Review: Queens of the Crusades – by Alison Weir

I had previously read Alison Weir’s most excellent book specifically on Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine many years ago so the author was familiar to me. I chanced upon this title in my local library (Caldicot) and thought I’d give it a go. It covers the lives of several British Queens, or rather the historical period in England during which they lived. The period is one of the most interesting periods, in my opinion, in British History. During the early Plantagenet monarchs, the revolutionary changes of the early Norman invaders to our country had settled down and stability in government and the rule of these Isles meant that this period was most fruitful in terms of British power at home and abroad and may foundations were laid for the future greatness of the British Empire and the basis of our country’s modern, developed, civilised society.

The book does indeed contain a revisit of Weir’s previous work and the first part is dedicated to Eleanor of Aquitaine who was the wife of King Henry II. There are four other queens in the book, three of whom are ‘Eleanors’. Alienor of Provence, Queen of King Henry III and also Eleanor of Castile, Queen of King Edward I. The other two queens are Berengaria of Navarre, Queen of Richard I and Isabelle of Angoulême, Queen of King John. As you can see from the exotic titles of all five queens, the Plantagenets were keen on extending their ties to European Royal bloodlines.  

The whole period was rich in historic events. As the title suggests, this was the time of the crusades and many of the Kings went on crusade, most notably Richard I ‘The Lionheart’, who probably spent more time abroad during his reign, than at home in England. Wives were taken on crusade and although they were often kept safe in castles, sometimes danger could ensue, in particular during the arduous journeys to the Holy Land, usually by sea, where all sorts of perils arose.

This was a period were British dominions extended into continental Europe. One of the reasons why Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of my most favourite Queens is that during here reign, Britain was at its height in terms of land. Indeed the British crown held more territory in mainland France than the French King did. In addition to Normandy and Brittany the whole of the rich south western part of France that is Aquitaine became an integral part of our nation. Often the rulers had to spend a lot of time on the continent to deal with unruly tenants. Indeed the continental territories required more attention and management than the calmer more settled British Isles . As time passed these European dominions reverted back to French control. War, finance, marriages and deaths contributed to the erosion of British territory abroad. King John was known as ‘Lackland’ when he lost most of the European lands.

There were some very important occurrences during the Crusades period. King John was forced to acquiesce to his barons and sign Magna Carta in 1215. Magna Carta is one of the most quintessential pieces of legislation and is the cornerstone of constitutional rights in many modern Western societies, including the USA.

Some of the relationships between Kings and Queens were very lasting and very romantic. I particular King Edward I and Eleanor of Castile had a very close relationship that produced an amazing 18 children, most of whom unfortunately didn’t survive infancy. King Edward I constructed a series of huge crosses across the country to commemorate his beloved queen after her parting from this life. Religion played a crucial role in society, often the Pope was called upon to intervene in a lot of Royal matters, be it consanguinity in marriage, to taking the Cross for crusade or just settling land disputes with barons. A position in the Church was much sought after and we cross paths in the book with Geraldus Cambrensis  (Gerald of Wales) who was an ever-present in the Royal Courts and Vatican, on his ceaseless quest to obtain the hallowed Archbishopric of St. David’s in Wales.

In the later stages of the book I couldn’t believe encountering my little Welsh border home town in the text. Caldicot doesn’t get many mentions in any literature, although it does have a wonderful Castle which dates to around this period. King Edward I was very active beating back the Welsh who wouldn’t accept overlordship from London. Llywellyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales, fought hard to preserve Welsh independence but ultimately died in battle against King Edward’s forces. King Edward established Caernarfon as his base in Wales with the castle there that he erected being modelled on the ancient walls of Constantinople. The Royal couple passed through Caldicot during one of the ‘progresses’ they made, visiting different parts of the country.

‘On 26 November (1284) the royal couple visited St. David’s. the Welsh capital, as guests of Bishop Thomas Bek, and attended a service in the cathedral. Then it was on to Cardiff, Caldicot and Chepstow.’ [Weir 2020:379]

Review: Adventure Everywhere – Pablo Picasso’s Paris Nightlife – by Dave Haslam

I like the art of Picasso, I like the city of Paris, and I like the books of Dave Haslam.

I was therefore pleased to hear of the release of this book which studies the life and art of famous Spanish artist, Pablo Picasso, in particular his séjour in the vibrant cultural capital of France, Paris, during the Belle Époque, where the artist was free to explore exciting new art styles such as ‘Cubism’ and could revolutionize the world of art in a society of changing cultural values. There was a shift in the world of Art and modern artists no longer sat cosy in the courts of Kings such as Velásquez who came before Picasso as a heavyweight in Spanish Art. The new artist got down with the people and Picasso likes it rough and ready, his work in Paris focussed on the seedy side of life in Pigalles – the SoHo of Paris , with paintings of prostitutes, hedonistic bars and the paintings helped to pay off his lengthy tabs in the quintessential Montmartre cafés. The rapid growth of Parisian café culture helped in the empowerment of women with traditional waiters giving way to the mass employment of waitresses due to the sheer volume of employment available. Often women in cafés were featured in Picasso’s art, sometimes often quite controversially considering the rather chauvinistic attitudes of the age. It is noted that Picasso was conforming as an artist to the concepts of Baudelaire’s theory a of a new style of art.

I know the Montmartre and Pigalles area well, in particular the nightclubs and I believe that the Sacré-Coeur is the most beautiful of all of Paris’ great tourist attractions. I could relate to the geography and Haslam is interesting in the manner in which he develops the local detail as he traces a lot of the sites from the Picasso era through to the present day documenting the change of building use, often central cultural locations disappointingly becoming modern supermarkets. You can tell from Picasso’s art that he’s likely to be quite an interesting bloke and I think perhaps based on what I have read it seems his art is actually quite conservative compared with his total hedonistic lifestyle. I’m surprised he managed to do any painting at all considering his rather tumultuous and very active love life. It seems old Pablo had quite a habit of keeping several women on the go at once, preparing his next relationship well in advance and sometimes event with the women involved openly knowing of their competition. He had a casual and regular opium-smoking habit and liked the odd Absinthe but claimed that toxins didn’t inspire his art at all. Possible to agree or disagree with this statement. The Cirque Medrano seemed a very interesting place and Picasso was a patron. Also, the Ballets Russes emerged during this period, bringing great characters such as Nijinsky to the area. Indeed Paris, during the Belle Époque gathered together many famous faces from across global cultural industries and Picasso was a central figure that bound many of these luminaries together.

The whole Belle Époque period was drawn to a close with the onset of World War I, although the Montmartre area in Paris continues to this day to be a central hub for art and culture folk.I enjoyed hearing about his friendship with Apollinaire. The book is quite brief but is very eloquently written, by an author who is obviously no stranger to nightlife, being a former Haçienda resident DJ in Manchester This gives this book a nice little entertainer’s inside touch. I really appreciated learning more about a famous artist that I already liked and I intend to consult the references to find a more detailed biographic account of Pablo Picasso’s life. I think it would also be worth investing in some of the other available titles in the Configo Publishing Art Decades series.

Review: Zlata’s Diary – A Child’s Life in Sarajevo – by Zlata Filipović

What’s a grown 45 year old male doing reading a little Bosnian girl’s diary you might ask yourself. Well, it cropped up as a recommendation in a documentary on the war in the former Yugoslavia, a subject to which I have passionately researched from its genesis. The Balkans conflict is (to date) the worst conflict that has taken place on European soil since World War 2 (although Ukraine must now be heading to take over that mantle, perhaps? Let’s hope not!). There was some pretty brutal stuff going on and a complete breakdown of society, the break up of a nation and all the murky, dirty traits of war nationalism, ethnic division, race and religion, all went up in smoke and Sarajevo was the epicentre of the whole mess, where little Zlata was a carefree little schoolgirl, and had her life turned upside down, directly experiencing the day to day hell of living through war. When you think of war, you think of soldiers, tanks, battlefields, munitions, generals and lots of death and injuries. The history books are full of tactical analysis of military commanders’ strategies and details of who won and who lost and what the politicians were doing. Often it is the collateral damage that is the worst in the war. The inhabitants of London’s East End felt the blitz more than the pilots of the Battle of Britain. Zlata is a normal girl, with a normal family, just getting on with a normal life. She is a civilian. When the bombs start raining down, Zlata is right there on the scene. Her neighbours are affected. It is her streets that are the battleground. Her school is closed and her friends are either killed or flee the terrible tragedy that is unfolding on her doorstep in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina. This is where a lot of the worst of the ethnic divisions are apparent with Bosnian-Serbs fighting Bosnian-Croats, Muslims and a previous harmony among the population is cast out for some terrible tragic results, well-documented later in war-crimes cases such as the Srebenica massacre. Zlata is the Anne Frank of the Balkans War. She notes in ‘Mimmy’ a primary account that no historian should ignore. Ye, it’s sad, yes, it’s heart-breaking and war is something that nobody should have to live through. But when war does happen, the importance of documentation is critical and Zlata leaves her testament as a warning for future warmongers and future victims of war and survivors. It wouldn’t hurt some of the politicians and war industry profiteers involved in the current Ukraine crisis to pick up a copy of Zlata’s diary. It’s a kid’s book, written by a kid. It’s not long, won’t take up too much of your time. But by heck it could transform your thinking and opinion to the betterment of all of society. Daily struggles for water supply and gas and electric are sounding to me in 2023 as quite realistic possibilities for my own future in the U.K. (I’m told as a result of war) – Coping mechanisms are great. Zlata does get upset, but rarely depressed. She has a transcendental philosophy and sees in the most simplest of basic provisions or freedoms a ray of sunshine in the midst of the dirty tragedy that is unfolding all around her. Ultimately, her writing work is not in vain. French journalists pick up on the diary and TV crews start popping in to see her and ultimately after securing a publishing deal for the diary, Zlata and her family are flown out and repatriated in Paris, thus escaping them from further direct immediate harm from the war. Not every young diary writer was perhaps so lucky as Zlata, bhut it’s amazing that she did manage to get the book out there and it is a bestseller. I just wonder how many little girls are hiding in the blackened ruins of apartment blocks in Mariupol, their only lifeline and hope being pencilled into their own diaries.
Adrian Mole talked about pimples. Zlata has a more grown up conversation but she also likes cats and playing the piano. I remember first seeing the live story about Zlata on Blue Peter. It’s taken me a while to get around to reading Zlata’s Diary but I am glad that I have now done that.

Review: The Power of Babel – A Natural History of Language – by John McWhorter

On Amazon Prime Great Courses Signature Collection I watched author John McWhorter present a course on World Language Families and this drew my attention to this literary work. McWhorter is a very intelligent polyglot and makes the study of global languages an interesting and fun-filled adventure. In this book we look at the vast array of human languages across the world – the 6000 or so tongues that are still in existence. We look at how these languages have evolved, the dialects that they morph into, the differences between language and dialect and also try to reconstruct the original global language of Adam and Eve. The examples of linguistic use are wide-ranging, from global super-tongues such as English, French and German, through to obscure languages such as Marathi, Tok Pisin, Cornish and Somali. Throughout the book McWhorter introduces anecdotes of popular culture to lighten the mood, from South Park to McDonalds adverts. The book has enough detail to satisfy the most learned linguist and equally is general enough to be accessible to a non-specialist lay reader. It stands out as a great work and leaves a lasting memory and for such a vast subject material McWhorter covers it well and also succinctly. I will endeavour to seek out more of the author’s work on world languages and would recommend this book to anyone with the remotest interest in our planet’s communication.

Review: Black Russian – by Vladimir Alexandrov

This is an exciting tale from the turn of the twentieth century of an eccentric man of the world who encountered directly some of the most important global events of that era. It is a biography of Frederick Bruce Thomas or Fyodor Fyodorovich Tomas. He was born to former plantation slaves in Mississippi, USA in 1872. His parents overcame prejudice and in an age of abolition became successful farmers until ultimately the still underlying racial inequalities and injustice drove them away and led to the murder of Frederick’s father. Frederick sought pastures new and headed for the cities of Chicago and New York before ultimately setting out on an Atlantic voyage across to European waters where he disembarked and settled in London. From there he quick-footed it around the continent and seeking ever more exotic locations finally made his way to Moscow. Initially his career had been as a highly mannered waiter in top restaurants or in hotels or a a domestic aid to wealthy businessmen. In Moscow he learnt the Russian language although he never perfected it but his entrepreneurial adventure allowed him to set up successful nightclub / theatre businesses across the city in some of its most exclusive locations. He toured Europe bringing in successful stage acts and entertainers from all over, including many early Black Jazz musicians from his homeland. The nightclubs he ran often appealed to the Russian and foreign elites and were widely recognised as being some of the most successful venues in the city. Often they had manicured gardens and served high class food in fancy restaurant spaces although sometimes they could be quite seedy with many of the female entertainers expected to provide additional private services in private rooms to paying clients a symbol perhaps of the age and the lack of women’s rights. Frederick married twice and had several children. For many years he was attached to the nanny of his children with his first wife who had died. In Moscow Frederick, most probably as a business incentive, adopted Russian citizenship. He had ongoing disputes with jumped up US Embassy employees who were always chasing him over bad debts and went out of their way to disrupt his application for a new USA passport most probably down to their underlying racial attitudes. Business swung to and fro between success and failure but by the time of the Russian Revolution in 1917, Frederick had built a successful theatre empire and was a famous celebrity due to his public work. The Rise of the Bolsheviks ultimately made it dangerous for him to remain in the city and eventually he luckily fled down to Odessa on the Black Sea where he also had some businesses. White Russians failures and the advance of the Soviets made him flee again to the relative safety of Istanbul (Constantinople). The fall of the Ottoman Empire in the post World War 1 period had left the French military protecting the city. It was a cultural hive of creativity and Frederick rebuilt from scratch another nightclub / theatre / restaurant empire. The rise of Ataturk and the return of Istanbul to the new Turkish state led to problems for Westerners and disrupted Frederick’s businesses. Ultimately he ran up some serious debts and ended up fleeing and dying in a debtor’s jail.
This book challenges many of the racist stereotypes from that period. Frederick felt much less prejudice on European shores and suffered no discrimination in Moscow. The Bolsheviks were fighting a class war unlike the anti-abolitionists in America. There is much entertainment and the story is a blistering read, an adventure of a brave and joyful character at a time and in exotic places during which many significant interesting major historical events occurred. Well-researched and well written.

Review: Kanaval – Vodou, Politics and Revolution on the Streets of Haïti – by Leah Gordon

Kanaval

Leah Gordon is a former punk artist from London. She is also a photographer and this book reflects upon her experiences of Kanaval on the streets of Jacmel in Haïti between 1995 and 2010. Haïti was the first black republic in the Western hemisphere, a black slave nation that overthrew the yolk of its French European masters. A core component of the revolution’s power was the African-inspired Vodou belief system and intertwined with politics the Kanaval (Creolisation of Carnival) traces its routes to the clandestine slave gatherings in the upland forests of the island. Gordon takes powerful black and white images of the key Kanaval characters and interviews these characters, capturing a series of oral histories from the poor local inhabitants who invest their energy effortlessly, creating characters, making costumes, designing props, organising dance routines and applying makeup, to create this pre-Lentern annual orgy of street theatre and fiesta. We meet the Lanse Kòd (The Rope Throwers), Jwif Eran (Wandering Jew), Papa Sida (Father of AIDS), Oungan (Vodou Priest), St Michel and also the Satanic Zel Maturin (The Wings of Maturin). These characters act out a fight of good versus evil, they challenge the audiences to raise small amounts of money and to reflect upon the political realities of Haïtian life. There is a series of critical essays throughout the book from key researchers of Haïti, that reflect upon the essence of Leah Gordon’s work. The book is enlightening and the images, that can be very disturbing, project an exoticism and spirituality that gives the reader a true taste of the Kanaval performers’ messages and allows the reader a glimpse of the post-colonial ‘Other’ that is the Caribbean.

Review: Viviane Élisabeth Fauville – by Julia Deck

You are Viviane Élisabeth Fauville, a 42 year old French woman in the midst of a crisis. You have a child, a young baby, who you nurture and care for, yet your husband is in the process of leaving you. to top off this crisis, yesterday you murdered your psychiatrist. This short novel (written in French) depicts the descent into madness of the lady as she faces up to the guilt of murder. She descends into paranoia and the tale gets increasingly more disjointed as the woman struggles to maintain the regularity of her Paris life while concealing her crime. It is Dostoyevsky’s ‘Crime and Punishment’ meets J.D. Sallinger’s ‘Catcher in the Rye’, just in miniaturised feminised French format. A quick, light read and a good way to test one’s foreign language skills.

Review: Postcolonial Translation: Theory and Practice – by Susan Bassnett & Harish Trevedi

Postcolonial Translation: Theory and Practice by Susan Bassnett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’ve read a few articles on the subject of postcolonial translation and have found the area to be interesting. I thought I’d delve a little deeper into the subject. This book is a collection of nine extended essays. My first criticism is that there is too much of an emphasis on postcolonial translation in India. Whereas, due to the nature of the Indian multilingual community and its relationship with the British Empire, I can see how it can be an important focus in postcolonial translation, I felt that this book devotes too much to this one region and doesn’t fully explore more exotic regions of the world. There is very little reference to Africa and not much on South America, certainly not the Spanish-speaking part of South America. Thus, the book takes into consideration English as a primary language and the effect of British imperialism. A more varied range of essays with reference to other colonial powers would, I feel, add some spice to the book’s material. The essay on border writing in Quebec, was, I feel, the best essay in the collection. I did also, however, surprisingly, take a lot out of the Hélène Cixous / Clarice Lispector essay. Although, at first glance, the study of a famous French feminist’s obsession with a Brasilian (feminist) writer, may seem a bit trivial, I found that this essay best introduced me to new ideas and ways of viewing postcolonial translation. It is in essence a power struggle of differentials between colonised people and coloniser. When you add in the mix of a feminist outlook into translation, then some truly profound revelations come into play and I felt that the author of this particular essay (Rosemary Arrojo), developed some very interesting and original ideas, which could be applied to the whole field of postcolonial translation. Overall, this book was perhaps a bit too advanced for my tastes and it was rather difficult to maintain elevated excitement throughout the course of reading it.

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Review: Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong – by Jean-Benoit Nadeau

Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong by Jean-Benoît Nadeau
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Although this book was written over a decade ago, it is a great study of the French people that is still relevant today. It is an anthropological assessment and takes a broad stance in how it assesses France. The authors are a Canadian couple so many of the ideas and comparisons are taken from a North American standpoint. A two year study of the French yields many quaint anecdotes as to how and why the French are as they are. In my own experience of France, the French, French language, culture and cuisine, I felt that I was already a true Francophile and knowledgeable about this great country. This book takes my understanding to a deeper level. It points out the reason for many intricacies of French behaviour that I had previously not properly understood. The tendency of French people to be over-correcting about language use is something I have noticed and although, I personally enjoy my linguistic skills being polished, I appreciate that the French do this in a seemingly pedantic way which some foreigners may find offensive. When you get to see the importance of l’Académie française and how it has affected the French language you can understand the pride the French take in their use of words and it is no surprise to learn that literary standards are on average a great deal higher in France than in other developed nations. The book does focus very heavily on the nature of French government. I now understand exactly what Jacobin is: the centralist tendency of French government, with power totally focused on Paris. It is interesting to see how the whole political system has developed, from early autocracy with supreme leaders to a well-balanced modern democracy. There were good explanations and descriptions of the French passion for food and their natural links to the peasants who work the land. I hadn’t realised about the French education system and the way they foster elites, in particular to train to work for their huge civil service. I had thought it was a university system similar to that of Britain or the USA but it quite apparently isn’t. I felt that the book overall gave me a great deal of insight into different aspects of France and opened the door for future study. The book was definitely worth reading as it improved my knowledge. It is a vital text for French studies.

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Review: On Paris

On Paris by Ernest Hemingway
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This very brief work is a collection of Hemingway’s writings as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star. The author’s bright prose lights up what I believe to be the most fantastic city on earth, during the turbulent times of the 1920s. Paris was in a post-Versailles dilemma, the politicians fighting for German reparations and dangerously questing into the Ruhr valley. Hemingway vibrantly details the glamorous life in the French capital. The post-absinthe hedonism, the cafe culture, the nightlife of the Moulin Rouge. He contrasts the French joie de vivre with that of other European capitals and with a flamboyant passion for Paris, he brings to life this exotic city for all his readers.

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