literature

215d

Robert Louis Stevenson’s short story “The Bottle Imp” was first published (in English) on this day, 8 Feb, 1891, in the New York Herald. It was originally published in Samoan translation as “‘O le Fagu Aitu” in the missionary magazine O le sulu Samoa (The Samoan Torch)

A 👿 🧵

1/10

#Scottish #literature #shortstory #RobertLouisStevenson #19thcentury #Victorian #Pacific #Samoa #Hawaii #supernatural

A newspaper clipping from 1891, showing a title and the opening few lines of Robert Louis Stevenson’s short story "The Bottle Imp"

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1y

"Someone has a great fire in his soul and nobody ever comes to warm themselves at it, and passers-by see nothing but a little smoke at the top of the chimney and then go on their way."

Quote in his Letter (no. 155), June 1880.

~Vincent van Gogh, born #OTD in 1856.

Van Gogh's letters are available online at:
https://vangoghletters.org/

Books by Van Gogh at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Vincent+van+Gogh&submit_search=Search

#books #art #literature

"Van Gogh painted this self-portrait in the winter of 1887–1888, when he had been living in Paris for nearly two years. Since his arrival in the city he had devoted much study to the dotted Pointillist technique, thereby learning how he might apply it in his own fashion. His use of brushstrokes running in a variety of directions created a self-portrait with a halo-like circle round his head. This variation and the dynamics it created were Van Gogh’s own contribution to the new style of painting." (Van Gogh Museum notice)

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215d

Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded #OnThisDay, 8 February, 1587, on the orders of Elizabeth I of England – her first cousin once removed.

Consider the way she had to go,
Think of the hungry snare,
The net she herself had woven,
Aware or unaware…

—Marion Angus, “Alas! Poor Queen”
Published in TURN OF THE DAY (1931) – online via the National Library of Scotland

https://digital.nls.uk/works-by-selected-scottish-authors/archive/129159433?mode=fullsize

#Scottish #literature #history #poem #poetry #MaryQueenofScots #womenwriters #20thcentury

Alas! Poor Queen
Marion Angus

She was skilled in music and the dance
And the old arts of love
At the court of the poisoned rose
And the perfumed glove,
And gave her beautiful hand
To the pale Dauphin
A triple crown to win—
And she loved little dogs
And parrots
And red-legged partridges
And the golden fishes of the Due de Guise
And a pigeon with a blue ruff
She had from Monsieur d’Elboeuf.

Master John Knox was no friend to her ;
She spoke him soft and kind,
Her honeyed words were Satan’s lure
The unwary soul to bind.
“Good sir, doth a lissome shape
And a comely face
Offend your God His Grace
Whose Wisdom maketh these
Golden fishes of the Due de Guise?”

She rode through Liddesdale with a song ;
“Ye streams sae wondrous strang,
Oh, mak’ me a wrack as I come back
But spare me as I gang.”
While a hill-bird cried and cried
Like a spirit lost
By the grey storm-wind tost.

Consider the way she had to go,
Think of the hungry snare,
The net she herself had woven,
Aware or unaware,

Of the dancing feet grown still,
The blinded eyes.—
Queens should be cold and wise,
And she loved little things,
Parrots
And red-legged partridges
And the golden fishes of the Due de Guise
And the pigeon with the blue ruff
She had from Monsieur d’Elboeuf.

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216d

"Mastered by desire impulsive,
By a mighty inward urging,
I am ready now for singing,
Ready to begin the chanting
Of our nation’s ancient folk-song..."

An epic border: Finland’s poetic masterpiece, the Kalevala, has roots in 2 cultures and 2 countries

by Thomas A. DuBois

https://theconversation.com/an-epic-border-finlands-poetic-masterpiece-the-kalevala-has-roots-in-2-cultures-and-2-countries-261444

Kalevala at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Kalevala

#books #literature #poetry

Mistress of the North, Louhi attacking Väinämöinen in the form of a giant eagle with her troops on her back. (The Defense of the Sampo, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, 1896), Turku Art Museum.

The scene depicts an episode from the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic, showing the sorceress Louhi (the Mistress of the North) transformed into a giant eagle attacking the hero Väinämöinen and his companions as they flee in a boat with the magical Sampo. Louhi carries her warriors on her back as she swoops down, her enormous wings spread across the green-gold sky. The heroes in the boat below defend themselves with weapons, fighting desperately to protect the Sampo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalevala#/media/File:Sammon_puolustus.jpg

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1y

#OTD in 1885.

Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published in the US for the 1st time, in New York by Charles L. Webster, illustrated by E. W. Kemble, the 1st impression having been delayed for replacement of an unauthorized obscene alteration to one of the illustrative plates. Its first-person narrative in colloquial language is initially controversial but ultimately influential in the development of realism in American literature.

At PG
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/76

#books #literature

Cover of the book «Adventures of Huckleberry Finn» by Mark Twain, 1884

E. W. Kemble (1861–1933)

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216d

You might forget the exact sound of her voice
or how her face looked when sleeping.
You might forget the sound of her quiet weeping
curled into the shape of a half moon…

—Jackie Kay, “Darling”
published in DARLING (Bloodaxe, 2007)

https://www.bloodaxebooks.com/ecs/product/darling-877

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #JackieKay #grief #death

Darling
by Jackie Kay

You might forget the exact sound of her voice
or how her face looked when sleeping.
You might forget the sound of her quiet weeping
curled into the shape of a half moon,

when smaller than her self, she seemed already to be leaving
before she left, when the blossom was on the trees
and the sun was out, and all seemed good in the world.
I held her hand and sang a song from when I was a girl –

Heel y’ho boys, let her go boys –
and when I stopped singing she had slipped away,
already a slip of a girl again, skipping off,
her heart light, her face almost smiling.

And what I didn’t know or couldn’t say then
was that she hadn’t really gone.
The dead don’t go till you do, loved ones.
The dead are still here holding our hands.

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1y

"The name of the one was Obstinate and the name of the other Pliable."

#OTD in 1678.

The first part of English nonconformist John Bunyan's Christian allegory The Pilgrim's Progress, partly written while he was imprisoned for unlicensed preaching, is published in London.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pilgrim%27s_Progress

The Pilgrim's Progress at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/131

#books #literature

Title page of Pilgrim's Progress Date: 1678 Author: John Bunyan (1628-1688).

The text on the page includes the full title, which describes the work as an allegory delivered "under the Similitude of a Dream." The book details the journey of a Christian pilgrim from "this world" to "that which is to come," emphasizing spiritual struggles and redemption.

The title page also includes a biblical reference (Hosea 12:10) and publication details, indicating that the book was printed in London for Nathaniel Ponder.

Additionally, there is a handwritten inscription at the top of the page with the name "Joseph Middleton" and the year "1784," likely indicating a former owner of this copy.

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216d

#OTD in 1823 novelist Ann Radcliffe died.

She "was an English novelist who pioneered the Gothic novel, and a minor poet. Her fourth and most popular novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho, was published in 1794.... Her novels combine suspenseful narratives, exotic historical settings, and apparently-supernatural events."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Radcliffe

Books by Radcliffe at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1147

#books #literature

"Emily discovering a body in Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794)." - picyrl.

The drawing shows a woman holding a lantern. She is pulling back a curtain which reveals a dead man lying on a bed.

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216d

Call for papers
The Incredible Nineteenth Century: Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Fairy Tale
1–2 May, free online

Presentations invited on any aspect of science fiction, fantasy, or fairy tale in the long 19th century as well as modern reinterpretations of the 19th century in literature & media. Deadline 4 April.

@litstudies

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSciz7ZLd8jRxjMF05TQCf2UGuNmYFN_4N0Whs4jgWZaYVDVXQ/viewform?pli=1

#Literature #19thcentury #Victorian #sciencefiction #fantasy #fairytale #SFF #specfic #steampunk #callforpapers

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1y

Andrew Lang (1844–1912) was born #OTD, 31 March. An extraordinarily prolific anthropologist, writer & literary critic, he is best remembered today for collecting & editing fairy stories from around the world

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https://universityofglasgowlibrary.wordpress.com/2016/05/20/the-man-of-letters-in-fairyland-andrew-lang/

#Scottish #literature #19thcentury #Victorian #kidlit #fairytale #AndrewLang

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143d

Wigtown Spring Book Weekend
2–4 May

Covenanters & women crime writers will be two of the themes woven into this year’s Wigtown Spring Book Weekend. With dozens of events from author talks to guided walks, writing, photography & music workshops, the programme is now available online:

https://www.wigtownbookfestival.com/blog/wigtown-spring-book-weekend-2026

#Scottish #literature #books #bookfestivals #historicalfiction #crimefiction #womenwriters #Wigtown

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1y

Joseph Conrad’s Travel Stories Weren’t Black and White

Conrad’s celebration of imperial exploration is accompanied by an acknowledgment that such feats often go hand-in-hand with oppression and exploitation.

By: H.M.A. Leow

https://daily.jstor.org/joseph-conrads-travel-stories-werent-black-and-white/

#books #literature

Caricature of Joseph Conrad by David Low in Lions and Lambs, 1928.

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1y

American Literature’s White Whale: Why the “Great American Novel” is Still Worth Pursuing

https://lithub.com/american-literatures-white-whale-why-the-great-american-novel-is-still-worth-pursuing/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_De_Forest

Miss Ravenel's conversion from secession to loyalty at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41355

#books #literature

John William De Forest is depicted with a full beard and mustache, giving him a scholarly and mature appearance.

Deep-set eyes and a serious, contemplative expression, reflecting his role as a novelist and historian.

Formal attire, such as a dark suit, a high-collared shirt, and a bow tie, which was typical for men of his era.

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1y

A Journey Through Dante’s Inferno: A Brief Guide

Dante’s Inferno is hailed as a medieval masterpiece and a precursor to the Renaissance, with T.S. Eliot having ranked it alongside Shakespeare.

by Thom Delapa

https://www.thecollector.com/journey-through-dante-inferno/

The Divine Comedy at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=divine+comedy&submit_search=Search

#books #literature

Dante Alighieri with Florence and the Realms of the Divine Comedy (Hell, Purgatory, Paradise), 1465.

By
Domenico di Michelino (1417–1491)
After Alesso Baldovinetti (1425–1499)

Dante's Figure:
Dante stands in the foreground, slightly to the left, wearing a long red robe and a laurel crown—symbols of his status as a poet. He holds an open book, likely representing The Divine Comedy, where lines from the text are visible.

The City of Florence (Left Side):
Behind Dante, to the left, is a detailed representation of Florence, including its recognizable landmarks such as the Duomo (Florence Cathedral) and the Palazzo Vecchio. This emphasizes Dante’s connection to his birthplace, despite his exile.

Hell (Far Left, Background):
To the far left, the entrance to Hell is depicted as a dark, cavernous opening. Above it, Lucifer looms over the infernal landscape, with tormented souls shown suffering in various circles, illustrating Dante’s description of Hell’s structure.

Purgatory (Middle Right):
In the center, a mountain represents Purgatory, with souls ascending its spiral path toward purification. At the top, the Garden of Eden is depicted, symbolizing the final stage before reaching Paradise.

Paradise (Upper Right):
In the sky above Purgatory, golden celestial spheres symbolize Heaven. Christ, angels, and saints are depicted in radiant light, representing the divine realm where souls achieve eternal bliss.

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1y

George Orwell Knew What Made Shakespeare Great

By Michael Lucchese

https://providencemag.com/2025/04/george-orwell-knew-what-made-shakespeare-great/

#books #literature

William Shakespeare by John Taylor, edited.

Shakespeare appears with a high forehead, arched eyebrows, and deep, contemplative eyes that suggest wit and introspection.

He wears an elegant black doublet with a white collar — modest yet refined, reflecting his status as a respected playwright and poet of the Elizabethan era. A gold earring in his left ear adds a touch of bohemian flair, hinting at his creative spirit.

His dark hair is shoulder-length, slightly tousled, and he sports a trimmed mustache and goatee — a fashionable look for a man of letters in the early 1600s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:William_Shakespeare_by_John_Taylor,_edited.jpg

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215d

Nancy Reddy on Researching Beyond the Archives

Reading sideways requires a willingness to re-read, to wander through a set of sources, to widen your gaze. Sometimes, though, the answers continue to elude us and the record remains incomplete.

https://lithub.com/nancy-reddy-on-researching-beyond-the-archives/

#books #literature

People working in Card Division in the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Card Division, United States Library of Congress, 1910s or 1920s

The image shows librarians and staff working at long tables covered with catalog cards laid out in rows for sorting and processing. In the background, an enormous card catalog cabinet with thousands of drawers lines the wall. Multiple workers, mostly women dressed in white blouses typical of the era, are engaged in the meticulous work of organizing, filing, and maintaining the library's card catalog system - the primary method of cataloging and accessing library materials before computerization.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_catalog#/media/File:Card_Division_of_the_Library_of_Congress_3c18631u_original.jpg

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1y

A special shoutout to The New York Review of Books which has just started using the Fediverse:

➡️ @nybooks

The NYRB is a celebrated magazine on literature, politics, arts, ideas & current events.

They've just started posting, so their profile may look blank to your server. Follow them and their posts will start showing up on your server too 🙂

(By the way, NYRB has no connection to the New York Times Book Review, they just have similar names.)

#Books #Literature #Magazines #Culture #Arts

Edited 1y ago

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86d

I could blame da wye da sea is smoothed
da stanes; da sylk o touch; da waelin, laevin;
an will da haert be dere whin I come back?

—Christine De Luca, “Discontinuity”
published in DAT TRICKSTER SUN (Mariscat, 2012)

Hear Christine read this poem on The Poetry Archive:

https://poetryarchive.org/poem/discontinuity/

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #Shetland #Shaetlan #Scots #Scotslanguage

Discontinuity
Christine De Luca

I could blame da wye da sea is smoothed
da stanes; da sylk o touch; da waelin, laevin;
an will da haert be dere whin I come back?

Or I could blame da saandiloo. He wis clear
whit wye ta geng: dis wye noo, nae luikin
owre your shooder. Tide dusna wait;

see da wye da swill o joy is drained.
Dance daday. Damoarn you slip
inta eternity.

Or I could blame da hush at fills you
til you’re lik ta burst wi aa da wirds
at could be said but you hadd back.

Hit’s whit happens whan you step
in time, but sense a fault-line vimmerin
trowe you: dis side or dat?

Only da sea can greet an sing at da sam time:
shade an licht: cobalt, ultramarine an dan
da lönabrak – a tize, a frush o whicht.

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214d

How Bertolt Brecht and Walter Benjamin Pioneered a New Way of Creating

Katherine Hollander on Intellectual, Political and Artistic Collaboration Among the Exiled Mitarbeiter

https://lithub.com/how-bertolt-brecht-and-walter-benjamin-pioneered-a-new-way-of-creating/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&utm_id=01KGXQ3HHJ926DWA8QFPY71TN5&_kx=3MZUehzXM-41qlWAMPUiuNZadX2p0SByuNf_t0eMLB0.U5D8ER

#books #literature #literarycriticism

Photo d'identité sans auteur, 1928 - Akademie der Künste, Berlin - Walter Benjamin Archiv.

The portrait shows Benjamin at age 36, wearing round glasses, a mustache, suit and tie, with a serious, contemplative expression.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Benjamin#/media/File:Walter_Benjamin_vers_1928.jpg

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1y

James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879) was born #OTD, 13 June. As a physicist, he ranks alongside Newton & Einstein (“He achieved greatness unequalled”—Max Planck; “I stand on the shoulders of Maxwell”—Albert Einstein).

Maxwell also wrote poetry: “Rigid Body Sings” is based on “Comin’ Through the Rye” by Robert Burns

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45774/in-memory-of-edward-wilson-who-repented-of-what-was-in-his-mind-to-write-after-section

#Scottish #literature #poetry #19thcentury #Victorian #Scots #Scotslanguage #Physics #science #physicist

In Memory of Edward Wilson, Who Repented of what was in his Mind to Write after Section
BY JAMES CLERK MAXWELL

Rigid Body (sings).

Gin a body meet a body
Flyin’ through the air,
Gin a body hit a body,
Will it fly? and where?
Ilka impact has its measure,
Ne’er a ane hae I,
Yet a’ the lads they measure me,
Or, at least, they try.

Gin a body meet a body
Altogether free,
How they travel afterwards
We do not always see.
Ilka problem has its method
By analytics high;
For me, I ken na ane o’ them,
But what the waur am I?

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213d

Call for Papers
Scotland Along the New Silk Road
IASSL 5th World Congress of Scottish Literatures
17–20 June 2027, Nanjing

This congress seeks to foster reciprocal understanding & cultural collaborations between Scotland & the diverse voices of the New Silk Road

Deadline for proposals: 30 Nov 2026

@litstudies

https://scotlit-iassl.org/2025/11/11/call-for-papers-5th-world-congress-of-scottish-literatures-scotland-along-the-new-silk-road-17-20-june-2027/

#Scottish #literature #Scotland #China #culture #postcolonial #worldliterature #callforpapers

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214d

Nan MacKinnon, ‘Nan Eachainn Fhionnlaigh’ (1902–1982): her contribution to the School of Scottish Studies & her legacy
13 Feb, free online

Born in Barra & living later in Vatersay, Nan MacKinnon worked with several School of Scottish Studies fieldworkers to record for its archives a wealth of inherited Gaelic oral tradition – songs, tales, legends – as well as personal experience & observation.

https://llc.ed.ac.uk/celtic-scottish-studies/css-seminar-series-260213

#Scottish #literature #Gaidhlig #Gaelic #tradition #folklore #legends

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214d

Let us remember
the stillborn: how they

cede their places here
with such good grace

that no one ever
speaks of them

again…

—John Burnside, “A Footnote to Colossians”
published in RUIN, BLOSSOM (Penguin, 2024)

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/456120/ruin-blossom-by-burnside-john/9781529909258

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #JohnBurnside

John Burnside
A Footnote to Colossians

For ye are dead, and your life is hid
Colossians 3:3

Let us remember
the stillborn: how they

cede their places here
with such good grace

that no one ever
speaks of them

again.
In school,

we placed them, carefully,
in Limbo,

deep in the folds of smoke
and snowfall, where

their names would never
find them:

pagan, now,
and immaterial,

like phantoms,
or that

boy I sometimes saw
in polaroids,

the one they said
was me.

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216d

A Community-Curated Nancy Drew Collection

A team of volunteer Open Librarians have worked together to organize the many Nancy Drew book series into a beautiful collection on Open Library.

by elizabethmays via @OpenLibrary

https://blog.openlibrary.org/2026/01/30/a-community-curated-nancy-drew-collection/

Carolyn Keene at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/58985

#books #literature #publicdomain

Cover of the book The hidden staircase

Author: Carolyn Keene

Illustrator: Russell H. Tandy

The cover shows Nancy Drew, the iconic teenage detective, holding a flashlight while descending a hidden staircase in what appears to be a mysterious old house. The illustration uses warm tones of orange and gold, with Nancy wearing a blue outfit and green cape.

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/77602/pg77602-images.html

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213d

A Kick Up the Arts

Gray Day on 25 February celebrates the 45th anniversary of Lanark. Curated by Sorcha Dallas, custodian of the Alasdair Gray Archive, the event will be hosted by writer & comedian Josie Long & will feature a new short story by Rachelle Atalla inspired by Gray’s work.

A Kick Up the Arts host Nicola Meighan visits the archive & speaks to Sorcha, Josie & Rachelle about the upcoming celebration

https://www.akickupthearts.org/blog-3-1/josie-long-rachelle-atalla-amp-sorcha-dallas-on-alasdair-gray

#Scottish #literature #AlasdairGray #GrayDay #podcast

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