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October 31, 2008
October 30, 2008
Keats House, Hampstead, London, England
Closed for "internal refurbishment" until early 2009, the Keats House celebrates the life and work of the celebrated poet. Although John Keats (1795-1821) only lived in the house for two years, from 1818 to 1820, it “is the setting which inspired some of [his] most memorable poetry,” including Ode to a Nightingale. It is also where he fell in love with “the girl next door,” Fanny Brawne. Today’s collection consists of “books, manuscripts, letters, prints, paintings, and artifacts” relating to Keats and other English Romantic poets. Visit the Keats House website for news of their reopening and events that continue during refurbishment.
October 29, 2008
Bosnia, Austria, Italy, United States, Australia, Spain…
People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks (New York: Penguin, 2008)
In this beautifully written work, readers follow the imagined journey of the Sarajevo Haggadah, “a rare illuminated Hebrew manuscript,” from 15th century Spain to present-day Sarajevo, Bosnia, following the clues of an insect’s wing, missing clasps, wine stains, saltwater, and a white hair.
For a start, most books like this, rich in such expensive pigments, had been made for palaces or cathedrals. But a haggadah is used only at home. The word is from the Hebrew root ‘hgd’, ‘to tell,’ and it comes from the biblical command that instructs parents to tell their children the story of the Exodus. This ‘telling’ varies widely, and over the centuries each Jewish community has developed its own variations on this home-based celebration.
But no on knew why this haggadah was illustrated with numerous miniature paintings, at a time when most Jews considered figurative art a violation of the commandments…. – from People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks
Related Websites
Both websites enrich one’s reading of People of the Book.
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