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Columbus

Name: Columbus
Author: Manuel Rosa
ISBN: 978-0-578-17931-5

THE UNTOLD STORY

by Manuel Rosa ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

An enthralling, if ultimately unconvincing, hypothesis for the origins and motivations of Columbus.

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Rosa offers an alternative portrait of Christopher Columbus in this debut work of historical revisionism.

It is now widely understood that certain elements of the popular story of Columbus (that he was the first European to reach America, that he alone in his era believed that the world was round) are false. Rosa presses even further, presenting the case that nearly everything that readers think they know about Columbus’ voyage to the New World—even the identity of the explorer himself —is fiction. Available in English for the first time, Rosa’s account of the true history of Columbus posits that the Admiral of the Ocean Sea was not the lowly son of a Genoese weaver but a member of one of Portugal’s most prominent families and the secret prince of Poland. A friend and agent of the Portuguese King João II, the Madeira-born Segismundo Henriques entered the service of Spain specifically to lure the Spanish west toward what he knew to be a new continent. In so doing, he hoped to distract them from the real India and thereby ensure Portugal’s trade hegemony. Furthermore, to obscure his true identity as the son of the dethroned king of Poland, Henriques adopted the pseudonym “Cristóbal Colón.” The secret has remained hidden for centuries, though clues in manuscripts, murals, ruined chapels, and DNA tell the real story for those clever enough to suss it out. Rosa is understandably defensive about having his work dismissed as a conspiracy theory, though what he advances is quite literally that: he argues that Columbus and others plotted to hide his true identity, to disseminate misinformation, and to deceive Spain for the benefit of Portugal. The author’s depiction of Columbus assuredly violates Occam’s razor, which doesn’t signify it can’t be true but does mean it isn’t terribly persuasive. “There is only one history of the world,” writes Rosa, “although there are countless ways for people to retell it.” With this nod to subjectivity, the author invites the reader to enjoy what is, in the end, a fun mystery surrounding one of history’s most prominent figures.

An enthralling, if ultimately unconvincing, hypothesis for the origins and motivations of Columbus.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: 978-0-578-17931-5

Page Count: -

Publisher: Outwater Media Group

Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2016

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.