― Giacomo Casanova
1725
Birthdate:2 April |
Come with me to 1927 and listen to a haunted tale from a stretch of the Badlands the Lakota still fear:
We will have some fun, no?
Almost as much fun as this gringo had:
On April 2nd, 1725, Giacomo Cassanova was born, and erotic tall tales were never the same.
On this date in 1796, a forged Shakespeare play, VORTIGERN AND ROWENA, flops in London,
helping to expose its author, William Henry Ireland, as a fraud ... or a late April Fool's prankster.
Emile Zola, author of Nana, was born on this day in 1840:
“There are two men inside the artist, the poet and the craftsman. One is born a poet. One becomes a craftsman.” ― Émile Zola
Sadly, this date also contains irony and tears:
1917:
President Woodrow Wilson tells Congress "The world must be made safe for democracy." asking Congress for a declaration of war and to send U.S. troops into battle against Germany in World War I .
And American young men have been dying ever since making the world safe for democracy.
B stands for Bradbury -- Ray Bradbury,
whose loss I still feel. SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES is one of my favorites of his. What is your favorite Bradbury tale?
“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” ― Ray Bradbury
Here is Ray Bradbury giving my insecure writers' support for this month:
Casanova set the bar a bit high for me - there are a lot of us who will never meet those exacting standards. But I have never warmed to him anyway.
ReplyDeleteYay for Ray Bradbury (my copy of Something Wicked... is very well read)- and some Theodore Sturgeon too. Too many talented people whose loss I feel strongly.
My fave Bradbury was 'The Illustrated Man'.
ReplyDeleteI only remember a Casanova where Richard Chamberlain played the part in the eighties.
Awesome post from Ray Bradbury. I like knowing how the greats got their inspiration.
ReplyDeleteYou've got a cool theme going Roland.
Interesting and inspiring video featuring Ray Bradbury... (A to Z-er here)
ReplyDeleteB for Bradbury is an excellent choice. He's one of my favourite writers and 'tutors'!
ReplyDeleteOne day I will finish Dandelion Wine! I lost the book after I started reading it in college, now it haunts me every time Bradbury is mentioned!
ReplyDeleteWhen we stop reading, we stop growing.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what I would do without reading. Bradbury was great. Do you have something for the letter V yet? As we drove by Vasquez rocks yesterday on our way to LA, I was reminded of that sexy, bandito.
ReplyDeleteGreat video! Bradbury will live forever. You picked a great companion for today's journey on the outlaw trail.
ReplyDeleteElephant's Child:
ReplyDeleteGetting a late start answering my friends -- a meeting with my surgeon over my nose. Ouch!!
I like Clifford D Simak too. My fantasy life would be great to read unlike my real one!
D.G.:
Cassanova was a legend in his own mind. :-) Richard Chamberlain lived his own legend.
Donna:
Ray made me look good! I was concerned that others might not like my Outlaw Trail. Thanks for liking it!
J. Gi.:
Great of you to say that. :-)
Puvomun:
Ray was a genius and a warm, kind man. Thanks for visiting.
David:
You should get the audiobook and listen on the way to work with an old friend from college. :-)
Alex:
It helps to reflect upon what we read, too. Thanks for visiting when I know you are so busy!!
Inger:
Thanks for the suggestion -- I have written all but two of the posts -- work makes it a challenge!! I'll see what I can do!
Siv:
You're right: Ray is a great companion on our writing journey. Great seeing you here.
Ray Bradbury. I couldn't have picked a better person to represent "B" if I tried.
ReplyDeleteJust the title alone, Something Wicked This Way Comes has been a top ten for me. I always enjoy hearing from past writers who still follow us on this writing journey.
ReplyDeleteChrys:
ReplyDeleteYes, I love his style and imagination ... and heart. Thanks!
Nicole:
The giants are like light houses showing us the way, right?
I can't believe you have time to answer our comments during the challenge. I went back to see just in case. It was just a suggestion. I wrote a post about him a while ago and, sort of, fell for his long dead charm. And you should see those rocks where he hid out.
ReplyDeleteInger:
ReplyDeleteIt's only polite to answer -- Sam McCord would have it no other way! :-) I am going to have to look up Valdez. But my eyes are heavy and my strength waning! :-)
I wish I had more time to do all the things I can't seem to find time to do. Like reading books.
ReplyDeleteI have Her Bones... downloaded to be read eventually.
If I didn't read so many blogs then I might read more books.
Lee
A Faraway View
An A to Z Co-host blog
Fantastic! I love the information I am finding here. Good job. :)
ReplyDeleteArlee:
ReplyDeleteThanks for downloading HER BONES! Do you have a Kindle Fire or an iPhone or smart phone? I would gladly send you the just released audiobook of HER BONES ARE IN THE BADLANDS. Robert Rossman does a magnificent job on it! Let me know.
Mel:
ReplyDeleteYour words mean so much to me. Thanks!
No, don't have any readers. I use my desktop which is one reason why it's slow getting to a lot of books. I can't sit too long at the computer to read books. So I guess Her Bones... is in some cloud that Amazon has waiting for me when I'm ready. Thanks for the offer though. I didn't realize audiobooks could be accessed with devices like you mention.
ReplyDeleteLee
A Faraway View
An A to Z Co-host blog
I listen to audiobooks on my rare blood runs on my Kindle Fire, plugging it into the van's radio system. It makes the long, lonely night runs much more endurable. :-)
ReplyDelete