literature

1y

<p>In July 1816.</p><p>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. </p><p>Frankenstein<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/41445" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/41445</a></p><p>The Vampyre<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/6087" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/6087</a></p><p>Darkness<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20158" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20158</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>

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.

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158d

<p>Look who has come knocking for Halloween...</p><p>Fascinating and most informative, this detailed and deeply researched biography draws on previously unavailable correspondence to present a fuller picture of the life of Edgar Allan Poe.</p><p><a href="https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2025/10/31/book-review-edgar-allan-poe-a-life/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="inquisitivebiologist.com/2025/10/31/book-review-edgar-allan-poe-a-life/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">inquisitivebiologist.com/2025/</span><span class="invisible">10/31/book-review-edgar-allan-poe-a-life/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#Books</a> <a href="/tags/bookreview/" rel="tag">#BookReview</a> <a href="/tags/bookstodon/" rel="tag">#Bookstodon</a> <a href="/tags/edgarallanpoe/" rel="tag">#EdgarAllanPoe</a> <a href="/tags/eapoe/" rel="tag">#EAPoe</a> <a href="/tags/biography/" rel="tag">#Biography</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#Literature</a> <a href="/tags/goth/" rel="tag">#Goth</a> <a href="/tags/gothic/" rel="tag">#Gothic</a> <a href="/tags/horror/" rel="tag">#Horror</a> <a href="/tags/halloween/" rel="tag">#Halloween</a> <span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p>

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158d

<p>A boannie nicht for castin kale:<br>a fat mön vaegin owre Sannis,<br>a hale gadderie o laads an lasses…</p><p>—Christine De Luca, “Hallowe’en Hansel”<br>published in WAST WI DA VALKYRIES</p><p>Listen to Christine reading her poems online here</p><p><a href="https://www.christinedeluca.co.uk/pages/wast_wi_da_valkyries" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.christinedeluca.co.uk/pages/wast_wi_da_valkyries"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.christinedeluca.co.uk/page</span><span class="invisible">s/wast_wi_da_valkyries</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/shetland/" rel="tag">#Shetland</a> <a href="/tags/halloween/" rel="tag">#Halloween</a> <a href="/tags/poem/" rel="tag">#poem</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/scots/" rel="tag">#Scots</a> <a href="/tags/scotslanguage/" rel="tag">#Scotslanguage</a> <a href="/tags/shetlandic/" rel="tag">#Shetlandic</a></p>

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.

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1923.</p><p>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.</p><p>Francis Picabia at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/49071" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/49071"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/49071</span></a></p><p>Tristan Tzara at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/48499" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/48499"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/48499</span></a></p><p>André Breton at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=andr%C3%A9+breton&submit_search=Go%21" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=andr%C3%A9+breton&submit_search=Go%21"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc</span><span class="invisible">h/?query=andr%C3%A9+breton&submit_search=Go%21</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

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.

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156d

<p>Famous Medieval Words and Their Surprising Origins</p><p>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.</p><p><a href="https://www.medievalists.net/2025/10/medieval-words-origins/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.medievalists.net/2025/10/medieval-words-origins/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.medievalists.net/2025/10/m</span><span class="invisible">edieval-words-origins/</span></a></p><p>Medieval words at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=medieval+words" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=medieval+words"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc</span><span class="invisible">h/?query=medieval+words</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

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

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1y

<p>In July 1866.</p><p> 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.</p><p>Nina Balakta at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8897" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8897</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

First edition title page of Nina Balatka by Anthony Trollope.

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1y

<p>"Our deeds are like children that are born to us; they live and act apart from our own will."</p><p>In July 1862.</p><p>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.</p><p>Romola at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/24020" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/24020</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

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.

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156d

<p>Rising in November in these days of dusk<br>I am one life older, watching now as the walls<br>green over, the stones break into bud;<br>if this is ebb-tide turned to flood it means that<br>nightfall might begin again at dawn.<br>And so it does…</p><p>—Robin Robertson, “Crossing the Archipelago”<br>published in SAILING THE FOREST (Picador, 2014)</p><p><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/robin-robertson/sailing-the-forest/9781447231554" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.panmacmillan.com/authors/robin-robertson/sailing-the-forest/9781447231554"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.panmacmillan.com/authors/r</span><span class="invisible">obin-robertson/sailing-the-forest/9781447231554</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/november/" rel="tag">#November</a></p>

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.

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156d

<p>Bluidy Jack’s Prisoner<br>13 Nov, Edinburgh. Free, unticketed.</p><p>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</p><p><a href="https://cultureedinburgh.com/events/bluidy-jacks-prisoner" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="cultureedinburgh.com/events/bluidy-jacks-prisoner"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">cultureedinburgh.com/events/bl</span><span class="invisible">uidy-jacks-prisoner</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/19thcentury/" rel="tag">#19thcentury</a> <a href="/tags/victorian/" rel="tag">#Victorian</a> <a href="/tags/robertlouisstevenson/" rel="tag">#RobertLouisStevenson</a></p>

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1y

<p>"Empires dissolve and peoples disappear,<br>Song passes not away."</p><p>English poet William Watson died <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1935.</p><p>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. </p><p>William Watson at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/4885" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/4885"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/4885</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

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.

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1y

<p>Portuguese poet Tomás António Gonzaga was born <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1744.</p><p>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. </p><p>Books by Tomás António Gonzaga at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/7794" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/7794"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/7794</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

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.).

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154d

<p>In Praise of Librarians in Dangerous Times</p><p>Sarah Weinman on the Awesome Responsibility of the Seekers and Keepers of Truth</p><p><a href="https://lithub.com/in-praise-of-librarians-in-dangerous-times/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="lithub.com/in-praise-of-librarians-in-dangerous-times/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">lithub.com/in-praise-of-librar</span><span class="invisible">ians-in-dangerous-times/</span></a></p><p>Librarians at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=librarians" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=librarians"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subje</span><span class="invisible">cts/search/?query=librarians</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

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

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154d

<p>Plato and the Poets</p><p>The centuries-old debate should be settled: an intellectual world bereft of poetry is a damaged one.</p><p>by Elaine Scarry</p><p><a href="https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/plato-and-the-poets/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.bostonreview.net/articles/plato-and-the-poets/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.bostonreview.net/articles/</span><span class="invisible">plato-and-the-poets/</span></a></p><p>Plato at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/93" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/93"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/93</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/philosophy/" rel="tag">#philosophy</a></p>

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

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1y

<p>In December 1894.</p><p>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.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Badge_of_Courage#" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Badge_of_Courage#"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_</span><span class="invisible">Badge_of_Courage#</span></a></p><p>The Red Badge of Courage at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/73" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/73</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

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.

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1y

<p>"Unless one is a genius, it is best to aim at being intelligible."<br>The Dolly Dialogues</p><p>British novelist and playwright Anthony Hope died <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1933.</p><p>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.</p><p>Anthony Hope at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/63" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/63"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/63</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

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.

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161d

<p><a href="/tags/art/" rel="tag">#art</a> <a href="/tags/history/" rel="tag">#history</a>: every 28th october, i use elsa lanchester (born <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#otd</a> 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. <br>i've got more to say about elsa in the response posts below, so read or ignore as you wish. <br><a href="/tags/wip/" rel="tag">#wip</a> <a href="/tags/illustration/" rel="tag">#illustration</a> <a href="/tags/cinema/" rel="tag">#cinema</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/frankenstein/" rel="tag">#frankenstein</a> <a href="/tags/maryshelley/" rel="tag">#maryShelley</a> <a href="/tags/elsalanchester/" rel="tag">#elsaLanchester</a></p>

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 161d ago

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154d

<p>Mind that night in November, the pair of us<br>bursting from Mareel like late-comers<br>to the cinema-dark of the evening.<br>How we nearly missed it, the other show<br>that night: the aurora, the dancers, unspooling<br>their reels of green across the sky…</p><p>—Roseanne Watt, “Mareel”<br>published in MODER DY (Polygon, 2019)</p><p><a href="https://birlinn.co.uk/product/moder-dy/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="birlinn.co.uk/product/moder-dy/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">birlinn.co.uk/product/moder-dy</span><span class="invisible">/</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/shetland/" rel="tag">#Shetland</a> <a href="/tags/november/" rel="tag">#November</a> <a href="/tags/auroraborealis/" rel="tag">#auroraborealis</a></p>

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.

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160d

<p>So here's <a href="/tags/autumn2025/" rel="tag">#Autumn2025</a> with box fresh <a href="/tags/shortstories/" rel="tag">#ShortStories</a> from Helon Habila, Ephameron, Caroline Clark, Kōtuku Titihuia Nuttall and Kasimma – plus Chadwick Allen on the classics of <a href="/tags/indigenous/" rel="tag">#Indigenous</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> </p><p>Catch them all at <a href="https://fictionable.world" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>fictionable.world</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/writing/" rel="tag">#writing</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/comics/" rel="tag">#comics</a> <a href="/tags/translation/" rel="tag">#translation</a> <a href="/tags/blog/" rel="tag">#blog</a> <a href="/tags/bookstodon/" rel="tag">#bookstodon</a> @bookstodon</p>

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

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<p>"The dusk crept out across the fields wiping out the day's light."<br>Black April (1927)</p><p>American author Julia Peterkin died <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1961.</p><p>In 1929 she won the Pulitzer Prize for Novel/Literature for her novel Scarlet Sister Mary. She wrote several novels about the plantation South, especially the Gullah people of the Lowcountry. She was one of the few white authors who wrote about the African-American experience.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Peterkin" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Peterkin"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Pe</span><span class="invisible">terkin</span></a></p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/72611" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/72611</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Doris Ulmann and Julia Peterkin.

Julia Peterkin, an author who focused on similar themes in her writing, might be seen standing or sitting beside Ulmann, engaged in conversation or simply sharing a moment of quiet reflection. Peterkin might also be dressed in a similar style, with her hair possibly pinned up. The background of the photograph is likely simple, perhaps a natural outdoor setting or a rustic interior, consistent with the subjects of their work.

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1y

<p>c. 1813, London. Reading List</p><p>John Stuart Mill turns the page. via @laphamsquart </p><p>"I have no remembrance of the time when I began to learn Greek. I have been told that it was when I was three years old...."</p><p><a href="https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/ways-learning/reading-list/?campaign=FE7LQA2" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.laphamsquarterly.org/ways-learning/reading-list/?campaign=FE7LQA2"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.laphamsquarterly.org/ways-</span><span class="invisible">learning/reading-list/?campaign=FE7LQA2</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Replica of a portrait of John Stuart Mill commissioned to G.F. Watts by Sir Charles Dikes.

John Stuart Mill is depicted as a mature man, likely in his late middle age. He has prominent features, including a high forehead, deep-set eyes, and pronounced cheekbones. His hair is sparse, and he sports mutton-chop sideburns, which were characteristic of his time.

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150d

<p>Robert Louis Stevenson’s KIDNAPPED began life serialised in a children’s magazine, but its sophistication & depth won the lifelong admiration of Henry James.</p><p>In this episode of NOVEL APPROACHES, Clare Bucknell, Andrew O’Hagan & Tom Crewe explore RLS’s startlingly modern handling of perspective & pacing, his approach to the art of fiction, & the value of being ‘betwixt & between’.</p><p><a href="https://www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and-videos/podcasts/close-readings/novel-approaches-kidnapped-by-robert-louis-stevenson" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and-videos/podcasts/close-readings/novel-approaches-kidnapped-by-robert-louis-stevenson"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and-vid</span><span class="invisible">eos/podcasts/close-readings/novel-approaches-kidnapped-by-robert-louis-stevenson</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/19thcenyury/" rel="tag">#19thcenyury</a> <a href="/tags/robertlouisstevenson/" rel="tag">#RobertLouisStevenson</a> <a href="/tags/kidlit/" rel="tag">#KidLit</a> <a href="/tags/childrensliterature/" rel="tag">#ChildrensLiterature</a></p>

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1y

<p>“It's not the barbarian who threatens us, it's civilization that frightens us.”</p><p>Brazilian sociologist and journalist Euclides da Cunha died <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1909.</p><p>His most important work is Os Sertões (Rebellion in the Backlands), a non-fictional account of the military expeditions promoted by the Brazilian government against the rebellious village of Canudos, known as the War of Canudos.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euclides_da_Cunha" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euclides_da_Cunha"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euclides</span><span class="invisible">_da_Cunha</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Brazilian journalist and writer Euclides da Cunha.

Cover of the book “Os Sertões” by Brazilian writer Euclides da Cunha, published in 1902 and therefore in the public domain due to its age.

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151d

<p>The Oxfam bookshop on Glasgow’s Byres Road moved, recently, to a new location further down the hill – but I’m very pleased that they managed to take Alasdair Gray’s mural with them! I think he did this when on a break from painting the ceiling in Òran Mór …</p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/glasgow/" rel="tag">#Glasgow</a> <a href="/tags/alasdairgray/" rel="tag">#AlasdairGray</a> <a href="/tags/murals/" rel="tag">#Murals</a> <a href="/tags/visualart/" rel="tag">#VisualArt</a></p>

A green wall. On it is a piece of another wall, cut out to encompass a mural by Alasdair Gray. On the left, a red semi-heraldic Scottish lion rampant is sitting at a table, using a laptop computer. One foot is under the table grasping a computer mouse (which resembles a real mouse, apart from the cable coming out of its nose and linking it to the laptop). A scroll of paper emerges from the laptop's screen, and the lion is using a quill pen to write on it. The scroll has handwriting on it, saying

words
wards
wurds
Scots
Scottish
Scotch
Scoatch
Caledonian

The scroll rolls out of the top of the laptop screen and across the rest of the wall, becoming a banner reading

SCOTTISH Books

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151d

<p>Alasdair Gray’s “The Great Bear Cult” is a script for a (rejected) documentary on the movement which briefly swept Britain in the 1930s. Although mention of the Cult is still suppressed, <span class="h-card"><a href="https://bookish.community/@canongatebooks" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>canongatebooks</span></a></span> includes the script in UNLIKELY STORIES, MOSTLY</p><p>Today, 7 November, is Hug A Bear Day 🧸</p><p>@bookstodon </p><p><a href="https://canongate.co.uk/books/100-unlikely-stories-mostly/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="canongate.co.uk/books/100-unlikely-stories-mostly/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">canongate.co.uk/books/100-unli</span><span class="invisible">kely-stories-mostly/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/alasdairgray/" rel="tag">#AlasdairGray</a> <a href="/tags/hugabearday/" rel="tag">#HugABearDay</a></p>

THE GREAT BEAR CULT
In 1975 there came straight to Glasgow from a Berlin gig Pete Brown the poet, Pete Brown the friend of Horowitz, Pete Brown the songwriter and sometimes pop-song singer. And I dined with him at the home of Barbara and Lindley Nelson. As usual Pete was with a new girlfriend who received most of his conversation, but first he showed the Nelsons and myself a souvenir of Berlin, and that was what we discussed. It was a street photograph of Pete arm in arm with a bear. Berlin takes its name from a bear, so commercial cameramen prowl the streets with a suitably dressed partner. But though the bear in the picture was a disguised man he appeared so naturally calm, so benignly strong, that beside him Pete (who in isolation is as calm, benign and shaggy as a sapient man can be) looked comparatively shifty and agley. We were also intrigued to find the image in the photograph oddly familiar though Barbara, Lindley and myself had never seen another like it. Did it recall dim memories of our infancy in the thirties when the British bear cult was still a political force? As we discussed what we knew of the cult I realized that the time had come for a television programme on it, one which mingled public archive material (photographs, films and sound recordings) with dramatic re-enactments of what took place in private. In 1975 the British Broadcasting Corporation was celebrating the fiftieth year of its charter, archive material was being daily

broadcast and displayed, surely the BBC would be interested? It was not. I discovered that although Lord Reith's restrictions upon clothing, drink and sexual conduct had for years been matter for jest in the corridors of Broadcasting House and the Television Centre, his tabu upon all reference to the cult after Ramsay McDonald's famous broadcast to the nation was still in force. The BBC rejected my documentary drama. I offer it here, hoping readers will not be afraid to view it upon the television screen of their minds.

[ILLUSTRATION: In the centre is Rupert the Bear's smiling face, a tartan scarf around his neck; on either side, between 2 tall bearskin hats as worn by British guardsmen on parade, stand 2 portly, Winnie-the-Pooh-like figures, facing inwards, heads tilted proudly skywards. Each has their right arm raised in a fascist salute.]

1 STUDIO INTRODUCTION
To a recording of The Teddy Bears' Picnic the camera advances upon a commentator leaning casually against a table on which is displayed: a fancy-dress bear costume, a toy teddy bear, a Buckingham Palace sentry's bearskin helmet, a Daily Express Rupert Bear cartoon annual, and a copy of The House at Pooh Corner.

RECORDING: If you go down to the woods today
you're sure of a big surprise!
If you go down to the woods today
you'd better go in disguise!
For every bear that ever there was
Has gathered there for certain because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic!

COMMENTATOR: If you go down to the woods

today, you'd better go in disguise. Yes. And if you were clearing out an old cupboard recently it's very likely that you found one of these at the back of it.
(HE LIFTS THE BEAR COSTUME AND STANDS UP)
Perhaps curiosity prompted you to try it on. You can slip into them quite easily . . .
(HE PUTS IT ON)
Once the zip is pulled up it's surprising how warm and comfortable you feel. And then, if you adjust the mask over your head, like this . . . (HOLLOWLY) you are not only completely weather-proof, your voice has acquired a hollow, resounding note.
(HE REMOVES THE MASK)
The costume you found was almost certainly a relic of the great bear cult which swept Britain in the early thirties. Nobody who remembers those years likes talking about them, but most of you watching tonight were born rather later, so perhaps the time has come to give the origins of the cult, its wildfire spread and wholly unexpected collapse, some sort of dispassionate examination. So let me take you back to 1931, a year of world-wide trade-depression and economic crisis. There are nearly three million unemployed in Britain alone. A former socialist is prime minister of a National Coalition government with the conservative leader as his deputy. In Trafalgar Square the photographic business is in a bad way.

2 TELECINE: TRAFALGAR SQUARE, STUDIO, STREETS, LAWCOURT
Henry Busby, a licensed street photographer, squabbles with two others…

Book cover:

UNLIKELY STORIES, MOSTLY
Alasdair Gray

After the author's name is a picture of a small wooden craft with a paddlewheel. An angry-looking duck's head pokes up out of the top.

Surrounding the title are fourteen black and white squares, each containing a human skull. Within each skull, against a gold background, are curled-up human fetuses, about to be born. Each one has a small pair of wings sprouting from their shoulders.

At the base of the cover is an oriental-looking view. Against a red background, a city is in flames. In the distance, a tiny man hauls on s string, which reaches up to a winged kite, to which is strapped a small child. The flying child fills most of the scene.

At the bottom is the a capital C (standing for the publisher, Canongate), above the words

THE CANONS

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1856.</p><p>Wilkie Collins' "Anne Rodway", a story in diary form about a needlewoman and her fiancé investigating the murder of a friend, appears in Household Words (first chapter), as the first English story to feature a woman as the main detective character.</p><p>The story is set in mid-19th century London, depicting the harsh realities of life for the working poor.</p><p><a href="https://djo.org.uk/household-words/volume-xiv/page-1.html" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="djo.org.uk/household-words/volume-xiv/page-1.html"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">djo.org.uk/household-words/vol</span><span class="invisible">ume-xiv/page-1.html</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

(no description)

Edited 1y ago

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