A meme confiscated from ThreeOranges
A book you own that no one on your friends list does:
I do have a lot of unusual stuff, because of my research. I would be surprised, for instance, if even Kenna Hijja had the anonymous Origo gentis Romanorum or the whole Mahabharata in the Ganguli-Roy English translation, or a Lithuanian language course. The one I am really proud of, however, is Leopold Schwarzschild's World in Trance (1943), a condensation of twenty years of polemic by a heroic (and well-informed) liberal German journalist who fought German militarism and authoritarianism even before Hitler was heard of, became one of the most active, implacable and truthful enemies of the regime, and ended up outliving it. It is a wonderful read, and a testament to a forgotten but truly great man.
A CD you own that no one on your friends list does:
If I can include the rest of my music collection, I would be quite surprised if anyone (except perhaps Straussmonster) owns Gossec's Grande Messe des Morts. It is a vigorous and attractive piece of music, dated 1770, which however seems somehow to just lack that little difference that makes genius.
A DVD/VHS tape you own that no one on your friends list does:
Does anyone else own Leni Riefenstahls' Sieg des Willens?
A place you've been that no one on your friends list has been:
I would be surprised if anyone had visited Lavinium, modern Pratica di Mare, the ancient holy city of the Latins whose foundation is the climax of Virgil's Aeneid. It is a tiny, secluded Italian village, due south of Rome and off the main roads, and Virgil is not a current favourite author, so tourists never get to hear of it. The village is minuscule, neglected, and pretty in a messy, work-tired way, and there are some very important archaeological digs.
I do have a lot of unusual stuff, because of my research. I would be surprised, for instance, if even Kenna Hijja had the anonymous Origo gentis Romanorum or the whole Mahabharata in the Ganguli-Roy English translation, or a Lithuanian language course. The one I am really proud of, however, is Leopold Schwarzschild's World in Trance (1943), a condensation of twenty years of polemic by a heroic (and well-informed) liberal German journalist who fought German militarism and authoritarianism even before Hitler was heard of, became one of the most active, implacable and truthful enemies of the regime, and ended up outliving it. It is a wonderful read, and a testament to a forgotten but truly great man.
A CD you own that no one on your friends list does:
If I can include the rest of my music collection, I would be quite surprised if anyone (except perhaps Straussmonster) owns Gossec's Grande Messe des Morts. It is a vigorous and attractive piece of music, dated 1770, which however seems somehow to just lack that little difference that makes genius.
A DVD/VHS tape you own that no one on your friends list does:
Does anyone else own Leni Riefenstahls' Sieg des Willens?
A place you've been that no one on your friends list has been:
I would be surprised if anyone had visited Lavinium, modern Pratica di Mare, the ancient holy city of the Latins whose foundation is the climax of Virgil's Aeneid. It is a tiny, secluded Italian village, due south of Rome and off the main roads, and Virgil is not a current favourite author, so tourists never get to hear of it. The village is minuscule, neglected, and pretty in a messy, work-tired way, and there are some very important archaeological digs.