Literature and Poetry
Colour: The Art and Science of Illuminated Manuscripts at the Fitzwilliam Museum
"A popular misconception is that all manuscripts were made by monks and contained religious texts, but from the 11th century onwards professional scribes and artists were increasingly involved in a thriving book trade, producing both religious and secular texts." Spanning the 8th to the 17th centuries, the 150 manuscripts and fragments [in the exhibit] guide us on a journey through time, stopping at leading artistic centers of medieval and Renaissance Europe. more »
Book Reviews by Serena Nanda and Joan Gregg: Crime and Culture, Past is Present
The three crime novels reviewed are not your ordinary fast beach reads. They take place in different cultures and all the crimes, which occur in the present, are connected to a specific historical context. None of the three novels makes you feel like you are reading a textbook, but each raises issues about international politics and social justice in a completely engaging way. more »
Culture Watch: Book Review of Did You Ever Have a Family
The precipitating event of the lives intertwined like threads in primitive needlework is the tragedy on their wedding eve of a fatal explosion that destroys the young couple, sons and a lover. The bereavements leave behind survivors who are forever changed. Even the landscape where the exploded house once stood is forever wiped out. Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the individuals whose existence has been altered beyond their own and others’ comprehension. more »
Jo Freeman's Republican Convention Diary: Cleveland’s Other Gatherings
"Political conventions attract strange bedfellows. Over the weekend preceding the Republican Convention, two other conventions met to talk about issues that were almost polar opposites to those of the Republicans. Both were held in black Baptist churches. The traditional Sunday protest march was small and peaceful."
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