It’s April 23rd and there are a number of things to celebrate, so, I’ve gathered together some bits and pieces from the blog archive. First of all, it’s World Book and Copyright Day.
Underground literature
A spotless Stephen King
sits opposite Dostoyevsky
on the metro. The Russian
looks a little down-at-heel:
his jacket, once expensive leather,
is now worn and shabby. Sadly,
he is only a translation. Beside him,
a paternal-looking businessman
holds tight to Harry Potter, while,
further down the car, a little girl
in a blue frock, frets and scuffs
her round-toed sandals. Defiantly,
her bare arms clutch Lewis Carroll
to her undeveloped chest.
That’s taken from Around the Corner from Hope Street, illustrated by graphic artist Lance Tooks and available in various digital formats from the Tantamount bookstore.
Today is also St George’s Day, so let’s have some dragons:
Terror Incognita
Whichever way you look at it
that mountain has to be
a dragon. See the bold curve
of its haunch as it crouches
hackles raised along the skyline.
Pinked by the morning sun
the broad snout tucks
under a crooked wing and snow
webs taloned claws.
You can’t escape: each serrated
ridge, each spur and scar
of every mountain range
proclaims the inevitability
of dragons.
And a photo of the mountains that inspired that piece:
I think an International Day of Castles and Lions might be even more fun than an International Book Day, but the phrase has a much more prosaic geographical meaning, referring to the Spanish region of Castilla y León.
Either way, I can’t think of any poems about castles or lions, so here’s a photo of lions outside the cathedral in Ávila.
For the castles, I’ll just add a link to the crowdfunding project updates for Castles in the Air, the Spanish Sci Fi anthology translation I am involved in. The book is fully funded and this week the translators’ bios are being put online. Mine should be posted on Friday, I think.
don't confuse the narrator 