When MacLean meets wi’s freens in Springburn
A’ the roses and geans will turn tae bloom,
And a black boy frae yont Nyanga
Dings the fell gallows o’ the burghers doon.

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

1y

#OTD in 1841.

Punch magazine, founded in London by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells, is edited by Mayhew and Mark Lemon.

Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 1850s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration. Artists at Punch included John Tenniel who, from 1850, was the chief cartoon artist at the magazine for over 50 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch_(magazine)

Punch at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=punch&submit_search=Go%21

#periodicals #literature

Text Appearing Before Image: ohn Leech. England under Queen Victoria. Punch. In 1891, the Reverend J. de Kewer Williams preached a memorial sermon and Te Deum on the fiftieth anniversary of the joke magazine Punch, and spoke to the editors of the discretion and humanity that had always characterized the magazine. This fact alone shows that Punch, which has been in existence almost throughout the Victorian era and well beyond, is a joke magazine of an outstanding kind, tidy and careful. The little hunchbacked wooden man, the heir to Pulcinella and Polichinelle, of which our Djurgårds-Kasper is also a side-shoot, had developed into an older English gentleman, where a slight swelling on the back, a shiny color on the big nose and at least a humorous twinkle in the eye was the only thing that in the exterior reminded of the mouthy and rude puppet. In one important respect, the English Punch is very different from his Romanesque ancestors. The sexual joke, which has since 227 ENGLAND UNDER DRUGS VIKTORIA.

Text Appearing After Image: PUBLISHED FOR THE PROPRIETORS, BY R. BRYANT, AT PlJNCHS OFFICE WBLIJKGTON STRErT. STRAND 178. Title page of Punch, July 17, 1841. Drawing by A. S. Henning. so highly esteemed by ancient Greco-Roman society, and still valued by all its direct heirs 228 PUNCH.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

45d

Settling accounts

Before he was famous, Jean-Jacques Rousseau was Louise Dupin’s scribe. It’s her ideas on inequality that fill his writings

by Rebecca Wilkin

https://aeon.co/essays/inequality-was-a-feminist-idea-before-it-was-rousseaus?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=860692e0f7-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_10_30&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-4ef8a26106-72664972

Rousseau at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1286

#books #literature

The Declaration of Love (c1724) by Jean François de Troy.

The painting depicts an intimate and elegant moment of courtship in an 18th-century refined interior or garden setting. At its centre, a young gentleman kneels before a seated young lady: he extends a small bouquet of flowers with one hand while placing his other hand to his heart.

The lady, dressed in sumptuous silk‐embroidered attire, receives the gesture with composed modesty: she looks somewhat downward and sideways.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Declarationoflove.jpg

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

45d

Push the Boat Out 2025
20–23 Nov, Edinburgh

This year’s Push the Boat Out festival sets sail from 20–23 November with a bold mix of poetry, performance, music & art in a sparkling celebration of words in all their forms, with over 120 artists on board!

https://pushtheboatout.org/programme/

#Scottish #literature #poetry #festival #Edinburgh

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

Previous Page Next Page