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Jean-Leon Huens
I was curious about the cover art for the Prydain books I mentioned in the previous post. I have loved these pictures ever since I first saw them as a child. The art is evocative and beautiful. I wondered who the artist was, so I looked around online. The artist’s name is Jean-Leon Huens. I…
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The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
When I was in elementary school, I read the novel The High King by Lloyd Alexander. I loved it! I remember making a board game based on the story on a big sheet of posterboard. I really hadn’t read anything like it before. It was epic and exciting, with memorable characters and important insights into…
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The Father by August Strindberg
Book jot from November 2021: I just finished reading The Father by August Strindberg (1887), a three act play. It is a psychological page-turner (if that can be said of a play), centered on the relationship between a husband and wife and the growing conflict over the future of their daughter. In the ensuing strife,…
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The Boxcar Children
I happened to walk past a little thrift store earlier today. I was in an area I’ve never visited before and noticed this store tucked away in a little strip mall. I decided to stop in and take a look around. I wasn’t finding much in the way of books I was interested in, but…
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Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton by Edward Rice
Still getting caught up on old book jots; here’s one from October, 2021: I just finished reading Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton by Edward Rice (1990), a biography of the Victorian-era explorer, writer, linguist, and translator. This book is a long and detailed account of his life. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the…
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Chatsky (or The Misery of Having a Mind) by Alexander Griboyedov
I finished reading Chatsky (or The Misery of Having a Mind), a play in verse written in 1823 by Alexander Griboyedov (translated by Joshua Cooper). It’s also known as Woe from Wit in some English translations. It is a satirical look at Russian society, especially the prejudices and preoccupations of the aristocracy. Although humorous, there…
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Holy of Holies
When I recently retrieved a number of books from storage, I was pleasantly surprised to find an unread copy of Anton Chekhov: A Life in Letters. I had forgotten that I’d bought this book before it got tucked away in a cardboard box. In the past, I’ve read with pleasure a number of letters written…
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Arthur
My mom gave me one of her childhood books when I was a kid. It’s one of my favorite books I had while growing up. And I love that it has her name written on the first page in her handwriting! I can remember marveling at the strangeness of some of it, and the beauty…
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The Birds by Aristophanes
I just finished reading The Birds (414 BC) by Aristophanes, translated by Alan Sommerstein. I have read many of the surviving Greek tragedies, but this comedy is the first play by Aristophanes I’ve read. It is a fantastical, absurd work. I was surprised at just how different it is from the dramas written by Aeschylus,…