Monthly Archives: December 2016

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Saturdays @ the South: Happy New Year!

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A comet is expected to be visible this New Year’s Eve, so if you’re in a position to look up at a night sky, a natural fireworks show might reveal itself. Photo credit: NASA

I’ll be honest with you; I’m not a fan of New Years celebrations. Like author Veronica Roth (of the Divergent series), I find that if change is necessary, I don’t need a specific day in order to make it. If it’s truly important to me, I think change can happen when it’s needed the most, not on an arbitrary deadline. However, she recently wrote a blurb that was posted on GoodReads that makes an interesting point about the attribution of power that comes with giving days meaning and offers a delightful challenge for the coming year. Her Sit, Stand, Stretch philosophy is simple and whether or not you adopt it, I encourage you to read it.

Given Roth’s considerations, I think it’s worth taking a look back at 2016 and deciding what we’d like to be different in the coming year. This is intensely personal and whether, like me, you’re ecstatic to leave 2016 behind, or you’re sad to see it go, these decisions are yours alone to make. One thing that will not change, is the Library’s commitment to our patrons, in whatever capacity you use our services. We’re here for you no matter who you are or what you decide to change, or not, in 2017. (Though if you resolve to use the Library more, we certainly won’t argue…) We hope to do more in the coming year that will make the Library an even greater value to its community and look forward to providing you with more bookish advice and musings.

Till next week, dear readers, whether you’re staying cozy warm indoors this New Year’s Eve or venturing out to celebrate, I wish you a safe, healthy and happy 2017.

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Five Book Friday!

And welcome, beloved patrons, to our final Five Book Friday of 2016!  We hope that the Free for All, and the Library have provided you with a safe, comforting, and inspiring space (both virtually and physically) during this troublesome year, and we look forward to making our collective 2017 a bright and fulfilling one!

I, personally, am not a New Year’s type of person.  As a little kid, for some weird reason, countdowns in general sent me into a panic, and I’ve never really recovered fully.  That shouldn’t stop you, however, from ushering 2016 into the history books with some sort of grand gesture or traditional celebration.  In fact, here are a few ideas from around the world to get your New Year’s Celebrations off to a good start:

  1. “Ring Out The Old, Ring In The New,”
    In Sweden, Alfred Tennyson’s old poem “In Memoriam”  (More generally known as ‘Ring Out, Wild Bells’) has been read out at Stockholm outdoor museum Skansen since the mid-1890s, usually by a famous actor.  You can have your own reading by following this link here.
  2. Tossing Crockery
    In Denmark it is a good sign to find your door heaped with a pile of broken dishes at New Years. Old dishes are saved year around to throw them at the homes where their friends live on New Years Eve as a sign of brotherhood and friendship.  Those houses with the largest pile of broken dishes outside their doors are the people who have the most friends.
  3. Eat Your Lentils
    In Brazil, lentils are considered a source of good luck, so most dishes are served with them.  If you’re not really into lentils, Austrians celebrate with green peppermint ice cream.
  4. Ring Out, Wild Bells
    In Japan, bells are rung 108 times in alignment with the Buddhist belief that this brings cleanness. It’s also considered good to be smiling going into the New Year, as it sets the tone and brings good luck with the coming year.
  5. Visit the Library
    This is a tradition I just invented, but if you wanted to start your New Years by paying us a visit on January 2, 2017, when we re-open, you would be most welcome, and wished a very happy new year.  And, to help you look forward to your adventure, here are some of the books that you will find waiting for you!

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3844967The Man With the Poison Gun: In the fall of 1961, KGB assassin Bogdan Stashinsky defected to West Germany. After spilling his secrets to the CIA, Stashinsky was put on trial in what would be the most publicized assassination case of the entire Cold War, and would have lasting effects within the KGB and its leadership.  Stashinsky’s testimony, which openly implicated Kremlin rulers in political assassinations outside of the borders of the USSR, upended international politics, and confirmed some of the more outlandish Cold War fiction plots.  It would go on to inspire plenty more, as well, including Ian Fleming’s last James Bond novel, The Man with the Golden Gun.  Serhii Plokhy’s expertly researched and marvelously well-told history reads like one of Bond’s adventures, revealing the absurdities and the horrible truths of Cold War espionage, and the lengths that both the US and the USSR were willing to go to keep their secrets safe.  Kirkus gave this book a rave review, saying “With gusto and verve, Plokhy details Stashinsky’s intelligence work…. A thrilling, well-researched tale of espionage that has all the spycraft hallmarks of a blockbuster movie.”

3779012The Feud: Vladimir Nabokov, Edmund Wilson, and the End of a Beautiful Friendship: The world does not lack for books on the infamous and furious feud that flared up between Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov  and literary critic Edmund Wilson–their letters have been published, along with several histories.  But Boston Globe writer Alex Beam loves his subject so much, and brings such linguistic insight to his work that this book is a welcome addition to this rather bizarre story.  Wilson was Nabokov’s first patron, and a true friend when Nabokov and his wife were newly-arrived immigrants, struggling to make ends meet.  He introduced them to the right people, supported Nabokov’s work, and praised his intellect.  In return, Nabokov provided Wilson years of correspondence, intellectual discourse, and support for his own work.  But with the publication of Lolita, and Nabokov’s translation of Eugene Onegin, which Wilson savaged in reviews, and their once great friendship collapsed into highly intelligent, and bitterly savage wordsmithery.  Beam brings his own passion for literature and keen journalistic insight to this story, making it into something very human, very funny, and wonderfully engaging.  The Boston Globe, unsurprisingly, gave this book a rave (but wise and thoughtful) review, noting that Beam “has a keen sense of the absurd and is mischievous but not malicious in exposing the foibles of these frenemies. He also, while he’s at it, has some Nabokovian fun as he laces his narrative with wordplay and faux-scholarly flourishes…his book mostly leaves you asking yourself how prideful and pig headed even the smartest men can be. If there’s a broader application to The Feud, it stems from that question, which doesn’t bode well for any of us.”

3858755Love In Vain: Robert Johnson 1911-1938, The Graphic Novel: Robert Johnson wrote some of the most enduring and formative songs of the original blues era, songs that would go on to help shape the birth of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1960s.  Despite his death at the age of 27, and his somewhat late start on the road to fame–Johnson started as a traveling musician in the American North, but really only gained fame after he returned to the deep South, Johnson’s career was incredibly prolific, and an enormous collection of myths emerged about his talent and his productivity (perhaps the most famous of which is that he sold his soul to the Devil to be able to play the guitar).  In this hauntingly beautiful and well-researched graphic novel, J.M. DuPont and illustrator Mezzo bring Johnson’s career and very real, flawed, and fascinating life to light in a book about which Publisher’s Weekly intriguingly wrote: “The basics of Johnson’s brief life are detailed in a dark and almost succulent level of prewar woodcut-style detail by artist Mezzo. Dupont’s intimate and prying narrative tracks Johnson’s life closely from his dirt-poor Mississippi youth through his later vagabond years as a womanizing roamer and guitar slinger…The key question of the devil’s involvement is left for readers to decide.”

3512560To The Mountaintop : My Journey Through The Civil Rights Movement: On January 20, 2009, 1.8 million people crowded the grounds of the Capitol to witness the inauguration of Barack Obama. Among the masses was Charlayne Hunter-Gault, who had flown from South Africa to witness an event that was for many the culmination of the generations-long Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Hunter-Gault uses this event to reflect on her own involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, from her youth, where she was one of two black students who forced the University of Georgia to integrate, and through some of the most pivotal events of the last forty years.  Her narrative is striking for its historical importance, and deeply effective as a personal journey, and the addition of a wealth of photographs further enhances this journey.  Booklist gave this title a starred review, calling it a “powerful complement to the civil rights canon draws a compelling line from the beginnings of the movement to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which opened the door to the long corridor that led to the White House in January 2009.”

3800720Food Anatomy : The Curious Parts & Pieces of Our Edible World: Julia Rothman’s Anatomy series provides irresistibly fun and fascinating journeys through bits of pieces of everyday life, focusing on those tiny details we often miss–texture, color, cultural significance–to bring the world around us to life in a whole new way.  This newest addition to the series is all about food (hooray!), from short-order cook’s lingo to the countless ways potatoes are fried and consumed around the world (and the myriad sauces into which they are dunked), to how and why the croissant was invented.  This is a book for foodies, bakers, cooks, and the curious alike, and her quick-wit and delight in her subject make this book a treat to read.  Just…bring a snack with you!  Food Republic ate this book up (hardy har har), saying in their review, “It’s a beautiful thing when food and art come together. Julia Rothman is definitely familiar with this notion. In the third book of her Anatomy series, Rothman enlists the help of James Beard Award-winning journalist Rachel Wharton and illustrates nearly everything there is to know about food. Not only is Food Anatomy easy on the eyes; it’s also educational. Within its pages readers can find the percentage of butterfat in different dairy products, how popcorn pops, how to make tofu, short order lingo for egg orders and more.”

 

Until next year, beloved patrons–happy reading!

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The Best of 2016, Part 3

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As humanity prepares to bid farewell to this blow-upon-a-bruise of a year, you are going to see a lot of “Best of 2016” (and “Worst of 2016”) lists floating around.  But none, I promise you, is quite like the Peabody Library’s Best of 2016 List.  We asked our staff to share with us–and you–their favorite books, films, albums, or other Library materials that they encountered this year.   The response was so terrific that we’ll be running a weekly series for your enjoyment.

And, just a note, the rules were that the media had to be consumed in 2016 (books read, films viewed, albums heard, etc.), but that doesn’t mean that they were made in 2016.  There are some classics on this list, as well as plenty of new material, so you can see all the phenomenal finds the Library has to offer year round!

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From the Circulation Desk

3574110The Nightingale, by Kristen Hannah

“Very different from your typical World War II novels. Can’t put it down and it will make you cry.”

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France… but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When France is overrun, Vianne is forced to take an enemy into her house, and suddenly her every move is watched; her life and her child’s life is at constant risk. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates around her, she must make one terrible choice after another. Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets the compelling and mysterious Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can… completely. When he betrays her, Isabelle races headlong into danger and joins the Resistance, never looking back or giving a thought to the real — and deadly — consequences. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France.

From the South Branch:

3679202Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee

“This wasn’t necessarily a book I would have picked for myself, but I heard raves about it and am so glad I read it. Believe me when I tell you, you don’t need to be a fan of opera to enjoy this book. It’s gorgeously written with complex characters and an engrossing plot. The 500+ pages flew by and somehow, I was still eager for more when I was done.”

Lilliet Berne is a sensation of the Paris Opera, a legendary soprano with every accolade except an original role, every singers’ chance at immortality. When one is finally offered to her, she realizes with alarm that the libretto is based on a hidden piece of her past. Only four could have betrayed her: one is dead, one loves her, one wants to own her. And one, she hopes, never thinks of her at all. As she mines her memories for clues, she recalls her life as an orphan who left the American frontier for Europe and was swept up into the glitzy, gritty world of Second Empire Paris. In order to survive, she transformed herself from hippodrome rider to courtesan, from empress’s maid to debut singer, all the while weaving a complicated web of romance, obligation, and political intrigue.

3529152Bird Box by Josh Malerman

“Like The Last Days of Jack Sparks and The Loney, this book kept me thinking about it long after I had finished the text. A well-done horror novel that takes advantage of the terrifying qualities of that-which-you-can’t-see making this a suspenseful, chilling work that encourages your imagination to take you to places no text can go.”

In Bird Box, brilliantly imaginative debut author Josh Malerman captures an apocalyptic near-future world, where a mother and her two small children must make their way down a river, blindfolded. One wrong choice and they will die. And something is following them — but is it man, animal, or monster? Within these tracks, Malerman, a professional musician, discusses his love of horror and invokes an ethereal and atmospheric experience in an homage to Orson Welles à la War of the Worlds.

From the Reference Desk

3771075The City’s Son by Tom Pollock

“Quite possibly one of the most imaginative, stunning, heart-wrenching, thought-provoking books I have ever read.  Pollock’s imagination breathes life into every facet of London’s streets, parks, fields, technology, smells, and structures, creating a world that is dizzyingly vibrant, and infinitely wondrous.  The core message of the book, about respecting and defending difference, about loving without reservation, about being who you are, was done in a way that was simply unforgettable.  I cried at the gym over this one, and still went back for more.”

Hidden under the surface of everyday London is a city of monsters and miracles, where wild train spirits stampede over the tracks and glass-skinned dancers with glowing veins light the streets.

When a devastating betrayal drives her from her home, graffiti artist Beth Bradley stumbles into the secret city, where she meets Filius Viae, London’s ragged crown prince, just when he needs someone most. An ancient enemy has returned to the darkness under St. Paul’s Cathedral, bent on reigniting a centuries-old war, and Beth and Fil find themselves in a desperate race through a bizarre urban wonderland, searching for a way to save the city they both love.

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At the Movies: Workers Leaving The Lumière Factory in Lyon

Are you a film buff?  Do you come into the Library and make a beeline for the new DVDs?  If so, today is a day worth celebrating–it’s the anniversary of the first commercial film screening.

Auguste and Louis Lumière
Auguste and Louis Lumière

Film History actually goes back to the 1830s, as various European inventors worked on creating spinning disks with images inside them that, when spun, produced the illustion of action.  Thomas Edison demonstrated his “peepshow’ Kinetoscope in 1891, a machine that, essentially, worked like a flip-book.  A single viewer would peer through the viewer at the top and a reel of special film would be run through the machine to show an image.  But though the Kinetoscope was the model of the modern film projectors, it was limited at the time because only one person could use it at a time.  Two of the people who saw the machine when Edison brought it to Europe were Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas and Louis Jean Lumiere, who worked in their family’s photographic plate factory in Lyon, France.

A view of the Kinetoscope that shows the inner workings of the film through the machine
A view of the Kinetoscope that shows the inner workings of the film through the machine

When their father saw the Kinetoscope in 1894, he declared (as many proud parents have throughout history, I’m sure) that his sons could do better.  And so, they did.  By 1895, they had developed the Cinematographe, a machine that was considerably lighter than Edison’s ponderously heavy projector, used a good deal less film to project an image, and was capable of displaying images on a screen, thus enabling groups of people to watch the same film projection at the same time.  Though other inventors had shown ‘moving pictures’ to an audience before, their designs were clunky and immediately supplanted by the remarkable Cinematographe.

a918b7da6f806bdf22254eb9c04fa04fThe Lumiere Brothers debuted their invention at the Salon Indien du Grand Café in Paris on December 28, 1895.  In an evening of technological and cinematographic history, they screen ten films, each less than a minute long (each film was approximately 17 meters long).  The program consisted of films shot in and around Paris by the brothers themselves, though it is thought that they used Léon Bouly‘s cinématographe device, which was patented the previous year (just to show you how much inventors were focused on moving pictures at this point).  The order of the films screened were as follows (you can read more about each film in the link in the titles):

  1. La Sortie de l’Usine Lumière à Lyon (literally, “the exit from the Lumière factory in Lyon”, or, under its more common English title, Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory), 46 seconds
  2. Le Jardinier (l’Arroseur Arrosé) (“The Gardener”, or “The Sprinkler Sprinkled”), 49 seconds
  3. Le Débarquement du Congrès de Photographie à Lyon (“the disembarkment of the Congress of Photographers in Lyon”), 48 seconds
  4. La Voltige (“Horse Trick Riders”), 46 seconds
  5. La Pêche aux poissons rouges (“fishing for goldfish”), 42 seconds
  6. Les Forgerons (“Blacksmiths”), 49 seconds
  7. Repas de bébé (“Baby’s Breakfast” (lit. “baby’s meal”)), 41 seconds
  8. Le Saut à la couverture (“Jumping Onto the Blanket”), 41 seconds
  9. La Places des Cordeliers à Lyon (“Cordeliers Square in Lyon”—a street scene), 44 seconds
  10. La Mer (Baignade en mer) (“the sea [bathing in the sea]”), 38 seconds

These films are also hailed as the first primitive documentaries, since they show real people going about their real lives–particularly the workers exiting the Lumiere factory–as well as the first comedies, since “The Gardener” is an early form of slapstick comedy.

largeThe effect their invention had on popular culture was immediate and enormous.  People flocked to see screenings across Europe as the Lumieres took their invention on tour.  The Lumieres opened theaters (which they called cinemas) in 1896 to show their work and sent crews of cameramen around the world to screen films and shoot new material.   New Orleans’ Vitascope Hall–the first cinema in the United States–opened that same year (admission was 10 cents), and The New York Times published its first film review in 1909.  However, neither brother believed that ‘cinema’ had a future, and decline to sell their camera or disseminate their technology, which didn’t earn them many friends.  Though they would go on to develop new kinds of photographic color plates that revolutionized photography, their involvement in film history was quite brief…but no less important for that.  hith-lumiere-brothers-poster-113493490-ab

So why not come into the Library today and check out some of our impressive DVD collection in honor of the Lumiere brothers?  Or, at the very least, to prove to them how remarkable their invention truly was?

 

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My New Year’s Resolution…

Someone at a holiday party started talking about New Year’s Resolutions yesterday, which is a conversation I generally despise…but this time around, I came up with an answer.

I want to learn to be more like Jessica Fletcher.

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For those of you who have never had the good fortune to meet Jessica, she is the main character on Murder, She Wrote, a character played by the incomparable and sublime Angela Lansbury.

Jessica Beatrice Fletcher lives in Cabot Cove, the most stereotypical Maine town to ever have been brought to the screen–698 Candlewood Lane, to be precise.  Though she studied journalism in her youth, she worked as a teacher for many years before becoming a world-renown mystery author, a change that only happened when her nephew, Grady, submitted one of her manuscripts to a publisher without Jessica knowing.  Over the course of twelve seasons, she published some 42 books, and solved nearly 300 murders, but my count, anyways (there were 268 episodes of the show, and 4 tv movies).

angela-lansbury-at-her-typewriter-murder-she-wroteThe format of these shows are pretty reliable in terms of plot–Jessica in involved in some endeavor that is broadening her horizons, whether that is traveling, preparing for visitors, finishing a new novel, working on her garden, or teaching a class (I remember that she taught writing and criminology, though I am sure there were more).  In pretty short order, someone turns up dead under mysterious circumstances, and Jessica proves herself the only person capable of unmasking the murderer (if it were real, Cabot Cove would have one of the highest murder rates in the nation–higher than a city 20 times its size!).  Usually, she is assisted or threatened in some way by a famous or soon-to-be famous guest star (this blog post does a good job pointing out some of the most famous names that appeared on the show).  From Lansbury’s fellow Broadway stars, like Jerry Orbach and Harvey Fierstein, to television familiars like George Takei and Neil Patrick Harris, Cabot Cove was awash with talent.

As a kid, I was allowed to stay up past my bedtime to watch Murder, She Wrote, and now that I am grown-up (or at least doing a decent impression of a grown-up), I am lucky enough to have a group of dear friends with whom I intend to grow old and curmudgeonly, and who enjoy Murder, She Wrote with the same unabashed relish that I do.

And the more I think about, the more I am convinced that I want to be more like Jessica Fletcher.

flat800x800075fI am not alone in this quest.  There have been several internet posts dedicated to Jessica Fletcher as an anti-ageist paragon for the ages, which wisely points out that she begins a new life and embarks on new adventures at precisely the age when ‘society’ tells us that we should stop adventuring.  Another post talks about Jessica’s courage, facing the world as a single, older lady, and taking down snarky law-enforcement agents, rascally businessmen, and lecherous retirees with equal aplomb and grace.  And I agree with each of them whole heartedly.

But for me, Jessica Fletcher isn’t just who I want to be when I get older, but who I want to be now.

On the surface, Jessica wears whatever she wants to, and doesn’t apologize to anyone (this is also proven by Mrs. Fletcher’s Closet, a blog, which chronicles Jessica’s wardrobe by episode and by season).  My favorite moment of the series, as my friends know, is in Series 1, Episode 2, when Jessica dons her enormous fish cardigan:

The Cardigan, front and back, courtesy of http://www.fantasi.net/knittedgoods.html
The Cardigan, front and back, courtesy of http://www.fantasi.net/knittedgoods.html

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Even in the not-so-subtle eighties, I feel like this was a bold fashion choice.  But Jessica doesn’t let her cardigan boss her around–she wears those leaping trout and whale-things with pride and a confidence that I really would love to emulate.  I’m not sure that I myself could ever successfully pull off a wooly homage to our friends of the sea, but in a world that seems convinced it has the right to tell people, particularly women, what they “can” and “cannot” wear, when, and why, the fish sweater is a source of constant inspiration.

Which leads me to another point–Jessica Fletcher has guts.  And not only because she faces down murderers, criminals, and ne’er-do-wells, often without back-up, and often at the risk of her own safety and well-being.  What I love is that Jessica lives fearlessly–she glides from Connecticut to Ireland, from the American southwest to New York City, frequently on her own.  And she turns each of these trips into an adventure, making new acquaintances, trying new things, hunting down criminals, and nearly always making allies with local law enforcement.

s01e01-jessica-joggingNo matter where she goes, Jessica makes friends, from multi-millionaires to homeless wanderers.   She respects other people’s stories and journeys without regard to the material benefits they can provide her, but, more importantly, without compromising her own needs or beliefs.  When visiting the estate of a ridiculously wealthy friend, Jessica is to be seen jogging around his estate of a morning in her quintessential tracksuit, hair and make-up stunning and intact (see the photo on the left).  While helping some local immigrants to Cabot Cove, Jessica not only faces down the US government, but a Soviet spy, as well.  And then serves dinner without missing a beat.

1395591810-0More than anything, as these examples show, Jessica is strong enough to live her life on her terms.  She doesn’t shrink from living alone after the death of her husband, from starting a new career later in life, from venturing into a new romance (though no man ever got the best of Ms. J.B. Fletcher), from escaping from an ancient Irish castle, or from adopting one of her many impromptu disguises and swanning around where she is not otherwise allowed.  And, no matter how many demands her friends, family, and her crime-fighting may make on her time, Jessica doesn’t let anything stand in the way of her writing.  For twelve years (at least), she put out an average of two-and-a-half books a year.

And, speaking of which, Jessica is a dedicated patron of the Cabot Cove Library.  To the point where she is allowed to lock up after the Librarian leaves.  There is no higher honor than that, dear readers, I can assure you.

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And so, for all these reasons, and so many, many more, I hope that, in 2017, I can learn to be more like Jessica Fletcher.

If you would like to learn a little more about the Jessica Fletcher Lifestyle, check out the first season of Murder, She Wrote, as well as the many spin-off books that the tv series inspired.

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Saturdays @ the South: A Christmas Mystery

‘Tis the day before Christmas, and Hanukkah, too, 

And the South Branch has uncovered a mystery for you… 

‘A Visit From St. Nicholas’ handwritten Manuscript, gifted by author Clement C. Moore (credit: New-York Historical Society)
‘A Visit From St. Nicholas’ handwritten Manuscript, gifted by author Clement C. Moore
(credit: New-York Historical Society)

Anyone who recognizes the meter and rhyme scheme of the above parody will easily attribute it to “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” as it’s officially titled, but more often referred to as “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.”  Because today is Christmas Eve (among other things, including the first day of Hanukkah), I thought it would be fun to write a bit about Clement C. Moore, the person who I recognized as the author of the poem and maybe even include the poem here, but as I was researching whether or not the poem was in the public domain, I came across these words from www.poetryfoundation.org: ” Authorship is typically attributed now to Major Henry Livingston, Jr., whose great-grandson spent many years trying to establish Major Livingston as the author.”

Huh? I grew up reading this poem every Christmas Eve with my mom (until we switched to A Christmas Carol later in my reading life) and saw the author as Clement C. Moore. The South Branch has a fairly extensive collection of wonderfully different illustrated versions of this poem – all attributed to Clement C. Moore. The Library of Congress attributes the poem to Clement C. Moore. Who is this Henry Livingston Jr. of which the Poetry Foundation speaks? Has my childhood been a lie?

Cement Clark Moore: Beloved poet or literary fraud?
Clement Clark Moore: Beloved poet or literary fraud?

Part of the problem is that the poem was originally published anonymously on December 23, 1823 in the Troy Sentinel and it was fourteen years before it was attributed to anyone. A friend of Moore’s, Charles Fenno Hoffman attributed it to his friend in 1837 and Moore himself assented to having it appear in an anthology of his works in 1844. Henry Livingston died prior to the authorship claims in 1828 and never made the claim of authorship himself. However, at the turn of the century, Livingston’s surviving family began to claim authorship on his behalf, asserting family lore, including that he had recited the poem to his children prior to its publication in the Sentinel. In 2000, a  scholar specializing in authorial attribution from Vassar College insists that it was Livingston, not Moore who wrote the poem, citing that several Dutch words were originally used in the poem of which Moore, an American who spoke some German, would not have known, but Livingston, an American descendant of Dutch farmers, would have known. However, Moore is said to have been friends with Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow writer Washington Irving, whose familiarity with the Dutch traditions and culture in New York is well documented, and who wrote about St. Nicholas as smoking a pipe and laying a finger beside his nose before he disappeared (familiar images in the poem, yes?) in his A History of New York.

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Regardless of who wrote it, the poem shaped much of how we view Santa Claus today.

Encyclopedia Britannica claims that a “21-st Century, computer-aided analysis indicated that ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’ showed more similarities to Livingston’s poetry than to Moore’s.” One would hope that Britannica would have a definitive answer, but it would appear that the debate still rages on. Mental Floss puts together an interesting article outlining both sides and the New York State Library has some interesting facts as well. If you’d like to hear the Livingston angle from the Vassar professor in a bit more detail, you can check it out here.

Sadly, I can’t put forth any answers for you here, but I did manage to solve one mystery:  even though authorship isn’t 100% certain, the poem is now in the public domain, so I am able to reproduce it here for you. Till next week, dear readers, have a safe and happy Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and anything else you may celebrate this time of year! Enjoy!

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!”

Uncategorized

Five Book Friday!

And a happy winter to all of you, dear readers!  In honor of this past week’s Solstice, and in looking forward to the holidays coming up this weekend and next week, it seemed like a good moment to share a bit of good cheer and high hopes for the future, before we get to the books, which always bring good cheer!  So here is a bit of verse, from us to you:

The Shortest Day
by Susan Cooper

So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive,
And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us – Listen!!
All the long echoes sing the same delight,
This shortest day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, fest, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!!

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3810822History of Wolves: Emily Fridlund’s debut novel has been getting attention for a while, and her first chapter won the McGinnis-Ritchie award, giving it a seal of excellence from quite early on in its creation.  Set in the woods of northern Minnesota, the book follows fourteen-year-old Linda, whose family lives on a nearly-abandoned commune, isolating them from the world around them.  Linda suffers most, especially when the arrest of one of the teachers at her school cuts off the few connections she has forged, until a young family moves in across the lake, Linda begins to babysit for their young son Paul, and soon finds a sense of belonging.  But with belonging comes access to secrets that Linda never imagined, and over the course of a few days, she will make choices that will have lifelong consequences.  This is not an clear-cut read, but Fridlund is so skilled at crafting the damaged, lonely Linda, that readers will find themselves falling into the complexities of this story.  Publisher’s Weekly agrees, giving this book a starred review and praising is as “An atmospheric, near-gothic coming-of-age novel turns on the dance between predator and prey . . . Fridlund is an assured writer . . . The novel has a tinge of fairy tale, wavering on the blur between good and evil, thought and action. But the sharp consequences for its characters make it singe and sing—a literary tour de force.”

3795960Difficult Women: From Roxane Gay, author of the sensational Bad Feminist (among other sensational and thought-provoking works), comes a collection of fictional stories about women from all walks of life, whose tales form a mosaic of works that describe the reality of America in the present day, from a pair of sisters, abducted as children and inseparable throughout life, learning to cope with the elder sister’s marriage, to a Black engineer moving to Michigan for work and trying to leave her past behind, from a college student who works as a stripper to pay her tuition to a girls’ fight club in a wealthy Florida suburb, each of these stories is a wry, funny, and deeply emotional example of Gay’s talent for prose, as well as her piercingly insightful views on race, gender, class, and identity.  These stories will definitely challenge, but they will also help you grow, and that is some of the best work that fiction can do.  Kirkus Review agrees, saying, “Unified in theme―the struggles of women claiming independence for themselves―but wide-ranging in conception and form . . . Gay is an admirable risk-taker in her exploration of women’s lives and new ways to tell their stories.”

3827020Instructions Within: Ashraf Faydah’s book of poetry was first published in Beirut in 2008, and was subsequently banned from distribution in Saudi Arabia, and Faydah himself is currently in prison in Saudi Arabia for apostasy (the renunciation of religious beliefs), and for allegedly promoting atheism through his poetry.  All of this makes the US publication of his book that much more important, but Faydah’s poetry speaks for itself, taking its inspiration from historical texts, ancient artistic traditions, and modern pop culture to make powerful observations about the world around us, its horror as well as its beauty, and what we are willing to do about what we see happening in that world.  Art has always been a fierce and relenting voice against tyranny and injustice, and Fayadh’s work proves an strong reminder of that truth.  A note–this book is bound on the right, like Arabic texts, so be prepared not only to see the world through another’s eyes, but to read through another culture’s lens, as well.

3826857The Gentleman From Japan: Fans of John Le Carre’s novels should definitely check out Inspector O, the protagonist of James Church’s intriguing series.  In this sixth installment of the series, O is assigned to investigate a Spanish company that is allegedly producing parts for a nuclear weapon, disguised within a dumpling maker.  When it is discovered that this “dumpling maker” is ultimately destined for North Korea, O enters a world of government corruption and family ties that will bring him face to face with a Chinese gangster he’s worked for years to destroy.  A hard-boiled mystery full of gritty settings, murder, secrets, and lies, Churches’ books, which benefit enormously from his years in intelligence, are always densely-plotted, twisting, and engrossing, but critics everywhere are agreeing that this may be his best Inspector O novel yet, with elaborate deceptions, dastardly foes, and international intrigue aplenty.  The Chicago Tribune agrees, cheering “The deeper you get into The Gentleman From Japan, the more educated you become about the dark complexities of international relations, and the more indebted you are to Church for creating a series that stands out as winningly as this one.”

3839737Mad Genius Tips: I don’t know about you, but there has never been a holiday season where some part of the food preparation has gone chillingly, disastrously wrong.  A critical pan is missing…the proper ingredients weren’t purchased…I nearly cut the top of my finger off….ok, to be fair, Justin Chapple’s book can’t really save you from yourself, but it can offer you a whole ton of tips, tricks, and last-minute saves that will make you look like a suave culinary expert.  Each chapter deals with a different household cooking tool, like resealable baggies to knives, from plastic lids to cooling racks, and leaves it to Food & Wine‘s Mad Genius to tell you all the nifty things you can do and make with each item.  Packed with weird, wonderful tips, and a whole bunch of fascinating recipes, this is a book that will definitely make your holidays a little easier (and more fun!), but is sure to help any time of year, too!  Publisher’s Weekly is definitely a fan of Chapple, saying “Chapple, a senior editor at Food & Wine, brings his Web video series into print with a collection of 90 creative uses for everyday kitchen items, and 100 recipes in which to employ this hackery…. Some of his suggestions are handy indeed: he gets a lot of mileage out of a baking rack, for example, using it as a chopper for both boiled eggs and avocados.”

Until next week, beloved paons–happy reading!