literature

1y

<p>The great American classic we’ve been misreading for 100 years<br>The Great Gatsby is more than cocktail parties and color symbolism.</p><p>by Constance Grady</p><p><a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/402406/great-gatsby-f-scott-fitzgerald-centennial-100" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.vox.com/culture/402406/great-gatsby-f-scott-fitzgerald-centennial-100"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.vox.com/culture/402406/gre</span><span class="invisible">at-gatsby-f-scott-fitzgerald-centennial-100</span></a></p><p>The Great Gatsby at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64317" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64317</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

The front dust jacket art of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, with title against a dark sky. Beneath the title are lips and two eyes, looming over a city.

Original cover illustration by Francis Cugat (1893–1981) and published by Charles Scribner's Sons.

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64d

<p>Read Love Letters From Royals and Romantics Across 500 Years of British History</p><p>A new exhibition at Britain’s National Archives features a letter to Elizabeth I, Jane Austen’s will and a plea to free Oscar Wilde from prison</p><p>by Christian Thorsberg</p><p><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/read-love-letters-from-royals-and-romantics-across-500-years-of-british-history-180988119/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/read-love-letters-from-royals-and-romantics-across-500-years-of-british-history-180988119/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-n</span><span class="invisible">ews/read-love-letters-from-royals-and-romantics-across-500-years-of-british-history-180988119/</span></a></p><p>Shakespeare, Austen and Wilde 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><br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/68" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/68"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/68</span></a><br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/111" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/111"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/111</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Ira Aldridge (1807-1867), in the character of Othello, Attributed to James Northcote

The image shows:

Aldridge in costume as Othello
White flowing robes or cape
Ornamental detail at the collar (possibly jewelry or costume decoration)
Noble, dignified bearing
Upward gaze suggesting nobility and tragedy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ira_Aldridge#/media/File:Ira_Aldridge_(1807-1867),_in_the_character_of_Othello,_Attributed_to_James_Northcote_(1746-1831).jpg

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1y

<p>"Il y a aujourd'hui trois cent quarante-huit ans six mois et dix-neuf jours que les parisiens s'éveillèrent au bruit de toutes les clochés sonnant à grande volée dans la triple enceinte de la Cité, de l'Université et de la Ville."</p><p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1831.</p><p>Victor Hugo's historical romantic Gothic novel Notre-Dame de Paris, known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, is published by Gosselin in Paris.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunchback_of_Notre-Dame" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunchback_of_Notre-Dame"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunc</span><span class="invisible">hback_of_Notre-Dame</span></a></p><p>Notre-Dame de Paris at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/2610" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/2610</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

The main characters depicted in a frontispiece illustration by Aimé de Lemud (Notre-Dame de Paris, Perrotin éditeur, Garnier frères, 1844).

Aimé de Lemud - This image comes from the Gallica online library under ARK identifier bpt6k15139651/f13

illustration by Aimé de Lemud for the frontispiece of Victor Hugo's novel Notre-Dame de Paris, Perrotin éditeur, Garnier frères, 1844.

Illustration from Victor Hugo et son temps (1881)

Luc-Olivier Merson (1846–1920) - Here

Drawing of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, showing the recently restored galerie des chimères.

A cloaked figure, likely Claude Frollo, the archdeacon in Hugo's novel, is standing on a high balcony or gallery of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

He is leaning against the balustrade, looking pensively over the cityscape of medieval Paris, with rooftops, chimneys, and the Seine River visible in the background.

Surrounding him are several gargoyle sculptures, which are iconic elements of Gothic architecture and Notre-Dame itself.

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70d

<p>Take Four Books: Ali Smith<br>Available on BBC Sounds.</p><p>Ali Smith speaks to Take Four Books about her latest novel, GLYPH. Together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works.</p><p>@bookstodon </p><p><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002qgmj" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002qgmj"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002</span><span class="invisible">qgmj</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/alismith/" rel="tag">#AliSmith</a> <a href="/tags/womenwriters/" rel="tag">#womenwriters</a></p>

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1824.</p><p>Lord Byron falls ill at Missolonghi while taking part in the Greek War of Independence. He dies of fever on April 19. The Greeks mourned Lord Byron deeply, and he became a hero.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Byron" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Byron"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Byr</span><span class="invisible">on</span></a></p><p>Books by Lord Byron at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1708" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1708"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/1708</span></a></p><p>A Narrative of Lord Byron's Last Journey to Greece by Pietro Gamba (1825):<br><a href="https://catalogue.beic.it/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma9926855804741&context=L&vid=39BEIC_INST:39BEIC_INST&lang=it&search_scope=Library&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=LibraryCatalog&query=any,contains,A%20Narrative%20of%20Lord%20Byron%27s%20Last%20Journey%20to%20Greece%20by%20Pietro%20Gamba%20(1825" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="catalogue.beic.it/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma9926855804741&context=L&vid=39BEIC_INST:39BEIC_INST&lang=it&search_scope=Library&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=LibraryCatalog&query=any,contains,A%20Narrative%20of%20Lord%20Byron%27s%20Last%20Journey%20to%20Greece%20by%20Pietro%20Gamba%20(1825"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">catalogue.beic.it/discovery/fu</span><span class="invisible">lldisplay?docid=alma9926855804741&context=L&vid=39BEIC_INST:39BEIC_INST&lang=it&search_scope=Library&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=LibraryCatalog&query=any,contains,A%20Narrative%20of%20Lord%20Byron%27s%20Last%20Journey%20to%20Greece%20by%20Pietro%20Gamba%20(1825</span></a>)</p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

The reception of Lord Byron at Missolonghi.

Theodoros Vryzakis - https://www.nationalgallery.gr/artwork/i-ypodochi-tou-lordou-vyrona-sto-mesolongi/

Byron is depicted in a grand and heroic manner, wearing traditional Greek attire, symbolizing his deep admiration for the Greek cause.

Byron is surrounded by Greek freedom fighters, dressed in traditional foustanella skirts, capes, and turbans, showing the diverse Greek factions.

Greek Orthodox clergy are present, emphasizing the role of the Church in the revolution.

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64d

<p>Examining the “Edinburgh University Coterie”: Networks of Cultural Influence in the 1790s and 1800s<br>11 Feb, Edinburgh & online. Free</p><p>Dr Amy Wilcockson’s ongoing IASH project explores a remarkable circle of Edinburgh University classmates who brought Scottish ideas, ideals & stories to the heart of British culture</p><p>@litstudies </p><p><a href="https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/event/dr-amy-wilcockson-examining-‘edinburgh-university-coterie’-networks-cultural-influence-1790s" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.iash.ed.ac.uk/event/dr-amy-wilcockson-examining-‘edinburgh-university-coterie’-networks-cultural-influence-1790s"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.iash.ed.ac.uk/event/dr-amy</span><span class="invisible">-wilcockson-examining-‘edinburgh-university-coterie’-networks-cultural-influence-1790s</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/history/" rel="tag">#history</a> <a href="/tags/culture/" rel="tag">#culture</a> <a href="/tags/18thcentury/" rel="tag">#18thcentury</a> <a href="/tags/19thcentury/" rel="tag">#19thcentury</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 1836 (dated April)</p><p>The first monthly part of The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens is issued in London. On April 20, the original illustrator, Robert Seymour, shoots himself and Dickens has more freedom to develop the story in his own way.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pickwick_Papers" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pickwick_Papers"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pick</span><span class="invisible">wick_Papers</span></a></p><p>The Pickwick Papers at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=The+Pickwick+Papers&submit_search=Search" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=The+Pickwick+Papers&submit_search=Search"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc</span><span class="invisible">h/?query=The+Pickwick+Papers&submit_search=Search</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Cover of serial, "Pickwick Club" by Charles Dickens.

Typical cover illustrations depict Mr. Samuel Pickwick, the kind-hearted and portly founder of the club, along with his fellow club members—Mr. Tupman, Mr. Snodgrass, and Mr. Winkle. They are often dressed in 19th-century attire, engaged in comical or exaggerated activities, such as traveling in a carriage, engaging in lively discussions, or encountering eccentric characters.

Many editions feature artwork inspired by the original illustrations by Hablot Knight Browne (known as Phiz) or Robert Seymour, who initially illustrated the novel. The scenes on the cover typically capture the novel’s lighthearted and satirical tone, emphasizing Dickens’s signature blend of humor and social commentary.

Edited 1y ago

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1y

<p>"She belonged to a different age, but being so entire, so complete, would always stand up on the horizon, stone-white, eminent, like a lighthouse marking some past stage on this adventurous, long, long voyage, this interminable — this interminable life."</p><p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1915.</p><p>Virginia Woolf's first novel, The Voyage Out, is published in London by the firm of her half-brother, Gerald Duckworth.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_Out" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_Out"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voya</span><span class="invisible">ge_Out</span></a></p><p>The Voyage Out at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/144" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/144</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Cover of the first edition of w:Virginia Woolf's w:The Voyage Out, Duckworth & Co., London, 1915.

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1862.</p><p>The first two volumes of Victor Hugo's epic historical novel Les Misérables appear in Brussels, followed on April 3 by Paris publication, with the remaining volumes on May 15. The first English-language translations, by Charles Edwin Wilbour, are published in New York on June 7, and by Frederic Charles Lascelles Wraxall, in London in October.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Mis%C3%A9rables" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Mis%C3%A9rables"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Mis%</span><span class="invisible">C3%A9rables</span></a></p><p>Les Misérables at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Les+Mis%C3%A9rables&submit_search=Search" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Les+Mis%C3%A9rables&submit_search=Search"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc</span><span class="invisible">h/?query=Les+Mis%C3%A9rables&submit_search=Search</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Émile Bayard, Cosette sweeping, 1862, reproduced in Victor Hugo, Les Misérables (London, G. Routledge and Sons), 1887. Rare Books Collection, State Library of Victoria.

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277d

<p>Time Interpolated</p><p>A companion essay to our partner podcast Proust Curious, hosted by Emma Claussen and Hannah Weaver.</p><p>via @lithub</p><p><a href="https://www.publicbooks.org/time-interpolated/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&utm_id=01JZ8JEHVTREMXDDYHMPZ4W5ZA&_kx=3MZUehzXM-41qlWAMPUiuNZadX2p0SByuNf_t0eMLB0.U5D8ER" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.publicbooks.org/time-interpolated/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&utm_id=01JZ8JEHVTREMXDDYHMPZ4W5ZA&_kx=3MZUehzXM-41qlWAMPUiuNZadX2p0SByuNf_t0eMLB0.U5D8ER"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.publicbooks.org/time-inter</span><span class="invisible">polated/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&utm_id=01JZ8JEHVTREMXDDYHMPZ4W5ZA&_kx=3MZUehzXM-41qlWAMPUiuNZadX2p0SByuNf_t0eMLB0.U5D8ER</span></a></p><p>In Search of Lost Time at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=In+Search+of+Lost+Time" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=In+Search+of+Lost+Time"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc</span><span class="invisible">h/?query=In+Search+of+Lost+Time</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#Books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#Literature</a></p>

First galley proof of A la recherche du temps perdu: Du côté de chez Swann with handwritten revision notes by Marcel Proust (1871 - 1922).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Search_of_Lost_Time#/media/File:MS_A_la_recherche_du_temps_perdu.jpg

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1y

<p>Lost and Found: A Newly Discovered Poem by Robert Frost</p><p>Nothing New,” which the American poet wrote in 1918, is published for the first time in The New Yorker’s Anniversary Issue.</p><p>By Jay Parini</p><p><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/books/double-take/lost-and-found-a-newly-discovered-poem-by-robert-frost" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.newyorker.com/books/double-take/lost-and-found-a-newly-discovered-poem-by-robert-frost"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.newyorker.com/books/double</span><span class="invisible">-take/lost-and-found-a-newly-discovered-poem-by-robert-frost</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>

Frost in 1949

Walter Albertin, World Telegram staff photographer - Library of Congress. New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection.

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c20741

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Frost_NYWTS_4.jpg

Frost appears as an elderly man with white, slightly disheveled hair, deep-set eyes, and a contemplative expression.

His face shows signs of age, with visible wrinkles that add to his distinguished and wise appearance.

He is dressed in a suit and tie, reflecting his formal yet approachable persona.

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303d

<p>"Give me a little less<br>with every dawn."</p><p>Marjorie Lotfi performs John Burnside's "Prayer" in a film directed by Savannah Acquah, from a new series from the ‪Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation & the Writers’ Mosaic</p><p><a href="https://www.brinkerhoffpoetry.org/poems/prayer" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.brinkerhoffpoetry.org/poems/prayer"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.brinkerhoffpoetry.org/poem</span><span class="invisible">s/prayer</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/johnburnside/" rel="tag">#JohnBurnside</a></p>

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62d

<p>to hear the Gaelic ann an taigh-mòr<br>air a’ chrìch eadar dà shiorrachd<br>ann an Èirinn far am faighear taic<br>o gach comhairle gus na dìogan a ghlanadh,<br>na claisean a chàradh…</p><p>—Pàdraig MacAoidh, “Geographical Exclusions Apply”<br>published in With Their Best Clothes On: New Writing Scotland 36 (ASL, 2018)</p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/gaidhlig/" rel="tag">#Gaidhlig</a> <a href="/tags/gaelic/" rel="tag">#Gaelic</a> <a href="/tags/poem/" rel="tag">#poem</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a></p>

Pàdraig MacAoidh
GEOGRAPHICAL EXCLUSIONS APPLY

to hear the Gaelic ann an taigh-mòr
air a’ chrìch eadar dà shiorrachd
ann an Èirinn far am faighear taic
o gach comhairle gus na dìogan a ghlanadh,
na claisean a chàradh, ged nach robh e
idir gu leòr agus fios gun teagamh sam bith
gun robh an taigh a’ grodadh, nach bi
e fada son t-saoghail seo, leis gun robh e –
mar gach taigh-mòr eile – a’ tuiteam
às a chèile on mhullach, gun robh
na sglèatan a’ crochadh air adhar,
na cabair phreasach nas làine de thuill
na de dh’fhiodh ’s it was lovely to hear
the Gaelic aig solas dearg ann an Gleann
Iucha far an do stad car agus shlaighd
fear sios an uinneag agus leig e às –
gu slaodach – cnap cotain a bha stobte
sa bheul ann am beàrn far am b’ àbhaist
fiacail a bhith, an cotan air tionndadh
dearg gorm dubh agus air maistrich
le na duilleagan ’s an traillich ’s an uisge
ronnach ruadh a’ ruith sìos a’ chlais
sìos dhan it was lovely to hear the Gaelic
anns a’ chlò a’ chlò a’ chlò às am bi
fàileadh m’ eilein-sa ag èirigh gach trup
a bhios tu fàs teth agus fliuch aig an aon àm
mar gum b’ e comharra feise a bh’ ann
rud cho borb bèisteil ’s nach urrainn dhut
a chumail ri taobh do chraicinn, nad
achlaisean, eadar do shlèistean, gun iad a bhith
air an suathadh, air an sgròbadh a bhith dearg
’s dubh ’s geal ’s tu ag ràdh eadar fiaclan dùinte

an ceann a chèile Moire Moire Moire it was
lovely to hear the Gaelic aig àm dol fodha
na grèine, gus am bris an là, gu latha-luain,
aig mullach na creige ann an Gippsland
far an do shad an Sgitheanach
Alasdair Mac a’ Mhaolain tùsanaich
far an oir an dèidh peilearan
a chur nan casan mar gum b’ e plàigh
a bh’ annta ’s beathaichean leòinte
nach robh fiù ’s airidh air tròcair,
nach b’ annta ach troc it was lovely
to hear the Gaelic air an t-seann sgeir,
na glasan-làimhe a’ bìdeadh d’ abhbrannan
’s do chaoil-dhùirn agus an t-sàl
a’ suathadh d’ fheòla agus an reothart
a’ lìonadh gun dòchas agad – agus i
an àm a’ phreasaidh a-rithist an-còmhnaidh
mar a bha ’s mar a bhitheas – ach guth fireann
thar nan tonn a’ dùrdail it was lovely

Peter Mackay
GEOGRAPHICAL EXCLUSIONS APPLY

to hear the Gaelic in a big house
on the border between two counties
in Ireland where you could get help
from both councils for cleaning the gutters
repairing the rones, even though it was
never enough and there was no doubt
that the house was rotting, not long
for this world, since it was – like every other
big house – tearing itself apart
from the top down, and the slates
were hanging in air and the corrugating
roofbeams more full of holes than wood
and it was lovely to hear the Gaelic at a red
light in Glencoe where a car stopped and a man
wound down his window and dropped –
gently – a sop of cotton that had been
stoppering a hole in his mouth where once
there’d been a tooth, the cotton now turning
red blue black and swirling chewing
masticating with the leaves and butts
in the red rusted water running down the gutter
towards it was lovely to hear the Gaelic
in the tweed the tweed the tweed from which
the smell of my island rises each time
you get both hot and wet at the same time
as if it was a marker of sex, something so
barbaric and animal you could not keep it
beside your skin, in your armpits, between
your thighs without them being rubbed
and scratched red and black and white
while you say between teeth gritted together
Mary Mary Mary it was lovely to hear

the Gaelic at the setting of the sea, when the day
breaks, till the day of the moon, at the top
of the cliff in Gippsland where the Sgitheanach
Alasdair Mac a’ Mhaolain threw aborigines
over the edge, having shot them in the legs
as if they were a plague, or wounded
animals, that weren’t worthy of pity
that were nothing but brutes it was lovely
to hear the Gaelic on the ol’ tidal rock
the manacles biting into your ankles
and wrists and the brine of the rising
spring tide seasoning your flesh and
no hope left but – it being the time
of the press-gangs again, as usual,
as it was and shall be – a male voice
murmuring over the seas it was lovely

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65d

<p>Saltire Sessions: Michael Pedersen</p><p>The Saltire Society talks to author, poet, & Edinburgh Makar Michael Pedersen about his work, his inspirations, & the power of collaboration</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCTgutNfMB4" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCTgutNfMB4"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCTgut</span><span class="invisible">NfMB4</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/writing/" rel="tag">#writing</a> <a href="/tags/collaboration/" rel="tag">#collaboration</a> <a href="/tags/edinburgh/" rel="tag">#Edinburgh</a></p>

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63d

<p>Celebrating Black History Month</p><p>February marks Black History Month, a month-long observance in the United States and Canada that recognizes the significant contributions of Black Americans to history, as well as the historical legacies of the African diaspora. </p><p>By The Editors</p><p><a href="https://daily.jstor.org/black-history-month-editors-picks/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="daily.jstor.org/black-history-month-editors-picks/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">daily.jstor.org/black-history-</span><span class="invisible">month-editors-picks/</span></a></p><p>Black history at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=black+history" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=black+history"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc</span><span class="invisible">h/?query=black+history</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/blackhistorymonth/" rel="tag">#blackhistorymonth</a></p>

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63d

<p>Medieval women used falconry to subvert gender norms</p><p>by Rachel Delman</p><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/medieval-women-used-falconry-to-subvert-gender-norms-274374?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20February%203%202026%20-%203663937433&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20February%203%202026%20-%203663937433+CID_c95ef3e382076569833a6409852a49ff&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=Medieval%20women%20used%20falconry%20to%20subvert%20gender%20norms" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="theconversation.com/medieval-women-used-falconry-to-subvert-gender-norms-274374?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20February%203%202026%20-%203663937433&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20February%203%202026%20-%203663937433+CID_c95ef3e382076569833a6409852a49ff&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=Medieval%20women%20used%20falconry%20to%20subvert%20gender%20norms"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">theconversation.com/medieval-w</span><span class="invisible">omen-used-falconry-to-subvert-gender-norms-274374?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20February%203%202026%20-%203663937433&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20February%203%202026%20-%203663937433+CID_c95ef3e382076569833a6409852a49ff&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=Medieval%20women%20used%20falconry%20to%20subvert%20gender%20norms</span></a></p><p>Ornithology at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=ornithology" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=ornithology"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc</span><span class="invisible">h/?query=ornithology</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/ornithology/" rel="tag">#ornithology</a></p>

Sharp-shinned Hawk, Accipiter striatus, a small member of the Accipitrinae subfamily, chromolithograph.

This illustration shows two individuals hawks perched on branches.

The upper bird displays the characteristic streaked breast plumage, hooked beak, and yellow legs typical of the species, while the lower bird shows darker plumage with barred underparts.

A partially eaten bird (appearing to be a rose-breasted grosbeak or similar species) is visible at the bottom, illustrating the hawk's predatory nature.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawk#/media/File:Accipiter_striatusDO1908P02CA.JPG

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63d

<p>Four crabs from the cold firth<br>alive for a shilling. The largest<br>reared in the pot, in spite of<br>the fierce water, but soon<br>we cracked his limbs with our teeth<br>and wheedled with spoons and fingers<br>for the last shreds of flesh<br>from the crannies of his briny body…</p><p>—Angus Calder, “Crab”<br>from WAKING IN WAIKATO (diehard, 1997)</p><p>Angus Calder (1942–2008) – journalist, historian, editor, critic, & poet – was born <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a>, 5 Feb</p><p><a href="https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/crab/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/crab/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.</span><span class="invisible">uk/poem/crab/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poem/" rel="tag">#poem</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/20thcentury/" rel="tag">#20thcentury</a></p>

Crab
by Angus Calder

Four crabs from the cold firth
alive for a shilling. The largest
reared in the pot, in spite of
the fierce water, but soon
we cracked his limbs with our teeth
and wheedled with spoons and fingers
for the last shreds of flesh
from the crannies of his briny body.

In that brittle maze
I found no features to remind me
of our brains, our livers
or our smooth bellies, yet doubtless
their functions were held by some part
of the paste of his cavities.

Spread, soup and risotto –
only the gills were rejected.

In the days we ate him
I did not forget
his moment on the floor
to amuse the baby, when she
gloated at the slow clash
of his last menace,
nor that shape which made me think
of a soft soldier
fried in the cockpit of a tank.

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64d

<p>Toni Morrison on What Flannery O’Connor’s Short Fiction Reveals About Race in America</p><p>Considering the Role of Blackness and Black Bodies in the American Literary Canon</p><p><a href="https://lithub.com/toni-morrison-on-what-flannery-oconnors-short-fiction-reveals-about-race-in-america/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="lithub.com/toni-morrison-on-what-flannery-oconnors-short-fiction-reveals-about-race-in-america/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">lithub.com/toni-morrison-on-wh</span><span class="invisible">at-flannery-oconnors-short-fiction-reveals-about-race-in-america/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

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63d

<p>Build me a bridge over the stream <br>to my neighbour’s house<br>where he is standing in dungarees <br>in the fresh morning…</p><p>—Iain Crichton Smith, “Neighbour”<br>published in NEW COLLECTED POEMS (Carcanet, 2011)</p><p><a href="https://www.carcanet.co.uk/9781857549607/new-collected-poems/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.carcanet.co.uk/9781857549607/new-collected-poems/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.carcanet.co.uk/97818575496</span><span class="invisible">07/new-collected-poems/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/scottish/" rel="tag">#Scottish</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poem/" rel="tag">#poem</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/20thcentury/" rel="tag">#20thcentury</a> <a href="/tags/iaincrichtonsmith/" rel="tag">#IainCrichtonSmith</a></p>

Iain Crichton Smith
Neighbour

Build me a bridge over the stream
to my neighbour’s house
where he is standing in dungarees
in the fresh morning.

O ring of snowdrops
spread wherever you want
and you also blackbird
sing across the fences.

My neighbour, if the rain falls on you,
let it fall on me also
from the same black cloud
that does not recognise gates.

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70d

<p>The Complete Story of the Epic of Gilgamesh (Overview & Analysis)</p><p>"The Epic of Gilgamesh, recounting the adventures of the semi-divine Sumerian king, may be the world’s oldest literary work. What does the narrative say?"</p><p><a href="https://www.thecollector.com/epic-gilgamesh-overview/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.thecollector.com/epic-gilgamesh-overview/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.thecollector.com/epic-gilg</span><span class="invisible">amesh-overview/</span></a></p><p>Gilgamesh at PG:</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11000" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11000</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Drawing of Gilgamesh strangling a lion. He has the lion with his left arm around his neck and a whip in his right hand.

Edited 70d ago

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1y

<p>"Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords."<br>Letter (8 June 1762) [to an unnamed recipient], p. 103</p><p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1906.</p><p>J. M. Dent and Co. initiates the U.K. Everyman's Library series, edited by Ernest Rhys. The first title is Boswell's Life of Johnson.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyman%27s_Library" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyman%27s_Library"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyman</span><span class="invisible">%27s_Library</span></a></p><p>Life of Samuel Johnson at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/1564" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/1564</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Title page to the 1791 first edition The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D, as found on the Google Books scan of the Bodleian Library copy.

Henry Baldwin - https://books.google.com/books?id=P-INAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA327#v=onepage&q&f=false

The title is in a large, serif font, with variations in font size and capitalization for emphasis.

"The Life of Samuel Johnson" is prominently displayed.

“LL.D.” follows Johnson’s name, denoting his honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Boswell’s name is given with "Esq." (Esquire), a common 18th-century honorific.

A Latin quotation (often included in scholarly works of the time) appears below the author’s name.

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1y

<p>In February 1827.</p><p>Thomas De Quincey's essay On Murder Considered as one of the Fine Arts is published in Blackwood's Magazine. The essays are a satirical account of a gentleman's club that celebrates homicide from an aesthetic perspective. The Ratcliff Highway murders committed by John Williams in 1811 are a keystone throughout the series.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Murder_Considered_as_one_of_the_Fine_Arts" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Murder_Considered_as_one_of_the_Fine_Arts"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Murde</span><span class="invisible">r_Considered_as_one_of_the_Fine_Arts</span></a></p><p>At PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/10708" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/10708</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine 1827-02: Vol 21 Iss 122

Publication date 1827-02

Topics Language & Literature, Magazines, microfilm

Publisher Blackwood Pillans and Wilson

https://archive.org/details/sim_blackwoods-magazine_1827-02_21_122/page/199/mode/1up

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64d

<p>He saw the weather written on the pane<br>as he buckled on his gaiters,<br>shouldering the hammer to walk the lane<br>spooked with his breath, to the pond<br>at the extremity of his acres…</p><p>—Lorn Macintyre, “Bonspiel”<br>published in Snowball in Summer (Argyll, 2009)</p><p><a href="https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/bonspiel/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/bonspiel/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.</span><span class="invisible">uk/poem/bonspiel/</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/curling/" rel="tag">#curling</a> <a href="/tags/winterolympics/" rel="tag">#WinterOlympics</a> <a href="/tags/wintersports/" rel="tag">#WinterSports</a> <a href="/tags/winter/" rel="tag">#winter</a> <a href="/tags/bonspiel/" rel="tag">#bonspiel</a></p>

Bonspiel
Lorn Macintyre

He saw the weather written on the pane
as he buckled on his gaiters,
shouldering the hammer to walk the lane
spooked with his breath, to the pond
at the extremity of his acres.
The hammer bounced on the ice
a dozen times before he was certain
that it would bear the weight.
He took the pungent moth-balls
from the pockets of his plus-fours
before sending the serving-man
with a message round the doors:
‘Bonspiel at Murdo’s pond, tomorrow, noon.’

They came on foot, on horseback, by trap,
ladies in breeches, ploughmen with twine
lashing their shins for the only game
in the district. The shelves in the brick shed
were lined with stones like ancient cheeses,
each one owned by a chalked name.
Men down on a knee, as if proposing,
send the stone slithering across the ice,
its way hastened by scrabbling brooms.
Stones clash, and by the pond’s edge
a brazier offers searing chestnuts.

The pond has leached into the earth now,
reverting to a bog. In the bracken
I uncover the brazier’s rusted remains,
like a cauldron from an abandoned coven.
The door of the shed hangs off its hinges.
I lift down a stone from the dusty shelves,
the granite cracked from the collision
in the forgotten bonspiel. As I send it
spinning across the floor I hear
the roar, and through the broken window
see a beauty brushing up her game.

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1920.</p><p>This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald sets him up as a writer and celebrity. An initial 3,000 copies sell out in three days. The book's reputation dims in later years, but Dorothy Parker will recall that it was seen as innovative when it first appeared.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Side_of_Paradise" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Side_of_Paradise"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Sid</span><span class="invisible">e_of_Paradise</span></a></p><p>This Side of Paradise at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/805" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/805</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Cover of Fitzgerald's 1920 novel, This Side of Paradise, by illustrator W. E. Hill. The cover's title text is in white font, and the background is dark yellow.

The cover depicts a haughty young woman wearing a white dress and holding a hand fan with large white feathers.

Behind her, a dashing young man in a dark suit, white shirt, and black bow tie is leaning forward as if to whisper in her ear.

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1y

<p>Literary Genius: Who Was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe?</p><p>Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is the most influential German literary figure in history. Learn more about his life, science, and philosophy.</p><p>By Maysara Kamal</p><p><a href="https://www.thecollector.com/literary-genius-who-was-johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.thecollector.com/literary-genius-who-was-johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.thecollector.com/literary-</span><span class="invisible">genius-who-was-johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/</span></a></p><p>Books by Goethe at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/586" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/586"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/586</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Goethe in 1828, by Joseph Karl Stieler.

He is dressed in a dark, buttoned-up coat with a white high-collared shirt underneath, reflecting the refined fashion of the early 19th century.

A decorative chain and a red brooch adorn his attire, indicating his status and prestige.

In his right hand, he holds a piece of paper with handwritten text, symbolizing his literary and intellectual contributions.

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