Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (c. 1466-1563) was a Christian humanist philosopher from the Netherlands, now considered to be one of the most influential thinkers of the European Renaissance. As a provocateur…
John Sheppard (c. 1515-1558) can be ranked amongst the finest and foremost English composers from the Renaissance. Still, it is only recently that he is getting the attention he deserves,…
Last weekend, I stumbled upon a beautiful poem by W.H. Auden, called As I walked out one evening. I was watching Richard Linklater’s mesmerizing Before Trilogy, which depicts the relationship…
An amusing but relatively unknown myth is that of Arion and the dolphin. While the story dates back to at least the 5th century BC, when it is recounted by…
So often when we think about ancient Rome, we tend to think of its glorious history: a world of mighty emperors, illustrious generals, and lofty orators and poets. Add to…
Victor Hugo (1802-1885) was a French novelist, poet, and politician, mostly known for his novels The Hunchback of the Notre-Dame and his magnum opus Les Misérables, both of which have…