literature

155d

<p>Nam bhodach liath a-nis<br>a’ streap gu mullach a bhràighe,<br>chan eil mi a’ còrdadh riut, a Llywarch,<br>mun bhata càm is riatanach gach là…</p><p>—Uilleam Nèill, “Freagairt Do Llywarch Hen”<br>published in FRIENDS & KANGAROOS: New Writing Scotland 17 (ASL, 1999)</p><p>(Llywarch Hen, c.534–608 CE, was an early Welsh poet & prince of Rheged, who complained about his advancing age & dependence on his walking stick)</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/gaelic/" rel="tag">#Gaelic</a> <a href="/tags/gaidhlig/" rel="tag">#Gaidhlig</a> <a href="/tags/welsh/" rel="tag">#Welsh</a> <a href="/tags/celticstudies/" rel="tag">#CelticStudies</a></p>

Freagairt Do Llywarch Hen
Uilleam Nèill

Nam bhodach liath a-nis
a’ streap gu mullach a bhràighe,
chan eil mi a’ còrdadh riut, a Llywarch,
mun bhata càm is riatanach gach là.
Bha mi ro-dheiseil le cainnt, gu dearbh
aig amannan a’ feannadh amadan
ro-thric le smùid orm san taigh-òsd’.
Chan eil a’ chlann-nighean a’ toirt sùil orm
ach cò gheibh cron dhaibh, na luaidhean
is mise mar fheòil righinn an seiche liurcach.
Co-dhiù tha mi nis saor bho na geimhlean
is mo cheangal don chuthaich sin.
Ach tha am bata uinnsinn a’ fàs
na charaid dìleas dhomhsa
fhad’s a chuireas mi grèim
air a cheann càm is làidir
a chumas taic rium gu càirdeil
le bhachall dìreach daingeann
a mhaireas, is dòcha, nas fhaide na mi fhìn.
Is tha mi taingeil gur troimh a thoil fhiodha
chì mi a-rithist, theagamh
earrach uaine is samhradh,
foghar òir is donn,
mus tig mo gheamhradh dorcha deireannach.

Answer to Llywarch Hen
William Neill

A grey old man now
climbing to the braehead
I don't agree with you, Llywarch,
about the necessary walking stick each day.
I was too ready with my tongue at times, it's true,
for the flaying of fools
often with a drink taken in the inn.
The girls no longer cast an eye on me
but who would blame them, the dears
and me like tough meat in a wrinkled hide.
At any rate I am free from those gyves
and no longer chained to that madness
but the ash-stick has become
a faithful friend to me
as long as I keep hold of his strong bent head
that supports me in a friendly fashion with a straight, strong stave
that will doubtless last longer than myself.
And I am thankful that by his wooden wish
I may see again, perhaps,
green spring and summer
gold and russet autumn
before my last dark winter comes.

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117d

<p>But in the climbing ecstasy of thought,<br>Ere consummation, ere the final peak,<br>Come hours like this…</p><p>—Nan Shepherd, “Summit of Coire Etchachan”<br>published in WANDERERS: A History of Women Walking, by Kerri Andrews</p><p>Today, 11 December, is International Mountain Day</p><p><a href="https://www.un.org/en/observances/mountain-day" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.un.org/en/observances/mountain-day"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.un.org/en/observances/moun</span><span class="invisible">tain-day</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/mountains/" rel="tag">#mountains</a> <a href="/tags/cairngorms/" rel="tag">#cairngorms</a> <a href="/tags/nanshepherd/" rel="tag">#NanShepherd</a> <a href="/tags/climbing/" rel="tag">#climbing</a> <a href="/tags/20thcentury/" rel="tag">#20thcentury</a> <a href="/tags/womenwriters/" rel="tag">#womenwriters</a> <a href="/tags/naturewriting/" rel="tag">#naturewriting</a> <a href="/tags/internationalmountainday/" rel="tag">#InternationalMountainDay</a></p>

Summit of Coire Etchachan
Nan Shepherd

But in the climbing ecstasy of thought,
Ere consummation, ere the final peak,
Come hours like this. Behind, the long defile,
The steep rock-path, alongside which, from under
Snow-caves, sharp-corniced, tumble the ice-cold waters.
And now, here, at the corrie’s summit, no peak,
No vision of the blue world, far, unattainable,
But this grey plateau, rock-strewn, vast, silent,
The dark loch, the toiling crags, the snow;
A mountain shut within itself, yet a world,
Immensity. So may the mind achieve,
Toiling, no vision of the infinite,
But a vast, dark and inscrutable sense
Of its own terror, its own glory and power.

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153d

<p>Fog shroud<br>and clouds<br>(when the clock<br>chimed late<br>in the heavy<br>November night-<br>time) lifting<br>the mystery<br>for a greater…</p><p>—Edwin Morgan, “Guy Fawkes Moon”<br>published in COLLECTED POEMS (Carcanet, 1997)</p><p><a href="https://www.carcanet.co.uk/9781847779656/collected-poems/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.carcanet.co.uk/9781847779656/collected-poems/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.carcanet.co.uk/97818477796</span><span class="invisible">56/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/guyfawkes/" rel="tag">#GuyFawkes</a> <a href="/tags/bonfirenight/" rel="tag">#BonfireNight</a> <a href="/tags/november5th/" rel="tag">#November5th</a></p>

Guy Fawkes Moon
Edwin Morgan

Fog shroud
and clouds
(when the clock
chimed late
in the heavy
November night-
time) lifting
the mystery
for a greater
drifted
off a whole
white full
moon pitched
above the white
thin chimney-
stalk of the
new Dawsholm
incinerator –
as if the piled
rags Glasgow
rubbish rusted
bedsprings bent
hair-rollers blood-
caked saddles of
crumpled Hondas
and sorry lunch-
box plastic
nests of cracks
and crumbs had
all become
a moon of smoke
and the real moon
a César moon
in a car-crusher
was now the Odeon
bulking greyly
with its sleeping stars
in reels by
the firework field.

And sparklers raced
between moons
and squeals –
and red rockets
mufflers matches
and up in smoke
far from school.

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14d

<p>Pepper Basham on How The Secret Garden Inspired Her Love for British Literature</p><p>"I can still find my way there through these pages. Some gardens, it turns out, are always in season."</p><p><a href="https://lithub.com/pepper-basham-on-how-the-secret-garden-inspired-her-love-for-british-literature/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="lithub.com/pepper-basham-on-how-the-secret-garden-inspired-her-love-for-british-literature/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">lithub.com/pepper-basham-on-ho</span><span class="invisible">w-the-secret-garden-inspired-her-love-for-british-literature/</span></a></p><p>The secret garden at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17396" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17396</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/literarycriticism/" rel="tag">#literarycriticism</a></p>

"IT SEEMED SCARCELY BEARABLE TO LEAVE SUCH DELIGHTFULNESS"

A girl in a grey-blue dress and hat, and a red-haired boy in a white shirt — sitting cross-legged on the grass beneath a spreading tree, facing each other with absorbed attention. Between them, a small fox lies curled on the ground, apparently tame or injured, the focus of their gentle care. A red squirrel perches on the boy's shoulder. High in the branches above, a magpie watches the scene.

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/17396/pg17396-images.html#Page_231

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1y

<p>"He had come on her that morning in a moment of disarray; her face had been pale and altered, and the diminution of her beauty had lent her a poignant charm. That is how she looks when she is alone! had been his first thought; and the second was to note in her the change which his coming produced."<br>"The House of Mirth" (1905), bk. 1, ch. 6</p><p>~Edith Wharton (24 January 1862 – 11 August 1937)</p><p>Books by Edith Wharton at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/104" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/104"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/104</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Page from the original manuscript of "The House of Mirth," written by the American author Edith Wharton. Book II, Chapter 9, pp. 35-56. Courtesy of the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University.

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1951.</p><p>J. D. Salinger publishes his popular yet controversial novel, The Catcher in the Rye.</p><p>Between 1961 and 1982, The Catcher in the Rye was the most censored book in high schools and libraries in the United States. According to the American Library Association, The Catcher in the Rye was the 10th most frequently challenged book from 1990 to 1999.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catc</span><span class="invisible">her_in_the_Rye</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Cover features a drawing of a carousel horse (pole visible entering the neck and exiting below on the chest) with a city skyline visible in the distance under the hindquarters. The cover is two-toned: everything below the horse is whitish while the horse and everything above it is a reddish-orange. The title appears at the top in yellow letters against the reddish-orange background. It is split into two lines after "Catcher". At the bottom in the whitish background are the words "a novel by J. D. Salinger".

Michael Mitchell; the credit "Jacket design by Michael Mitchell" is found on the right jacket flap (the left panel).

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153d

<p>“Ach thèid an crann a thoirt dhen fharadh”: Celebrating Thirty Years of Tuath is Tighearna (‘Tenants and Landlords’), 1995-2025</p><p>21 Nov, University of Edinburgh. Free, ticketed</p><p>This year's Canna Lecture will be delivered by Dr Martin Macgregor who will assess the impact of Donald Meek's anthology of 19th-century Gaelic verse, Tuath is Tighearna (SGTS, 1995), thirty years on from its publication.</p><p><a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/canna-lecture-2025-tickets-1924250979479" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/canna-lecture-2025-tickets-1924250979479"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/canna-l</span><span class="invisible">ecture-2025-tickets-1924250979479</span></a></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/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/19thcentury/" rel="tag">#19thcentury</a> <a href="/tags/victorian/" rel="tag">#Victorian</a></p>

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160d

<p>Dod! – that’s him nou – eik up the byne;<br>afore the hairth, his claen sark hing:<br>pit claes is waffin on the line;<br>merle on a rowan singin fine.</p><p>—David Purdie, “Merle on a Rowan”</p><p><a href="https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/merle-rowan/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/merle-rowan/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.</span><span class="invisible">uk/poem/merle-rowan/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/scotstober/" rel="tag">#Scotstober</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></p>

Merle on a Rowan
David Purdie

Pit claes is waffin on the line,
sinlicht’s keekin ower the bing;
merle on a rowan singin fine.

A braw souch’s blawin, aathin’s fine,
an wi the merle I stert tae sing;
pit claes is waffin on the line.

Himsel wull be hame ony time,
frae pit mirk, stour an dunt an ding;
merle on a rowan singin fine.

He’s late the day, that man o mine . . .
Ach! dinna lat ma thochts tak wing,
no wi pit claes on the line!

Bit . . . Da wis late, yon shift lang syne,
o seiren’s gowl and deid bell’s ring,
an merles on rowans singin fine . . .

Dod! – that’s him nou – eik up the byne;
afore the hairth, his claen sark hing:
pit claes is waffin on the line;
merle on a rowan singin fine.

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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>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>"Not uselessly employed,<br>Might I pursue this theme through every change<br>Of exercise and play, to which the year<br>Did summon us in his delightful round."</p><p>In July 1850.</p><p>William Wordsworth's The Prelude; or, Growth of a Poet's Mind: An Autobiographical Poem, on which he has worked since 1798, is first published about three months after his death by Edward Moxon in London in 14 books, with the title supplied by the poet's widow, Mary.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prelude" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prelude"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prel</span><span class="invisible">ude</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>

Portrait of William Wordsworth.

The poet is depicted in his middle age, reflecting his maturity and established reputation in the literary world.

Wordsworth’s expression is contemplative and serene, capturing his introspective nature and profound connection to nature and human emotions.

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152d

<p>9 Misconceptions About Shakespeare</p><p>Think you know everything about The Bard? Think again.</p><p>By Meredith Danko</p><p><a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/literature/authors/misconceptions-about-shakespeare" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.mentalfloss.com/literature/authors/misconceptions-about-shakespeare"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.mentalfloss.com/literature</span><span class="invisible">/authors/misconceptions-about-shakespeare</span></a></p><p>Shakespeare at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/65" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/65"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/65</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

From farthest left to right: The Cobbe portrait (1610), The Chandos portrait (early 1600s) and the Droeshout portrait (1622): three of the most prominent of the reputed portraits of William Shakespeare.

An image showing direct comparisons between the Shakespeare of the Cobbe Portrait, the Chandos Portrait and the Droeshout Engraving.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portraits_of_Shakespeare#/media/File:Shakespeare_Portrait_Comparisons_2.JPG

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152d

<p>Walking in a waking dream<br>I watched nineteen deer<br>pour from ridge to glen-floor,<br>then each in turn leap,<br>leap the new-raised<br>peat-dark burn…</p><p>—Kathleen Jamie, “The Hinds”<br>from THE BONNIEST COMPANIE (Picador, 2015)</p><p><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/kathleen-jamie/the-bonniest-companie/9781509801718" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.panmacmillan.com/authors/kathleen-jamie/the-bonniest-companie/9781509801718"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.panmacmillan.com/authors/k</span><span class="invisible">athleen-jamie/the-bonniest-companie/9781509801718</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/naturepoetry/" rel="tag">#naturepoetry</a> <a href="/tags/deer/" rel="tag">#deer</a></p>

The Hinds
Kathleen Jamie

Walking in a waking dream
I watched nineteen deer
pour from ridge to glen-floor,
then each in turn leap,
leap the new-raised
peat-dark burn. This
was the distaff side;
hinds at their ease, alive
to lands held on long lease
in their animal minds,
and filing through a breach
in a never-mended dyke,
the herd flowed up over
heather-slopes to scree
where they stopped, and turned to stare,
the foremost with a queenly air
as though to say: Aren’t we
the bonniest companie?
Come to me,
you’ll be happy, but never go home.

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150d

<p>Postcards from Virginia Woolf</p><p>By Sarah Bochicchio </p><p><a href="https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2025/11/07/postcards-from-virginia-woolf/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.theparisreview.org/blog/2025/11/07/postcards-from-virginia-woolf/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.theparisreview.org/blog/20</span><span class="invisible">25/11/07/postcards-from-virginia-woolf/</span></a></p><p>Virginia at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/89" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/89"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/89</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Woolf in 1927.

"Studio photograph of Virginia Woolf (c. 1927) reprinted by permission of the Mortimer Rare Book Room, Smith College" (p. XII) [, the Smith College having been presented by Esther Cloudman Dunn another print of the same picture].

The photograph was, according to the Smith College Library's web site, "used for promotion" by Harcourt Brace, the publisher of the American version of To the Lighthouse in 1927. In Virginia Woolf Icon (University of Chicago Press, 1999), Brenda Silver describes the photograph as an "(unidentified) studio photograph" and comments it "appear[ed] in in an number of Harcourt Brace ads and articles about Woolf and/or her works in the States during the late 1920s ans the 1930s" (p. 132).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Woolf#/media/File:Virginia_Woolf_1927.jpg

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152d

<p>Velvetine Verses: Scotland’s Young Makars Poetry Evening<br>11 Dec, Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh. Free, ticketed</p><p>An evening of poetry and music showcasing poets from four years of the Scottish Poetry Library’s Next Generation Young Makars mentoring scheme. Curated by Ria Smart. </p><p><a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/velvetine-verses-scotlands-young-makars-poetry-evening-tickets-1780093410309" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/velvetine-verses-scotlands-young-makars-poetry-evening-tickets-1780093410309"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/velveti</span><span class="invisible">ne-verses-scotlands-young-makars-poetry-evening-tickets-1780093410309</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/edinburgh/" rel="tag">#Edinburgh</a></p>

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1897.</p><p>The writer Jack London sails to join the Klondike Gold Rush, where he will write his first successful stories.</p><p>His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life".</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_London" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_London"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Lon</span><span class="invisible">don</span></a></p><p>Books by Jack London at PG:</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/120" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/120"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/120</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Jack London (date unknown)
Bain Collection - Library of Congress

The photograph features Jack London, the renowned American author, best known for his adventure novels such as "The Call of the Wild" and "White Fang." He is captured in a candid or semi-formal pose.

The background is either plain or slightly out of focus, ensuring the main focus remains on Jack London. It might be a studio setting or an outdoor scene, providing a neutral backdrop that highlights London himself.

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1y

<p>Italian journalist and novelist Matilde Serao died <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1927.</p><p>She was the first woman called to edit an Italian newspaper, Il Corriere di Roma and later Il Giorno. Serao was also the co-founder and editor of the newspaper Il Mattino, and the author of several novels. She never won the Nobel Prize in Literature despite being nominated on six occasions.</p><p>Books by Matilde Serao at PG:<br><a href="https://dev.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/7688" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="dev.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/7688"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">dev.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/7688</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Matilde Serao. Photo from the magazine Radiocorriere (1890).

Matilde Serao is depicted in a seated position, facing slightly to her right. Her expression is composed and thoughtful, reflecting her intellectual demeanor.

She is dressed in elegant, period-appropriate clothing, featuring high-necked attire with intricate detailing, possibly lace or embroidery, signifying her status and style of the era.

Her hair is styled in an elaborate updo, common among women of her social standing during the 1890s. She may be adorned with minimal jewelry, such as earrings or a brooch, adding to her refined appearance.

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1y

<p>"Science means simply the aggregate of all the recipes that are always successful. All the rest is literature."</p><p>Moralités.</p><p>~Paul Valéry (30 October 1871 – 20 July 1945)</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>

Paul Valéry photographed by Henri Manuel, 1920s.

Valéry is seated, possibly in a studio setting. His pose is relaxed yet dignified, with an air of introspection. His expression is serious and contemplative, with a slight furrowing of the brow, indicative of deep thought or reflection.

Valéry is dressed in formal attire typical of the period. He wears a dark suit, a white shirt, and a tie, emphasizing his status as a distinguished intellectual. His hair is neatly combed, and he has a well-groomed appearance, which was common for portraits of notable individuals in the early 20th century.

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1887.</p><p>L. L. Zamenhof published Unua Libro, the first publication to describe Esperanto, a constructed international language.</p><p>First published in Russian on July 26 [O.S. July 14] 1887, the publication of Unua Libro marks the formal beginning of the Esperanto movement.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unua_Libro" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unua_Libro"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unua_Lib</span><span class="invisible">ro</span></a></p><p>Books in Esperanto at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/bookshelf/34" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/bookshelf/34"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/books</span><span class="invisible">helf/34</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

This is the cover page of Dr. Esperanto's International Language, the 1889 translation of Unua Libro by Richard Geoghegan, which is also the standard English translation.

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1928.</p><p>The novel The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall</p><p>Publication, originally scheduled for late 1928, was brought forward when he discovered that another novel with a lesbian theme, Compton Mackenzie's Extraordinary Women, was to be published in September. The Well appeared on 27 July, in a black cover with a plain jacket. </p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Well_of_Loneliness" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Well_of_Loneliness"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Well</span><span class="invisible">_of_Loneliness</span></a></p><p>The Well of Loneliness at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/73042" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/73042</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Cover of The Well of Loneliness
Radclyffe Hall - Banned Books (Cornell University Library Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections)

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116d

<p>Learn from this picture how we journey in this world<br>Slithering as we go, the foolish and the wise…</p><p>—John Burnside, “Pieter Brueghel: Winter Landscape with Skaters and a Bird Trap, 1565”<br>from BLACK CAT BONE (Jonathan Cape, 2011)</p><p><a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/412331/black-cat-bone-by-john-burnside/9780224093859" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.penguin.co.uk/books/412331/black-cat-bone-by-john-burnside/9780224093859"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.penguin.co.uk/books/412331</span><span class="invisible">/black-cat-bone-by-john-burnside/9780224093859</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/art/" rel="tag">#art</a> <a href="/tags/visualart/" rel="tag">#visualart</a> <a href="/tags/bruegel/" rel="tag">#Bruegel</a> <a href="/tags/winter/" rel="tag">#winter</a> <a href="/tags/johnburnside/" rel="tag">#JohnBurnside</a></p>

John Burnside
Pieter Brueghel: Winter Landscape with Skaters and a Bird Trap, 1565

Learn from this picture how we journey in this world
Slithering as we go, the foolish and the wise

We have to imagine the duties they leave behind
for the thrill of the river,
the kitchens and middens, the sheepfolds and clouded byres,
the old folk in their sick beds
mumbling prayers.

The day is bright
and this is their escape
from hardship,
but each has his private hurt, her secret dread:
the man who starts thirsty and tired, his body soured
with last nights schnapps,
then skates out to the bridge at breakneck speed,
away from the loveless matron he’s had to endure
for decades; the woman in blue and grey, keeping pace with her child,
untroubled for now, but never released from the fear
that her husband will catch her wasting his precious time
and beat her as he’s beaten her for years,
the moment he gets her home.

At midstream, the children play
with makeshift hockey sticks and, near the church,
a man finds the thoughtless grace
of the boy he once was
to glide free
in the very eye of heaven;
it could be simple – paradise foreseen –
but up on the rightmost bank, amid thorns and briars,

someone has built a bird trap from a plank
set on a perch, from which a length of rope
snakes to a half-closed door,
and all around it, birds dip from the air,
starlings and fieldfares, redwings, unaware
of any danger.

It seems a fable and perhaps it is:
we live in peril, die from happenstance,
a casual slip, a fault line in the ice;
but surely it’s the other thought that matters,
the sense that, now and then, there’s still a chance
a man might slide towards an old
belonging, momentarily involved
in nothing but the present, skating out
towards a white
horizon, fair
and gifted with the grace
to skate forever, slithering as he goes,
but hazarding a guess that someone else
is close beside him, other to his other.

A 1565 oil painting on an oak panel, attributed to the Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It shows a village scene where numerous small people skate on a frozen river, while on the right among trees and bushes, birds gather around a bird trap – a heavy wooden board propped up on a single stick, with a few crumbs underneath the board. A string is attached to the stick and leads off to a small dark hole in a wall at the very edge of the painting.

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1y

<p>French writer and historian Hilaire Belloc was born <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1870.</p><p>His notable works include "The Path to Rome" (1902), a travel book about his journey on foot from central France to Rome, and his biographies of historical figures like Oliver Cromwell and Joan of Arc. He is also remembered for his humorous verse, especially his collection of children’s poetry, "Cautionary Tales for Children" (1907), which includes famous poems such as "Matilda" and "Jim".</p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Hilaire Belloc portrait by T. & R. Annan & Sons, vintage bromide print, 1910.

Belloc is seated or standing in a composed and relaxed manner, looking face right to the camera. His expression is serious, reflecting his intellectual and authoritative persona.

He is dressed in formal attire, likely a dark suit and tie, typical of the period. This formal dress emphasizes his status as a respected figure in literature and politics.

Title page of The path to Rome
by Belloc, Hilaire, 1870-1953; Connelly, Myles E., former owner. MChB-B

The title is printed in a prominent, elegant font, typical of early 20th-century book design, reflecting the formal and historical nature of the travel narrative.

Centered near the top of the page, drawing immediate attention.
Author: Hilaire Belloc

The author's name is printed in a slightly smaller, yet equally distinguished font below the title.

Centered below the title, maintaining a clean and organized layout.

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1y

<p>Italian poet, writer, literary critic and teacher Giosuè Carducci was born <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1835.</p><p>His poetry collections, such as "Rime nuove" and "Odi barbare", are notable for their classical forms and themes, often drawing inspiration from ancient Roman and Greek literature. In addition to his literary work, Carducci was a respected academic. He taught Italian literature at the University of Bologna for many years.</p><p>Books by Giosuè Carducci at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/43982" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/43982"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/43982</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Carducci, c. 1900
R. Borghi - http://benignomigliarino.blogspot.com/2010/04/carducci-giosue.html

Carducci is seated, exuding an air of wisdom and intellectual gravitas. His expression is serious and contemplative, suggestive of a man deeply engaged with his thoughts and scholarly pursuits.

He is dressed formally in a dark suit, complete with a waistcoat, white shirt, and a bow tie. His attire is indicative of his position and the era, presenting him as a respectable and authoritative figure.

Carducci's face is marked by his prominent features: a broad forehead, bushy eyebrows, and a full, well-groomed beard and mustache that frame his face. His eyes, though seemingly stern, carry a depth that hints at his reflective nature.

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1y

<p>"The time is out of joint: O cursed spite,<br>That ever I was born to set it right!"<br>Hamlet, Act I, scene v.</p><p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1759.</p><p>The earliest known professional performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet in North America (in Garrick's version) is given by the American Company in Philadelphia, with Lewis Hallam Jr. as Hamlet.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamlet" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamlet</a></p><p>Hamlet at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/1524" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/1524</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/theatre/" rel="tag">#theatre</a></p>

David Garrick expresses Hamlet's shock at his first sighting of the ghost (artist: unknown).

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1y

<p>American writer Herman Melville was born <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1819.</p><p>Melville's first two books, "Typee" (1846) and "Omoo" (1847), were based on his adventures in the South Seas and were quite popular. These semi-autobiographical novels painted a romanticized view of life among the Pacific Islanders. Published in 1851, "Moby-Dick" is considered Melville's masterpiece. Initially, the book was not well-received, and its complex structure and themes puzzled readers and critics alike.</p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a><br>1/3</p>

Herman Melville, American author. Reproduction of photograph, frontispiece to Journal Up the Straits.

The reproduction of the photograph of Herman Melville, featured as the frontispiece to "Journal Up the Straits," presents a distinguished and contemplative image of the American author. Melville is depicted in a formal pose, wearing a dark suit jacket and a vest over a white shirt, with a neatly tied cravat. His beard, full and well-groomed, frames a face that conveys both gravitas and introspection.

In this portrait, Melville's hair is neatly combed, and his expression is one of serious thoughtfulness, reflecting the depth and complexity of his literary works.

Edited 1y ago

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