#Ella Brittain

[dansnotavampire]

Airplane, trident emblem for Connor, Laurence, and Ella! (Also a bit of backstory about them would be nice, as I don't think I've read any posts about your OCs before!)

First - some backstory!

Connor Owen, Laurence Moncrieff, and Ella Brittain worked for some vague approximation of the SIS (Military intelligence) they met in service, and worked very closely for a number of years. This story is about them (By story I mean three-man play)

Connor Owen is a translator; he speaks four languages fluently, and a handful of others passably, and all of his years of service for queen and country have given him three things: PTSD, an alcohol problem, and a dead best friend. Oops. Currently he is a teacher in a secondary school, and we meet him nearly ten years after his honorable discharge, at an AA meeting, along with....

Laurence Moncrieff. Their stalwart IO, he was a tactical genius, able to keep calm in any situation. Now he's *also* battling a drinking problem, and repressed homosexual feelings. He cooks, he cleans, he only goes to AA because he was court ordered to after he drunkenly wrapped his car around a lamppost, injuring zero people in the process only by a stroke of luck. (Are you getting why my tag for this is untitled alcoholism project now). In youth he was a rich wanker with a first in PPE from Oxford, and the only thing that's really changed since then is that he's less of a wanker now. He's just re-learnt how to wake up before midday.

Ella Brittain? She's dead. It's not Laurence's fault. Maybe one day he'll even believe that.

In life, she was 5'2 of lean muscle, with a resting HR of 54, and the steadiest aim you've ever seen. She could kick anyone's arse six ways from Sunday, and never used this skill unless absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, that was often the case in her line of work.

Now she haunts the stage, doling out imagined advice and insults to the two men still trying to learn how to live without her.

Plane - do they like travelling, or are they more of a homebody?

Laurence has travelled so much it bores him now; unfortunately, being at home bores him just as much. One day he'll go on a non-covert vacation again. Maybe he'll even take someone with him.

Connor *liked* travelling. But the last time he stepped foot on a train was two days after the worst experience of his life, and he's not sure he can stomach it anymore. Maybe with good enough company he could bear it.

Ella never held down an address for more than six months, even when she wasn't an internationally jetsetting superspy. Or government murderer for hire. Depends who you ask.

Trident - Can they swim?

All three of them can swim; they have to, for the job. Connor can't touch water that's too warm, though. He showers ice cold.

[princeandreis]

how to try out ghost quartet

I’ve started telling some of my friends in real life about ghost quartet and they of course think it’s weird, but if you give it some time it really grows on you. so I thought I’d make this for those of you who are curious about it but don’t want to be too confused. I’m no expert on the plot and probably couldn’t explain the whole thing if I tried, but I do know a lot about the “easier” songs. these don’t really say much about the plot but give you a good sense of what the music is like, and don’t need to be listened to in any order. I highly recommend following along on Genuis, though the notes might confuse you. so anyway here goes! 

1. I Don’t Know - the first song on the album. it’s the four actors singing about the plot and their characters in only the vaguest terms, and is an absolute bop. very catchy and extremely lovable even as a standalone song. (to be a little more specific, this is one of a few songs that exists outside the plot and serves to give us more insight into all of the different characters. I read somewhere that these songs are just the musings of all the ghosts hanging out together, so that’s cool too.)

2. The Camera Shop - one of my absolute favorites. it’s so catchy and is kind of the starting place for the narrative (though in reality the story is circular so there’s no true starting place). summary: a woman named rose enters a camera shop and meets the owner, whose family has owned the store for four generations. she notices a fiddle on the wall, which the owner tells her was made from the breastbone of her great-grandmother’s sister. strangely, the owner’s great-grandmother was also named rose. the shop owner decides to tell rose the beginning of the story of the fiddle. I won’t transcribe it here, but the lyrics tell you what you need to know. this is the best place to start listening, plot-wise, because it kind of sets you up for why everything else happens. a wonderful song plus an A+ transition into the next song:

3. Starchild - is just stunningly beautiful. in my opinion this is Brittain’s best song on the album (that or Hero but I’m partial to this one). it’s another one of the songs which doesn’t have to do with the plot necessarily, it just gives us insight into an otherwise mysterious character who disappears quickly. this was the first song that caught my attention my first time listening to the album. even if you never get into ghost quartet, I seriously recommend this song because it’s so beautiful and haunting and uplifting.

4. Any Kind of Dead Person - this song is fun. it’s hilarious, and is also detached from the plot. it’s literally one of the two actresses (Brittain) singing about why she’d want to be a ghost as opposed to a different kind of dead person (like a zombie, poltergeist, etc). it’s super catchy and well-sung. and correct me if I’m wrong, but I think that this is one of the songs where they hand out instruments to the audience at shows, which is super fun, too. I love this song so, so much.

5. The Astronomer - another character song, sung by the composer Dave Malloy himself. if you learned about the plot of the two sisters from The Camera Shop, you’ll see that this is the song telling us about the character of the Astronomer from that story. it’s poignant, witty, and easily sticks in your head.

6. The Telescope - another one about the Astronomer (played by Dave). this is the song I’m currently obsessed with. it alternates between a weird creeping harp-like sound and Brittain’s beautiful honeyed voice ruminating on the stars. this is also part of the story of the two sisters, which in my opinion is the easiest place to begin piecing together the plot. basically what happens in this song is an expansion of what Gelsey tells us in The Camera Shop: Rose writes poetry about the stars for the Astronomer, with whom she’s in love. but he plagiarizes her and falls in love with her older sister Pearl. tbh this song is so gorgeous and just really tends to stick with you. (the recorded version sounds better than the live one.)

there you have it, this is what I consider a good starting place if you’re curious. if you use this to listen please drop me a line and let me know what you think!!! I really hope this helps more people understand how incredible ghost quartet really is.

thanks for reading!

[thedragonflyempress]

Clique by Jess Brittain (2017)

[ratcarney]

i took a bunch of your requests and put them on one page!

from left to right on top: i have that louis fellow for @poetslyre, inspirational mojo for @prince-lee25, and enjolras and grinpayne for @maryloohoo

from left to right on bottom: ben for @grinpaynesteeth, oklahoma for @supercantaloupe because i like mischief, ella for @a-human-pippin-took, and brittain ashford from ghost quartet for @octopath-archivist!

i might do this more often! it was fun and took my mind off of things :”) thank you guys for the requests!

[theinglenookheir]

Chained and bound to this hopeless town

There's something beautiful being awake for my funeral.

Never Expect Sabrina Aloueche | You Could Be Her Jonathan Coulton | Daydreaming Paramore | Ironic Celia Rose Gooding | Swear Jar (Again) Milk Teeth | Break Away Ella Hunt, Sarah Swire, & Malcolm Cumming | CryptoSanta Lemon Demon | Has Ten Dollaz Cherry Glazerr | California Here I Come Sophie B. Hawkins | Daughter Doll Skin | Heavy Shit Colleen Green | You Don’t Know Lilli Cooper & Elizabeth Judd | Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl Broken Social Scene | Goodbye Best Coast | No One Is Alone Brittain Ashford

Other Starkid playlists: Emma Perkins, Paul Matthews, Hannah Foster, Paul & Emma, and Hatchetfield.

[luminous-studiess]

Do you have a favorite jazz musician? Also, what's your favorite musical?

hi! sorry for the late reply. it’s been exam season so i’ve been half-dead...

1. favorite jazz musician: a lil basic but i adore ella fitzgerald. i love the thrum of her voice and how it makes any day sound like an old and distant memory.

2. favorite musical: HARD QUESTION. i love so many of them, but these were at different points in my life. for the more recent ones:

- phantom of the opera is my ride and die even though it was mildly ruined for me when i realized the phantom was an incel. still the melodies are good and its campy and theatrical and i once kissed my boyfriend to an orchestral performance in the park of all i ask of you so warm and fuzzy memories....

- falsettos. it encapsulates the complexity of family and love being this difficult often angry feeling and the music is amazing. also christian borle.

- legally blonde. see above on christian borle. also when im sad about law school i listen to chip on my shoulder.

- hadestown. its so haunting. the music is amazing. the language is amazing. ive been wanting to make a paper on the ecological metaphors it uses. the cast is WONDERFUL. all of them can step on me. i am persephone the wine aunt.

- ghost quartet aka great comets more surreal dissonant chaotic cousin. its hard to undertsand until about five listens. dont stop. the music is so so so so beautiful. dave malloy i love you. brittain ashford please haunt me.

- the last five years. ughghghgjhghjgh do i need to say anything. my god. also my go to song is summer in ohio even though i can reach only about 1/10th of the notes.

i know i have more but this is all that comes to mind right now. this is a great ask i love frothing at the mouth about musicals.

[bbcthree]

A twisted tale of ambition, friendship and death. Clique coming soon.

[meadweos]

Hello! I’m Ellie, this is Dorcas and I hope you enjoy this trainwreck of a soft as all hell introduction to my babe. I’m super excited to be writing here okay byeeeeeeeee.

is that LILY JAMES wearing that HUFFLEPUFF scarf ? no, it appears to be DORCAS MEADOWES who happens to be a SEVENTH year and a MUGGLEBORN !! SHE is CISFEMALE, and i heard they’re COMPASSIONATE and BENEVOLENT but might also seem NAIVE and DAMAGED. they appear to be leaning towards the side of the ORDER, but this is a conversation we should be having somewhere else. ( ellie / nineteen / gmt / she/her )

TRIGGER WARNINGS : death, injury, hospital mention, dogs.

PART ONE. BASICS / MAGICAL FULL NAME & MEANINGS  : Dorcas ( GAZELLE ) Andromache ( MAN / BATTLE ) Meadowes ( LIVED IN OR NEAR A MEADOW. ) DATE OF BIRTH : November 16th. AGE : 17. ZODIAC SIGN : Scorpio. HEIGHT : 5 ft 7 in. EYE COLOR : Dark brown. LEFT OR RIGHT HANDED : Ambidextrous.  FAVORITE COLOR : Light blue / black. SCHOOL : Hogwarts. BLOOD STATUS : Muggleborn. WHAT ARE THEIR PARENTS JOBS? : Her mother was a stay-at-home tutor, and her father was a doctor. ( Her aunt is a therapist. Her uncle is a lawyer. ) DO THEY HAVE ANY MAGICAL BLOOD? : Not in her immediate family. Her fifth, twice removed, much, much older cousin is a wizard (of Emeric Switch fame! Imagine that!) HOW DID THEIR MAGIC FIRST MANIFEST ITSELF? : She wanted to talk to the dogs at the local pet store, and accidentally ‘phased’ through the door. She was found half an hour later just stroking a pitbull puppy which had latched itself onto her. YEAR : Seventh year. HOUSE : Hufflepuff. PATRONUS : Panda. ( THE PANDA IS A RESOURCEFUL ANIMAL, AND THOSE WITH IT AS A PATRONUS ARE THE SAME. THEY ARE GOOD AT USING WHATEVER IS AROUND THEM, AND INCREDIBLY CREATIVE AND BRIGHT. THEY ARE FRIENDLY AND WARM, AND MANY MAY GO TO THEM FOR ADVICE OR HELP, WHICH THE PANDA WILL WILLINGLY GIVE. THEY ARE A BIT OF A HEALER BY NATURE, ENJOYING COMPANY AROUND THEM AND USING IT TO ENHANCE THEMSELVES. THEY LOVE TO EXPLORE MANY AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE WORLD, TRYING TO BROADEN THEIR HORIZONS AND KEEP THEIR MINDS OPEN. ) BOGGART : Her father, sat in the same armchair he’d always loved. His head turned towards her as he tells her it was all her fault, and the room shrinks. UPDATED: Earlier, and for very good reason, I wrote a drabble centered around what her Boggart would be for a different roleplay. It’s different than what it is now, but I’m nevertheless extremely proud of it. You can read it here. AMORTENTIA : What is it about true love, dearest? What makes everyone go wild? Is it the prospect that someone, someone whole, and unflinching, is out there - waiting for you? Waiting for your embrace, your touch? Or is it just that they are tired - tired of making homes in people and receiving nothing back? You, though. You make homes in all manner of things. And, anyway, who decided homes can’t be humans? Who decided home is a stationary concept? That your heart can’t be held in the hands of many people, that it cannot be crushed and sewn back together in a matter of minutes? Who decided that love, that great big messy concept, has to be romantic? You are as messy in love as you are in life - that is to say, you build pieces of yourself from the people around you, from the pieces of themselves they give you. The skin beneath your ear? Composed of the whispers of secrets from your first boyfriend. Your nose? Your mother’s love. The inside of your wrist? The balm of Emmeline’s arms around your body, shielding you the only way she can.  No. It isn’t so impossible that love is greater than the romance. That love is so many more things. The Greeks of old always said there were many kinds of love. Eros. Agape. Philia. Storge. Ludos. Pragma. Philautia. It is these things that you, alone, recite in that dungeon. The cold seems to envelop you as you take in a breath, the tendrils of your senses magnifying. It can be overwhelming, you know, but you are not as surprised as you expect to be. Warmth, sinking between your fingertips, laps at your cheek, at your lips as you breathe out. It sticks to you, to your tongue. Like caramel and peanut butter, the batter of the cookies your aunt always makes, the s’mores that you made around the campfire just last week. Her hair, or is it her perfume (?) wafting in your direction - regardless, you stay rooted to your place. Daisies, growing wild, the way they had at home, in your back garden. The smell of old brick and something crumbling - that weird Dragonleather smell that stays in the air whenever Hagrid passes, the smell of bursting fireworks (that time that the Marauders hadn’t realized there was anyone still down the corridor) and butterbeer, warming. Your dogs breath, laughter bubbling up as you remark on the smell of toothpaste, on peppermint and mossy treebark.  You’re not surprised to smell all the things that make this place home - you’re not surprised to smell that it’s not made up of just one person - just one thing, fixable - but many. Moving parts that flare up and slide away into the background of your senses. WAND : Phoenix tail feather core. 9 inches. Black Walnut. PETS : Owl, named Athena. Also owns a pitbull, the light of her life, Agape ( LOVE AND AFFECTION ) or Aggie, for short. CHARACTER INSPIRATION : Cinderella, Sonya Rostova, Izzie Stevens, Craig Middlebrooks, Ann Perkins, Ella Lopez, Jess Day, Riley Matthews, Penelope Garcia, Kara Danvers, Capheus Onyango, and Jane Villanueva. ( CHARACTER TAG HERE. )

PART TWO. ARE YOU GOOD AT… DANCING? : I certainly try.  SINGING? : Yes! COOKING? : Somewhat. DUELING? : Never been better. STUDYING? : If my grades are anything to go by, yes. MAGIC? : Uh, I’d hope so.

PART THREE. HAVE YOU EVER… DRIVEN A CAR? : Yes. Not well, though. FALLEN IN LOVE? : … Yes. HAD SEX? : Yes. LAUGHED SO HARD YOU CRIED? : I don’t know anyone who enjoys their life who hasn’t. SMOKED? : ... No. DONE DRUGS? : Nope. BROKEN THE LAW? : Accidentally. KILLED SOMEONE? : No.

PART FOUR. LITTLE SECRETS BIGGEST FEAR : Losing everyone. And everything. SOMEONE YOU ADMIRE : Emme, McGonagall. SOMEONE YOU FEAR : I don’t really know. Dumbledore, when he’s mad. Whatever that ponce of a miserable Muggle hater is called. SOMEONE YOU MISS : Grandpa. Terry. My brother. Mum. Dad. SOMEONE YOU COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT : Emme. Myself, too. SOMEONE YOU COULD KILL : Anyone who hates muggles. DO YOU WANT KIDS? : Maybe someday. DO YOU WANT TO GET MARRIED? : To the right person? Yeah. BIGGEST REGRET : Not sleeping in the same room as my brother that night. ( I could have saved him. I should have saved him. ) CAN YOU SEE THESTRALS? : Yes.

PART FIVE. FINISH THIS SENTENCE I AM… : Sleepy. Wishing Emmeline was here. I WISH… : Ice-cream could become a person. MAYBE ONE DAY… : I won’t feel this guilt anymore. SOMETIMES I… : Fall in love in the morning, and out of it by lunch. MY FAVOURITE SUBJECTS ARE… : Herbology. MY LEAST FAVOURITE SUBJECTS ARE… : History of Magic, Divination. IF I COULD DO IT AGAIN, I WOULD… : Save my brother. IF I COULD GO TO A DIFFERENT SCHOOL, I WOULD CHOOSE… : Beauxbatons, not Ilvermorny. IF I COULD CHOOSE A DEATHLY HALLOW, I WOULD CHOOSE… : The Stone. ( Say it like it isn’t a mantra, Dorcas. As though it isn’t something that’s poisoned your dreams since discovering those stories may be based in reality. )

PART SIX. MISCELLANEOUS

DESCRIBE THEIR AESTHETIC IN THREE WORDS : Sea, daisies, laughter. THEME SONG : Lavender’s Blue ( CINDERELLA SOUNDTRACK - 2015. ) / Sonya Alone ( BRITTAIN ASHFORD - NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 - ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING. ) / Times are Hard for Dreamers (Pop Version) ( PIPPA SOO - AMELIE - ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING. ) TOP FIVE SONGS IN THEIR ( MODERN ) PLAYLIST : You Are Enough - Sleeping at Last, Yellow - Coldplay, When I Kissed the Teacher - ABBA, Breathe - In The Heights, & Paradise - George Ezra. VINE THAT FITS THEM : ( x ) RANDOM HEADCANONS : 1. Dorcas loves deeply. Deeply, deeply, deeply. It’s intrinsic to who she is. She’s protective, maddeningly so, and unable to sit still. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and is a nightmare when it comes to pacing herself. She knows not of patience, or of taking time to breathe. She consists solely of love - a palace built between her ribs of the people that she loves. In this, she is a typical Taurus Hufflepuff. ( x ) 2. Dorcas lost her parents at a very young age. She doesn’t often speak of it - speak about them, about the parents that she lost and the brother that she was unable to save. They were killed in a home burglary turned murder spree when she was six. They’d been meant to go on holiday, but Dorcas had come down with the stomach flu, so they’d foregone the vacation when it spread to Dorcas’s younger sister, Calliope. The only reason that Dorcas survived was that she managed to climb beneath her bed with her younger sister Calliope facing the wall, only her back visible from the opening created by the duvet. She gets stabbed three times, one of those stab wounds narrowly avoiding piercing her spleen and the major abdominal arteries. She still has the scars on her lower back. Callie was uninjured, and she was the one who managed to get to the neighbors house (by climbing out of the window from the second floor and dropping at least eleven feet). Dorcas remembers, mostly, finding out her parents and brother were murdered. The rest of it often feels incredibly foggy. She went through therapy for a number of years before she was discharged from the North West Surrey Mental Health Trust. The nightmares, today, are infrequent, but some nights are worse than others. She often takes a calming draught before she goes to sleep - provided by Madame Pomfrey at the Hospital Wing.  3. Dorcas’s best friend in the universe is Emmeline Vance. They aren’t in the same house, but that doesn’t matter. They met at eleven, on the train to Hogwarts. Dorcas, with brown hair down to her hip, and Emmeline’s hair newly cut into a bob ( her parents had gone wild at her for that one, ) and that was it. The rest, as they say, is History. If you can’t find Dorcas, she’s usually with Emmeline. 60% of her spare time is spent wherever Emmeline is. They’re one another’s great loves. She doesn’t know what she’d be without Emme.  4. Dorcas wants to be a Herbologist or a Healer when she graduates. She’s not sure how likely that plan is to succeed with everything going on - how far she’ll get before she abandons it all to help the people that she wants to help, desperately. As it stands, 40% of her spare time is spent either in the Potions classroom or the Herbology classroom - Potions is a required course for becoming a Healer.  5. If this were a modern AU, Dorcas’d totally be a theater kid. She’d also be that kid that is always making scrapbooks - always half finishing projects, the one that has too many cacti and exotic plants in the corner of her room. She’d keep her phone on her, always, lockscreen always changing. She’d love bands like Little Mix and butcher the Spanish when she tried to sing songs like Despacito.  6. FUTURE: Dorcas manages to live through the Wizarding War ( well, mostly ) without casting the Killing Curse. She’s fast, she’s quick, and she doesn’t stand still. She’s often the one coming careening past the others, ducking beneath their outstretched arms as light - green, red, blue, yellow - is cast against the ground. She Apparates in and out, as though her being there is a mirage. People, injured, bystanders, disappear from where they’d been only seconds before, as soon as her hand secures around anywhere she can grip on. She works with trembling hands, to heal those that she can. Four separate times she manages to Apparate away from under Voldemort’s nose.  The first time is with her arm hooked under Fabian Prewett, his unconscious body bruised and the cut on his arm infected with what she suspects is a modified strain of the venom of the Venomous Tentacula. The second time is with a handful of wands - all belonging to fellow Order members. The third time is with Dedalus Diggle. He’s a handful, that time, splaying limbs, cracking as they twist around. They have a spell maker in their midst but Dorcas is the only one that can sooth the pain, to make it all more bearable while they try and fix it. The fourth time is with Emmeline. Emme’s far too headstrong for her own good, and knows how rare it is that Voldemort himself makes an appearance. Dorcas is the one that breaks Bellatrix’s focus - the Cruciatus curse trained on her best friend, on her Emmeline, flickers when Dorcas passes, a blur of black leather and hair tied up in a bun, bangs hanging low and the light long since dimmed in her eyes. When Emmeline comes to, the pain still ricochets through her bones, and Dorcas is powerless to help. It takes days for the aftershocks to fade. The faintest roar of rage is still heard in Dorcas’s brain. She’s just too slow, in the end, to save herself, although she doesn’t try. She’s not ready, but she is. She’s not happy, but she is. She knew there was only one way this could end. The one incapable of love striking down the one composed entirely of it is the only end that makes sense in a world at war - in a world in which war stories are not one of morals. War stories are made of absolute and uncompromising allegiance to obscenity and evil. It just takes her years to realize. Years to reconcile. Being soft does not make her immune to this. Being alive doesn’t. She is happy, but it is not a happy ending. No - it’s a very sad beginning.

[rachelhurdwoodfanclub]

‪STILLS ──❃ First picture from BBCThree's Clique, created by Jess Brittain (Skins). Coming soon! 🎬‬

[lupinsoul]

ooc name/alias & pronouns:

hey!! my name is ellie and i usually go by she/her pronouns.

zodiac sign:

i’m a virgo rising, virgo sun, and capricorn moon!!

favourite tv shows/books/movies/comics/etc:

this is!!! a lot!!! to think about!!! uuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhh i have no idea i love a lot of things?

tv shows: queer eye, the office us, doctor who, brooklyn nine nine, the following, unforgotten, merlin, how to get away with murder, one day at a time, parks and recreation, house md, luther, black lightning, a series of unfortunate events, daredevil...

books: harry potter series, the book of dust, his dark materials series, chronicles of narnia, never let me go, percy jackson series, millenium series, the martian, game of thrones series, alice in wonderland, hamiltome, the lord of the rings series, little women...

movies: harry potter series, love, rosie, black panther, my best friend’s wedding, maid in manhattan, about time, ella enchanted, star wars, the lord of the rings series, coco, riot club, 12 angry men, the breakfast club, it’s a wonderful life, spirited away, v for vendetta...

comics: n/a

musicians: hurts, lin-manuel miranda, mandy gonzalez, karen olivo, chris jackson, fiona apple, shakira, green day, residente, queen, regina spektor, florence + the machine, death cab for cutie, josh groban, brittain ashford, nicolette robinson...

quote(s) that represent the characters you’re applying for:

alastor moody: “A stubborn enough person can survive just about anything. Rage is a hell of an anesthetic.” → Slytherin.

amelia bones: “these are not fairy tales / her mother says / we are people of war / women / will always sustain / I have been to their temples / woman means immortal.” → Ravenclaw.

frank longbottom: “I am how my heart defines me. Strong, soft, unstoppable.” → Hufflepuff.

marlene mckinnon: “…she felt so old, so awfully old and worn, and so young all at once, raw as a wound.” → Gryffindor.

a gif that represents you well:

what you’re most excited about when it comes to incalescent:

writing my four anarchy ridden children!!! they’re so different + their motivations for doing what they do are so STRIKINGLY opposite and just??? gah, i love them. i also, just, really, really, really want to write in a small(er) group than what i usually do. also! events!

[truecrimehunter]

Wattpad Story Review Went Bad

Richard Brittain won a British Tv quiz show,Countdown, as a teen. To him, that won gave him life. It was his biggest goal. He boast about the win and thought he was smarter than those around him.

Richard enter university and went to a bar to hang out with his small group of friends. A woman named Ella Durant worked as a waitress. Soon, he became obsessive over her. He tried to win her over with his smarts with putting her on a team with him for University Challenge. He stalked her at her work, Twitter, Instagram, and such to keep tabs on her. She changed work shifts and started to work in the kitchen instead of in front of the house. She went to the Metropolitan police and student union. They didn’t do really anything. He stayed away for awhile but keep looking at her Twitter. She was one of those girls that tweets out relatable sad tweets, and she thought nothing of it. For some reason, he took those relatable tweets as she is talking about and to him. He went to her graduation, and she was creeped out when she saw him. After graduating, she moved from London to Glasgow.

After university, Richard wrote a poem called ‘The Benevolent Stalker’ and a book called 'The World Rose’. The book was about Ella and over romanticize of her. He traveled while writing. He wanted to publish the book and turn it into a movie. A publisher had other ideas and turned him down. He was pissed. He thought his book was a masterpiece (everyone thought otherwise). He still wanted his book to be out there. He puts the prolong on Wattpad for free and put his book on Goodreads(It’s also on Amazon).

He found Ella’s address from her college application. He went to her workplace and waved at her. She called the police and took her home. Two days later, he went back to her workplace and spoke to her even though she was screaming to get the attention of others. On September 23 2014, Ella saw a link a tweet to a blog called 'The Benevolent Stalker’ and went to the police. The defence counsel, Michael Meehan, told the judge that Richard either stuffering from paranoid schizophrenia or a personality disorder(maybe y'all should got him check out). He knew that Ella was living in Glasgow because her Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Back to his book, Wattpad’s users hated the prolong. He was pissed off that the users hated his work. He had arguments with them. A eighteen years old, Paige Rolland, read the prolong and knew how he reacts to criticism. That didn’t bother her(she has some balls), so she went to Goodreads after reading what was free to give her review with her real name. She dragged him to the dirt. Her review said(warning: it’s long review),“Before anyone reads any further, I must confess that I haven’t read this entire story. I’ve only read the prologue, courtesy of Mr. Brittain leaving it on Wattpad as a means of advertising and expanding his audience. There are two reasons I did not choose to buy this book and read the entire thing. Reason one being that the prologue was just awful and I certainly would not be paying £5 plus P+P to read the entire thing. Reason two…well, I don’t have a Kindle. And even if I did, I certainly wouldn’t be paying £1.90 for it. Surely Mr. Brittain was aware that first time authors self-pubbing give the Kindle book away for free. That way more people are likely to actually read it.

Let’s first talk about the cover.

As a writer self-publishing, I would have hoped Mr. Brittain did his research and understood the costs behind it. Surely he was aware of how much a good cover would cost him. What I’m looking at now looks painfully like something my English teachers in high school would make me read. Or a textbook. A washed-out photograph of a dirt path through a thin cluster of trees? Well…it doesn’t do anything for me and it certainly wouldn’t catch my eye in a bookstore. That combined with the bland colours used for the text and borders around that makes for an incredibly anti-climactic cover. And it definitely doesn’t scream "fantasy/romance novel” to me.

That blurb…

Yeah, that’s not a blurb. All I get is that it’s a fairytale and that the title means something. Nothing about the characters (other than the main one is a renowned beauty - urgh, gag me) nor about the plot. Probably because those elements are nothing more than a nice effort, at best. And if you have to explain the metaphor that is your title, you’re doing something wrong.

Now, to the prologue. As a reader, I’m bored out of my skull and severely disappointed in what I might have paid for. As a writer (albeit an amateur one) I’m appalled that anyone would think this was worthy of money.

Not only does it begin with “once upon a time” which you could argue is perfect as this is a fairytale (and it doesn’t work, it’s incredibly pretentious), but it’s filled with many writing no-nos. Way too much telling, pretentious prose, and a main character that I already hate. Ella is the perfect princess (true to fairytales, so we can at least give him a little credit despite how painfully annoying this is coupled with a complete lack of real personality shining through).

I’d like to take a moment to explain that fairytales, for those of you who don’t know, are short. They are short because frankly, nobody can stand that kind of writing for very long. It’s not considered good. Fairytales are there to entertain. Usually to entertain children. Full-length novels written for teens to adults?

Can we deal with the purple prose for a second? All this over-describing and stupidly flowery wording to describe Ella walking to her balcony and looking out.

Unfortunately, Mr. Brittain has gained a bit of infamy on Wattpad where he’s known for threatening users who don’t praise him (pray for me) and telling successfully published authors that they know nothing about the industry and are completely wrong in saying that writing rules must be followed in order to be successful. What I’m saying is, you can expect complete disregard for basic rules that lead to good writing for the entirety of this story.

Another writing rule that’s big is to avoid adverbs like the plague, particularly words like “suddenly”. Such a shame Brittain used this very word (which is considered a cheap and childish way of conveying suddenness, FYI) to describe a wolf howling and Ella jumping back in fear. So not only is Ella physically perfect, she’s faint-hearted too. Such a fair maiden. Never was a maiden so fair nor so beauteous. Nor so boobilicious.

Oh please.

Sentence structure. It’s all very repetitive. First part of sentence, second part of sentence. And that’s mostly how it goes. The first part of the sentence is separated by a comma before we go into the second part of the unnecessarily detailed sentence. It’s painfully dull to read. Doesn’t do much for engaging the brain.

Dialogue tags. They’re not so bad, but combined with those adverbs? Another writing no-no that Brittain has chosen to completely ignore has made this story all the harder to read.

Here is a perfect example of that purple prose I was talking about as well as this problem Brittain seems to have when it comes to over-describing. “The princess let her pet melt under her keen stare for a bit longer before she bent forward for stroke him.” This is fine, right? Well…no. Only because it is then followed by this: “Ella caressed Duncan’s fine brown hair, rubbing his ears and scratching him with scarlet fingernails.” First of all, we already know what colour the damn dog is thanks to the paragraph before. Also, we already know she is stroking him, so why do we need all this “caressing” stuff thrown in there and who cares what colour perfect Ella’s fingernails are? As if we need more reasons to dislike her already.

At some point, Duncan the dog “suddenly” becomes aggressive towards something in the room and all of that purple prose and telling and usage of “suddenly” completely ruined it. I didn’t care. I wasn’t scared. Why Brittain seems to think he can get away with not following these important writing rules is beyond me.

This sentence now. (“SPIT IT OUT!” Ella shouted.) I don’t think Brittain knows that using all caps like that in a story other than a children’s book is considered highly unprofessional. Not to mention with the exclamation point and the dialogue tag, we know Ella is shouting. So the caps become redundant anyway.

“But the bulldog merely yawned, slumped lazily in his basket with a sullen frown on his face.” Adverbs: check. Redundancy: check. Slumping is a lazy action. Frowns are usually sullen. From the context, we know this. I just…

Urgh, I can’t. Even if there WAS more on Wattpad to read, I wouldn’t. This is painful. Everything is written through telling and purple prose which is just about the worst combination there is as both a reader and writer. You can have the most fantastic plot in the world, but if you can’t write it well, it won’t sell. At least concerning self-publishing. And bad writing usually equals bad characters.

In the end (SPOILER) Ella’s father is found dead and Ella cries. Like…I don’t even care. There has been so little character development here (not that he allowed himself the room for that with all the pointless description) for a character I didn’t like from the first sentence about her, that I don’t give a damn if her father’s dead or she’s crying or how scared of the wolf’s howl she was.

The writing of this entire prologue (and what I managed to see of the chapters before they were removed from Wattpad) is bland and boring to read. It’s hard to keep reading because it’s so boring. It reads like a history book, and nobody goes into a fantasy/romance for bland, boring, textbook-like writing.

And Brittain has the audacity to say “To continue reading, please purchase the book…” You mean I have to pay to read something that’s not been professionally edited? No thank you >…

[thxtimelady]

Alicia Vikander's filmography part 1.

'Till det som är vackert' dir. Lisa Langseth, 2009.

Alicia as Katerina.

'Kronjuvelerna', dir. Ella Lemhagen, 2011.

Alicia as Fragancia Fernandez.

'A Royal Affair', dir. Nikolaj Arcel, 2012.

Alicia as Caroline Mathilde.

'Anna Karenina', dir. Joe Wright, 2012.

Alicia as Kitty.

'The Fifth Estate', dir. Bill Condon, 2013.

Alicia as Anke Domscheit.

'Hotell', dir. Lisa Langseth, 2013.

Alicia as Erika.

'Testament of Youth', dir. James Kent, 2014.

Alicia as Vera Brittain.

'Son of a Gun', dir. Julius Avery, 2014.

Alicia as Tasha.

'The Seventh Son', dir. Sergey Bodrov, 2014.

Alicia as Alice.

'Ex Machina', dir. Alex Garland, 2015.

Alicia as Ava.

[elcinelateleymickyandonie]

Frank Sinatra α:12 de diciembre de 1915 Ω:14 de mayo de 1998

Francis Albert Sinatra, más conocido como Frank Sinatra (Hoboken, 12 de diciembre de 1915-Los Ángeles, 14 de mayo de 1998), fue un cantante y actor estadounidense. Apodado «la Voz», fue una de las principales figuras de la música popular del siglo XX y dejó, a través de sus discos y actuaciones en directo, un legado canónico en lo que respecta a la interpretación vocal masculina de esa música. Su popularidad llegó a ser inmensa y prácticamente constante a lo largo de toda su vida, aunque fueron especialmente exitosos los años cuarenta y cincuenta, siendo esta última década, con su producción discográfica para la compañía Capitol, la considerada como su etapa de mayor calidad como cantante. Su repertorio se basó en la obra de los más importantes compositores populares estadounidenses, como Jimmy Van Heusen, Cole Porter, Sammy Cahn o George Gershwin, y su estilo sintetizó, ya en sus orígenes, quince años de influencias mutuas entre la música de inspiración jazzística y la música pop que empezaba a difundirse a través de la radio. Sinatra construyó su estilo sobre la base de una comprensión natural de la música popular, tal como la habían entendido Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Benny Goodman y Louis Armstrong, explotando la idea de que esta, en todas sus vertientes, debería ser una extensión de la conversación. Técnicamente, se caracterizó por su cuidada precisión en el fraseo y su dominio del control de la respiración; el rango de su vozestaba próximo al de bajo-barítono. En cuanto a su categoría artística, esta radica en su capacidad interpretativa para transmitir las emociones y sentimientos implícitos en las letras de las canciones. En Sinatra, cualquier tipo de consideración vocal e, incluso, musical, resulta secundaria respecto de la que es su misión principal: contar una historia de la forma más expresiva posible. A Sinatra se le reconoce el haber sido el primer cantante que hace un uso consciente de los medios de amplificación del sonidocon el objeto de situar su voz por encima del sonido de la orquesta (dominadora de la música popular estadounidense de principios del siglo XX) y para aproximarla a la intimidad del oído del oyente. Como actor, Sinatra fue un artista de tipo intuitivo, reacio a someterse a los ensayos y repeticiones habituales en una grabación, por lo que sus interpretaciones fueron emocionalmente intensas al tiempo que irregulares. La importancia en su vida de su trabajo de actor fue capital; por ejemplo fue precisamente a través de su papel en De aquí a la eternidad como logró salir de un bache personal y artístico en el tránsito de los años cuarenta a los cincuenta para encumbrarse en lo más alto de la popularidad, además de ganar por su interpretación el Óscar al mejor actor secundario. A lo largo de su carrera profesional, Sinatra grabó más de 1300 canciones y participó en más de cincuenta películas. Recibió multitud de premios y homenajes, entre los que se cuentan diez premios Grammy, otorgados por la Academia de Artes y Ciencias de la Grabación, y la Medalla de la Libertad del gobierno estadounidense.

FILMOGRAFIA 1965 Todos eran valientes 2012 La música según Tom Jobim Ele mesmo 1988 ¿Quién es el jefe? - Temporada 5 Episodio 16 lui-même 1986 Magnum, P.I. - Temporada 7 Episodio 18 Michael Doheny 1984 Los locos del Cannonball, segunda parte Frank 1980 El primer pecado mortal Edward Delaney 1974 Érase una vez en Hollywood - 1971 Ana Coulder Dingus Magee 1970 Duelo de pillos Dingus Billy Magee 1968 El detective Joe Leland 1968 La mujer de cemento Tony Rome 1967 Hampa dorada Tony Rome 1966 Asalto al Queen Mary Mark Brittain 1966 El Óscar lui même 1966 La sombra de un gigante Spence Talmadge 1965 El coronel Von Ryan Colonel Joseph L. Ryan 1965 Todos eran valientes Mate Maloney 1964 Encuentro en París un chanteur 1963 4 tíos de Texas Zach Thomas 1963 Gallardo y Calavera Alan 1962 Dos frescos en órbita Un astronauta 1962 El mensajero del miedo Bennett Marco 1962 El último de la lista un gitan 1962 Los tres sargentos First Sgt. Mike Merry 1962 Tempestad sobre Washington Él mismo 1960 Cancan François Durnais 1960 La cuadrilla de los once Danny Ocean 1959 Cuando hierve la sangre Tom Reynolds 1959 Millonario de ilusiones Tony Manetta 1958 Cenizas bajo el Sol Lieutenant Sam Loggins 1958 Como un torrente Dave Hirsh 1957 La máscara del dolor Joe E. Lewis 1957 Orgullo y pasión Miguel 1957 Pal Joey Joey Evans 1956 Alta sociedad Mike Connor 1956 La vuelta al mundo en ochenta días Le pianiste du saloon 1955 El hombre del brazo de oro Frankie Machine 1955 El solterón y el amor Charlie Y Reader 1955 Ellos y ellas Nathan Detroit 1955 No serás un extraño Alfred Boone 1954 De repente John Baron 1954 Siempre tú y yo Barney Sloan 1953 De aquí a la eternidad Angelo Maggio 1951 Don dólar Johnny Dalton 1951 Te presento a Danny Danny Wilson 1949 Llévame a ver el partido Dennis Ryan 1949 Un día en Nueva York Chip 1948 The Miracle of the Bells Père Paul 1947 It Happened in Brooklyn Danny Webson Miller 1946 Hasta que las nubes pasen Él mismo

[libromundoes]

Los 10 mejores libros de enfermería | Katharine McMahon | Libros

BAntes de Florence Nightingale, la enfermería era el dominio de las órdenes religiosas o de las mujeres demasiado deshonrosas para ser domésticas. La guerra de Crimea en 1854 fue iniciada rápidamente por el gobierno británico, pero la falta de atención médica aumentó la tasa de mortalidad entre las tropas. Nightingale, a pesar de que luchó por encontrar incluso 40 mujeres calificadas en enfermería, aprovechó la oportunidad para estar en el centro de la acción. Pero esto fue solo el comienzo de décadas de discusiones sobre el papel preciso de la enfermera. ¿Ama de llaves o sanadora glorificada? ¿Sanador o cuidador? ¿Gerente, dispensador de drogas, administrador, consultor, terapeuta, ángel de la misericordia?

Como la mayoría de las chicas de mi generación, tenía un traje de enfermera y leía los libros de Sue Barton de Helen Dore Boylston, sobre Sue pelirroja que abraza la disciplina del hospital, muestra coraje y competencia y encuentra el amor con el doctor Bill. Florence Nightingale: A Ladybird Book: una bella dama salva a todo el ejército británico con la ayuda de una lámpara y una crinolina. Pero el encanto de la enfermería fue mucho más allá de la ropa; formó parte de un equipo competente, compasivo y Hay en el momento de la crisis.

Finalmente escribí La Rose de Sébastopol, inspirada en la transformación de Nightingale de la aburrida sociedad de la señorita en una pionera y reformadora. Aunque los médicos ocupan un lugar importante en la literatura, no creo que se haya escrito lo suficiente sobre enfermeras, sea cual sea el género. Pero aquí está mi elección de 10 libras; Nightingale podría haber aprobado algunos, no todos.

1. Martin Chuzzlewit por Charles Dickens Lanzada alrededor de una década antes de que apareciera Nightingale, esta novela está protagonizada por la Sra. Gamp, la oportunista borracha que está presente en los nacimientos, camas de enfermos y tendidos y 'tiene cara para todas las ocasiones " Su idea de la lactancia nocturna es deslizar la almohada debajo de la cabeza de su paciente para que pueda dormir un poco. Gamp encarna el desprecio por la higiene al comienzo de la era victoriana, no lava la ropa o las manos y no espera que su paciente se recupere, excepto por pura casualidad.

2. Notas sobre enfermería. Qué es y qué no es de Florence Nightingale Nightingale es incrédulo de que a ninguna mujer se le enseñe lo básico de la enfermería y que su manual llene el vacío. Su obsesión es aire puro y algunos de sus dictados son hilarantes de su tiempo: "Una enfermera que suena … es el horror de un paciente … La agitación del seda y crinolina … el crujido se queda ". Otros son conmovedores en su delicadeza: "Es curioso observar cómo casi todos los pacientes están acostados, con la cara vuelta hacia la luz, al igual que las plantas". El ruiseñor era feroz, ingenioso, exigente, implacable, ingenioso y elocuente. Leer este libro es escuchar su voz.

Detalle de la portada de la edición Penguin Classics de Mary Seacole's Wonderful Adventures. Fotografía: Penguin Books

3. Las maravillosas aventuras de la Sra. Seacole en muchos países por Mary Seacole Esta exuberante autobiografía fue escrita para recaudar fondos cuando Seacole regresó de Crimea. Ella se describe a sí misma como "una mujer amarilla materna" que fue rechazada por la Oficina de Guerra y el equipo de Nightingale a pesar de su probada experiencia en el tratamiento de soldados con fiebre en Jamaica. Sin embargo, fue a Crimea para abrir un hotel y una tienda general. A diferencia de Nightingale, se encontró en primera línea y proporcionó descripciones impresionantes de soldados de enfermería heridos, incluido un ruso que casi se mordió el dedo al examinar su mandíbula.

4. Testamento de juventud de Vera Brittain Si alguna vez ha habido una memoria para nuestro tiempo, este es el momento. El apasionado relato de Brittain sobre su juventud anterior a la guerra, su historia de amor y la brutal disciplina de su trabajo como enfermero con el Destacamento de Ayuda Voluntaria, primero en Inglaterra, Malta y Francia durante la Primera Guerra Mundial tienen una resonancia extraordinaria. Captura el tormento de la pena, perdiendo a su prometido, hermano y amigos, que sufrió durante sus castigos. Paradójicamente, uno de los capítulos más desgarradores describe cómo los padres de Brittain la obligaron a abandonar el trabajo en el hospital y retomar su papel de hija de la casa.

5. Endell Street por Wendy Moore Un compañero que le leyó a Vera Brittain es la historia de un hospital creado y administrado en su totalidad por mujeres. Moore documenta la tenacidad de los dos doctores sufragistas que crearon el hospital y el equipo femenino que lo dotó. Mujeres previamente no calificadas, algunas sin experiencia incluso en las tareas domésticas, trabajaban incansablemente para atender a los heridos y las víctimas de la gripe española. Sin embargo, después de la guerra, estas mujeres fueron relegadas a campos de medicina mal pagados, y décadas más tarde, las enfermeras aún eran tratadas como sirvientas recalcitrantes por sus matronas y quienes pagaban sus salarios.

6. Un manual para la limpieza de mujeres por Lucia Berlin Estas historias están locamente al límite. La figura de la enfermera aparece con frecuencia: imparcial, chismosa, exhausta. Se necesita un estómago fuerte para leer al Dr. HA Moynihan, en el cual una enfermera dental ayuda a su abuelo dental a extraer todos sus dientes. Y la trágica yuxtaposición de dos voces a Mijito: una madre adolescente y una enfermera con exceso de trabajo para quienes un bebé magullado es un caso más en una larga lista.

7. El lenguaje de la bondad por Christie Watson Esto es en parte narrativo, en parte la reflexión de Watson sobre la profesión que ama, desde la profesión de partería hasta la presentación de un cuerpo. Al igual que las otras memorias en esta lista, me humilla, porque la enfermera ha visto mucho y ha mostrado tanta compasión, habilidad y resistencia. Watson explora las cualidades extraordinarias y diversas que requiere una enfermera moderna. Sería tranquilizador si este libro, publicado en 2018, hubiera destacado una mayor apreciación de las enfermeras antes de la pandemia.

Jennifer Worth con una foto de sí misma como partera en la década de 1950. Fotografía: Frank Baron / el cuidador

8. En el medio de la vida por Jennifer Worth Por el autor de Call the Midwife, esta es una serie de ensayos de muerte, desde la eutanasia hasta la exigencia de hospitales para resucitar incluso a aquellos pacientes frágiles y moribundos. Algunos capítulos son historias de amor, otros explican brutalmente cómo, como sociedad, a menudo tenemos la muerte equivocada. Worth escribe con autoridad de investigación sobre un tema que ella pensó que todos necesitábamos para hablar mucho mejor. Murió en 2011, llegando a su fin con el coraje y la dignidad de sus defensores de los libros.

9. Un par de pies de Monica Dickens He leído esto innumerables veces de niña y me ha influenciado mucho para convertirme en escritora. Dickens (la bisnieta de Charles) tiene una frase desagradable, es un observador despiadado de las debilidades humanas y se deprecia constantemente. Ella describe la vida como una enfermera en prácticas durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, la mezquindad de la jerarquía, el régimen espartano, los deberes del menor como ama de casa y esquiva. Algunos de sus prejuicios están perturbando su tiempo, pero ella captura momentos de ternura junto con sus intentos de abofetear. haber terminado y a veces es profundamente respetuosa con las mujeres cualificadas con quienes trabaja.

10. Razones para ser gay por Nina Stibbe Esta novela es tan impasible que la risa me tomó por sorpresa. La heroína, Lizzie, se alista como enfermera dental y describe en detalle los aspectos exquisitos de su extraña familia, amigos cuestionables y siniestro empleador: un dentista obsesionado con unirse Masones. Lo he incluido aquí porque es divertido, original y está bellamente escrito. Un antídoto

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[bookolica]

Los mejores libros de 2019… que todavía no he leído

Una de las cosas que se suelen hacer cuando se acerca el cierre del año es la de echar cuentas de qué se ha leído durante el año que está a punto de terminar y escoger aquellos libros que han entrado en la lista de los mejores. Los mejores libros de 2019 sería, por tanto, el título esperable sobre el que ahora mismo tendría que estar escribiendo. 

Sin embargo, en esta recta final del año, me di cuenta, gracias a varios momentos, de que el cierre del año debería ser, al menos para mí, el momento de hacer balance de todos los libros que salieron este año, querría haber leído y no leí. Muchas de esas novedades están todavía en las mesas de novedades de las librerías, pero siempre me acabo repitiendo “la próxima vez que me pase”. Otras se me pasaron en medio de las novedades que presentan las editoriales. Fueron notas de prensa que se quedaron colgadas en medio de los muchos mails que tengo sin leer. Otras no llegaron como nota de prensa, pero me las acabé cruzando en redes sociales y tomando nota mental de que tenía que leerlas y localizarlas (y nunca llegué a hacerlo). 

En cierto modo, están llegando tantas cosas a las mesas de novedades y tantas tan interesantes que resulta normal acabar sintiéndose abrumada por la oferta… y desarrollar en grado agudo FoMO ante todo lo que llega al mercado. Cuando además tu trabajo implica leer libros (lo que no siempre supone leer los libros que quieres leer sino que muchas veces el que por una razón o por otra deberías estar leyendo), no siempre puedes tampoco seguir el ritmo y tienes que priorizar. Y, además, leer libros inesperados es también algo estupendo, algo que puede descubrirte cosas maravillosas e inesperadas. 

Pero ¿qué me he dejado sin leer y qué espero leer en algún momento en el futuro? (Casi, casi, esta podría ser mi carta a los Reyes Magos). En mi lista han entrado los libros que recordaba sin tener que rebuscar mucho en mis recuerdos (lo que quiere decir que no son ni de lejos todos los que me prometí leer en algún momento y que no he hecho) y que no están aún en mi pila de libros por leer, esa que crece y crece sin freno. 

Es probable que el top de mis libros deseados y no leídos de 2019 sea Testamento de juventud, de Vera Brittain, que publicaban hace unos meses en edición conjunta Errata Naturae y Editorial Periférica. Llevo queriendo leer ese libro desde hace años, cuando lo referenciaban en un ensayo sobre las mujeres de principios de siglo. Cuando descubrí que iba a ser uno de los lanzamientos de estas editoriales, me convertí en el emoji ese que lleva ojos de corazón. Lo incluí, de hecho, en un listado de lo más esperado para la temporada otoño-invierno. Y no, aún no he llegado a leerlo. 

No es el único libro de fondo que han recuperado las editoriales y que desee – sin éxito – sumar a mi lista de lecturas. Otro de esos títulos es Telefónica, de Ilsa Barea-Kulcsar (Hoja de Lata).  

Esta novedad me la encontré en medio de mi feed en Twitter. No sabía que existía hasta ese momento, pero rápidamente supe que ¡tenía que leerla! Y, no, no lo he hecho. Ilsa Barea-Kulcsar era la pareja de Arturo Barea, al que conoció durante la Guerra Civil. Ella escribió su versión de los hechos y del tiempo que pasaron juntos trabajando en el Madrid en guerra, en el edificio Telefónica. Tiene toda la pinta de ser una de esas joyas dignas de ser rescatadas (y Hoja de Lata lo ha hecho ya en el pasado, lo que me genera confianza). 

Y lo mismo ocurre con prácticamente la mitad del catálogo de Renacimiento – libro arriba, libro abajo – de este año. De hecho, podría deciros que Renacimiento me genera un poco de ansiedad y no os estaría mintiendo. Cada mes voy siguiendo en su perfil en Facebook qué lanzan y cada mes quiero leer tantas cosas que no sé de dónde voy a sacar el tiempo. Purgando de todo lo que han lanzado este año, lamento no haberme hecho con las novelas Natacha, de Luisa Carnés, y Mosko-Strom, de Rosa Arciniega, o el libro de crónicas periodísticas Lo que cuentan los niños, en el que Elena Fortún retrata a los niños trabajadores de los años 30. 

También añado a mi lista A París en burro, el libro de viajes de unos periodistas que pasaron de ir de Madrid a París en tren a principios del siglo XX, y el ensayo El sardanista pornógrafo, de Jean-Louis Guereña, sobre un editor de novelas «verdes» en la España de las primeras décadas del siglo XX. 

Por supuesto, esto es solo el recuento de tres editoriales. 

Tampoco leí – y quería – Memorial de los libros naufragados, de Edward Wilson-Lee (Ariel), sobre la ambiciosa biblioteca que quiso crear el hijo de Cristóbal Colón; Viajeros en el Tercer Reich, de Julia Boyd (Ático de los Libros), sobre los turistas que viajaban a la Alemania nazi antes de la II Guerra Mundial; o muchísimos ensayos que ha publicado Cátedra, pero de los que me quedaré con El Prado. La cultura y el ocio, de Eugenia Afinoguénova, sobre la historia del museo. 

Y aún no he leído Señoras que se empotraron hace mucho, de Cristina Domenech (Plan B), a pesar de las muchas veces que lo vi en librerías y me prometí que, en cuanto bajase un par de ensayos del montón de por leer, me lo compraba. Es uno de esos libros que no entiendo cómo no he leído todavía, lo mismo que me pasa con El coloquio de las perras, de Luna Miguel, que ha publicado Capitán Swing y que aborda la presencia de las escritoras en el boom latinoamericano. 

Los ensayos son, en general, los libros que más suelen irse quedando en mi lista de libros por leer que deseo pero que no llego ni siguiera a sumar a los que tengo pendientes.  Aun así, en mi lista hay también novelas. Todavía no he leído (ni siquiera comprado para mi lista libros pendientes, esa pila que está conquistando poco a poco mi casa) Los testamentos, de Margaret Atwood (Salamandra), a pesar de que es uno de los grandes pesos pesados literarios del año. 

No es la única novela. Por ejemplo, me he tropezado por las mesas de novedades con Sitiados, de Mercedes Santos (Pamies), que por su sinopsis parece romántica histórica en el Cádiz de la Guerra de Independencia, pero nunca he llegado a llevarme el libro a casa. 

¿Lograré leer en algún momento todos estos libros? Sí, es un bonito sueño, pero lo cierto es que si lo pienso – y no tengo que esforzarme mucho para encontrar ejemplos – arrastro grandes novedades de años anteriores que no he llegado a leer. Por ejemplo, ya desde 2018 quiero hacerme con Cocina viejuna, de Ana Vega (Larousse), un recetario sobre los platos ‘viejunos’ y su evolución o con el ensayo Las cartas de Elena Francis, de Armand Balsebre y Rosario Fontova (Cátedra), que recupera la historia de la famosa consejera sentimental radiofónica de la postguerra. Vamos a entrar en 2020 y no, aún no los he leído.

Foto Pexels

The post Los mejores libros de 2019… que todavía no he leído appeared first on Librópatas.

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[joseandrestabarnia]

Título: Un par de retratos de antepasados de marido y mujer

Artistas: Artista desconocido

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Los retratos ancestrales generalmente ocurren en parejas, representando una pareja casada ancestral, formalmente sentada y ricamente vestida con túnicas apropiadas para su rango en la jerarquía de la sociedad tradicional china. Estas figuras están vestidas apropiadamente con ropa y joyas elaboradas para mostrar la importancia que tenían cuando estaban vivos. Las pinturas muestran claramente a un esposo y una esposa, confirmados por sus insignias de rango. Las insignias parecen retratar al faisán plateado (baixian), que es la insignia de un funcionario civil de quinto rango. Durante el período Qing, las esposas estaban autorizadas a usar la misma insignia que sus esposos. Sin embargo, las plumas de la cola del pájaro también tienen similitudes con el papamoscas del paraíso, la insignia de un oficial de noveno rango. Las imágenes proporcionan un ejemplo de cómo a veces se tomaron libertades al pintar tales retratos.

Ambientadas sobre un fondo liso estándar, ambas figuras se sientan en sillas redondas: él se sienta sobre una elaborada piel de tigre, simbolizando su riqueza y poder, ella sobre un tejido floral. Adjunto a la ropa de la mujer hay un amuleto de jade 'ruyi' que cuelga hacia la parte inferior de su prenda. Otros adornos decorativos cuelgan de su tocado. Como solía ser el caso, sus pies están ocultos, mientras se muestran los pies del hombre.

Las pinturas de antepasados generalmente no están firmadas y, en ocasiones, fueron trabajadas por múltiples artistas, por ejemplo, aquellos que se especializaron en la pintura de elementos como el pelaje o los ojos. A diferencia de las pinturas literarias, estas imágenes eran para la veneración de los antepasados en el hogar, de quienes se esperaba que proporcionaran buena fortuna en la vida de los vivos.

Etiqueta en la exposición Gloriosa en agosto de 2018: "Los retratos ancestrales se crearon para la veneración de los antepasados en el hogar. Generalmente aparecen en parejas de parejas sentadas formalmente ricamente vestidas con túnicas apropiadas para su rango en la jerarquía de la sociedad tradicional china. Estos retratos A menudo fueron copiadas por generaciones posteriores para reemplazar un original desgastado.

Durante los períodos Ming y Qing, las esposas fueron autorizadas a usar la misma insignia que sus esposos, como se ve en esta pareja. Sus insignias de rango parecen retratar al faisán plateado (baixian), la insignia de un funcionario civil de quinto rango. Sin embargo, las plumas de la cola del pájaro también tienen similitudes con el papamoscas del paraíso, la insignia de un oficial de noveno rango. Las imágenes proporcionan un ejemplo de cómo a veces se tomaron libertades al pintar tales retratos. "(documentado por Yin Cao)

Detalles:

Lugar donde se realizó el trabajo: China

Período: Dinastía Ming 1368-1644 → China

Dinastía Qing 1644-1911 → China

Fecha: Siglo XVII - siglo XVIII

Categoría de medios: Pintura

Materiales usados: color sobre seda

Dimensiones:

a - esposo, 110 x 65.5 cm

b - esposa, 110 x 65.5 cm

Fecha de firma: No firmado. Sin fecha

Crédito: Regalo de Allan Brittain 2007, Art Gallery NSW.

Información del museo.