I have been working through my mother Jeanette Snyder's papers — including a cash of drawings, and strips of contact sheet photographs (many that were never developed and for which the negatives disappeared many years ago) on her research of the Tibetan Lhamo in 1964. She rote a wonderful article "The World Beneath the Tents" […]
Bittersweet: An Afternoon Under the Tent Watching the A Ice Lhamo Perform Read More »
The maze of Labirinto in The Innamorati (and reappearing in Zizola’s story) is a work of alchemy and fantastic art. It has an organic nature, the twisting pathways lined with walls of densely packed trees. From the outside, it appears solid, immutable. But once inside, it expands and contracts, and once on the path, one
Fantastic Life in the Maze Read More »
Penelope Writes to Odysseus I am still in awe of these amazing little Medieval illustrations of the classical Greek and Latin heroines of Ovid writing imaginary epistles. Ovid’s work was translated into French by poet Octavien de Saint-Gelais, and it so delighted Louise of Savoy (1476-1531), mother of the future king Francis I of France,
When Heroines Write Their Own Stories Read More »
This is why I love reading Shakespeare: Prince Hal: "This sanguine coward, this bed-presser, this horse-back breaker, this huge hill of flesh." Falstaff: "S'Blood, you starveling, you elf-skin, you dried neat's-tongue, you bull-pizzle, you stock fish. Oh for breath to utter what is like thee! You tailor's-yard, you sheath, you bow-case, you vile standing tuck!."
The Very Best Insults Read More »
“On the Trail of the Warsaw Basilisk” is the sort of unexpected article that gives answer to the age old question, “Where do you get your ideas?” A Smithsonian article provides a fascinating history of Basilisk sightings — from antiquity through the middle ages and Renaissance. The Basilisk is a peculiar hybrid, “a crested snake
Basilisk Hunting in the 16th Century Read More »
While looking for the title of a specific book (Eros and Magic in the Renaissance by Culiano and Cook) that I knew to be in one of my research notebooks, I came across a little scrap of paper on which I had written a description of a masked ceremonial dance — probably something from the
“The strangest of all the phantasms described is, perhaps, the Youaltepoztli, literally, “the night hatchet or axe.” It manifested itself by causing loud intermittent sounds resembling those produced by the blows of an axe in splitting wood. These ominous sounds were audible at dead of night in the mountains, and inspired terror, for they were
Youaltepoztli: The Night Hatchet Read More »
Ok…trust me…don't even wait for the reviews which will be lavish and praising (including my own when it comes). Go out now and buy this book, or order this book, or get that someone who owes you something to give you this book in exchange for the debt. I have been waiting for over a
The Tiger’s Wife and Shopping in the Renaissance Read More »
My father Emile Snyder was a professor of African Literature and Languages, specializing in contemporary African Literature written in French and English. He taught at a number of universities, including the University of Wisconsin – Madison, the University of Dar- es Salaam, Tanzania, and Indiana University. In 1964 when he was just embarking on a
Kora, Calabash, and Drum: West African Musicians, Photographs circa 1964 Read More »
Part of the pleasure of doing research for a new novel is discovering little gems of social history, such as this terrific work of the mid 19th century, "Gestural Expression of the Ancients in the light of Neapolitan Gesturing" by Andrea de Jorio. De Jorio, a cleric and a Canon of the Cathedral of Naples, was
The Horn and The Fig, Neapolitian Gestures Read More »
