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IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT

Name: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT
Author: Mansur Johnson
ISBN: 978-1-976392-63-4

THE 1998 FOOTSTEPS OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT TOUR

by Mansur Johnson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 4, 2018

An ambitious travel account that offers scant descriptions of an incredible adventure.

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A poet follows in the footsteps of Alexander the Great in this memoir.

In 1998, Johnson (Don’t Search, Celebrate!, 2017), along with his Swiss girlfriend Marianne, set out to retrace the legendary journey of the ancient king of Macedonia Alexander the Great. In his introduction, the author reveals a vague desire “to experience, like Alexander, the land he passed through.” But other than wanting to learn “what the land feels like,” Johnson does not go into detail about the couple’s motivations for the trip. Part 1 of this series of travel memoirs records their trek through six countries: Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt. Along the way, they stopped at key historical sites, including the Parthenon, Palmyra, and the Great Pyramid at Giza. Each chapter takes the name of the destination visited and opens with a brief itinerary followed by a narrative and photographs. The author’s rushed “we did this/we did that” approach lacks the necessary descriptive embellishments to transport readers. For example, Johnson remarks that the Parthenon is “arguably, the most important ancient monument in the Western world” but spends fewer than five short pages describing the site, with a focus on banalities: “A reasonably priced sandwich shop provides food. Next door is a currency exchange and a closed POST (office). A local dog vomits in front of us while we eat and shortly consumes its vomit.” To capture the experience, the author relies on his and Marianne’s photos, which are standard holiday snapshots with Johnson or his girlfriend often posing in the foreground. But his blunt honesty should appeal to readers—he is unafraid to describe even his most uncomfortable trials: “Tuesday morning is worse. Explosive diarrhea at 11:15 am soils my pants.” Unfortunately, he sometimes provides mere field notes from an intrepid journey, yet to be developed into a full-fledged book. The author leaves too many questions unanswered. For the uninitiated, he neglects to sufficiently describe who Alexander the Great was and why he embarked on his voyage. More importantly, readers will be left wondering what it truly feels like to tour these domains today—the key aspect of the odyssey Johnson intended to discover and convey.

An ambitious travel account that offers scant descriptions of an incredible adventure.

Pub Date: March 4, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-976392-63-4

Page Count: 212

Publisher: The Einstein Academy

Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2019

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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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.