Having been breathed out: Sappho and Modern Dance
In one of her works, the ancient Greek poet Sappho castigates a rich woman who did not care for art in general: Dead you will lie and never memory of…
French Philosophy of Science
Bloomsbury is publishing a series of books about the philosophy of Michel Serres (1930-2019). This is the third. The first two are Michel Serres and the Crises of the Contemporary;…
The Jeffersonians
This book on the presidencies of Jefferson, Madison and Monroe is superb. Even though it is chocked full of detail, the prose style of the author makes it read like…
NASA-produced glass becomes beautiful art
I met glass artist Syed Ahmad at The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival. This annual festival in The Woodlands (Houston) is held in mid-April. It attracts a wide range of artists…
Nothing Human is Foreign to TIME
Do not take this book with you to the beach this summer. I thought this was going to be an easy read, and while that expectation got shot down after…
The Male Gaze in Ancient Greece
The historical texts by Xenophon (430-355 BCE) are the subject of a close study here by Rosie Harman, Lecturer in Greek Historiography, University College London. But her take on Xenophon…
Plutarch’s Cities
Born in the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius, Plutarch (46-120 CE) took great pride in being a priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi (he was born just…
CICERO and The Last Gasp of the Roman Republic
Cicero wrote several great dialogues. This book deals with two of them, and later this year I’ll be reporting on another Oxford University Press book that examines two more. The…
A Roman Historian
For someone living now, the 17th century seems like a long time ago. Four hundred years have passed; only specialist historians have a good grasp on those who were once…
THE ROSSETTIS: Dreaming with open eyes
Tate Britain is currently hosting an exhibit of the most extraordinary English paintings of the 19th century. It is simply entitled The Rossettis, who were four siblings: Gabriel, Christina, William…