Margellos World Republic of Letters Winter Mythologies and Abbots, (Paperback)

<b>Michon&amp;#39;s exquisite short narratives transport us to the heart of the Middle Ages as witnesses to the double-edged power of belief</b> <p> This welcome volume brings to English-language readers two beautifully crafted works by the internationally acclaimed French author Pierre Michon. Populated by distant and little-known figures--Irish and French monks, saints, and scientists in <i>Winter Mythologies;</i> Benedictine monks in the Vend&amp;#233;e region of France in<i> Abbots</i>--the tales frequently draw on obscure histories and other literary sources. </p><p> Michon brings his characters to life in spare, evocative prose. Each, in his or her own way, exemplifies a power of belief that brings about an achievement--or catastrophe--in the real world: monasteries are built upon impossibly muddy wastes, monks acquire the power of speech, lives are taken, books are written, saints are created on the flimsiest of evidence. Michon&amp;#39;s exploration in ancient archives has led him to the discovery of such often deluded figures and their deeds, and his own exceptional powers bestow upon them a renewed life on the written page. This in turn is an example of the power of belief, which for Michon is what makes literature itself possible. <i>Winter Mythologies</i> and <i>Abbots</i> are meant to be read slowly, to be savored, to be mined for the secrets Michon has to tell.</p>

• Margellos World Republic of Letters Winter Mythologies and Abbots, (Paperback)
• Author: Yale University Press
• ISBN: 9780300179064
• Format: Paperback
• Publication Date: 2014-03-25
• Page Count: 128