Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. Here is evidence in an investigative report on who he was before he became the cult...
Nicholas, the fourth-century resident of Myra, Anatolia, one of the most popular saints, is the subject of this ornate biographical treatment.
British travel-writer Seal (Treachery at Sharpnose Point, 2001, etc.) acts as exploratory pilgrim, tracking the spoor of the saint by train, ferry, bus, vaporetto, auto and jet. He follows Old Saint Nick’s long career, which started modestly enough as he provided wedding dowries, then—posthumously—as patron of seafarers and protector of travelers to the Holy Land, later as an émigré to Russia aiding wayfarers and, eventually, as blessed supplier of aid in general. The redoubtable saint survived Protestantism, and his bones, when picked over, yielded holy relics. Alas, he turned commercial in Amsterdam. Finally, arriving in the New World, like many other immigrants, he changed costume and name (to Santa Claus, naturally) and now the jolly jelly belly, in his trademark red outfit, endorses products like Coca-Cola and finds employment in department stores, posing for photos. As it moves from ancient Nea Prokopi and Güzelyurt to modern Lapland, the narrative is precariously extravagant. Early on, for example, we learn that the legend of Santa is taught by adults to children “like the respectivity of trouser legs.” Huh?! Maybe it makes more sense if you’re British. The author’s writing can be entertaining or, as readily, give you glazed eyeballs. Thus, this erudite outing about St. Nick, rough patches and all.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. Here is evidence in an investigative report on who he was before he became the cult personage in the polar parsonage.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2005
ISBN: 1-58234-419-1
Page Count: 252
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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