The Wheel and Axle

20 Oct. 1882 – 16 Aug. 1956

Today is not just the birthday of the fascinating legendary poet Arthur Rimbaud.

Today is also the birthday of another legend, this time from film: the one and only horror icon Bela Lugosi, whose portrayal of Count Dracula forever ingrained the master vampire into the global consciousness. Though there have been other iconic Draculas who succeeded Bela (Christopher Lee and Gary Oldman, in particular), it was Bela’s Dracula that first brought into our collective minds our idea of who and what the count could be and which informed and influenced almost all other later portrayals.

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20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891

Le Dormeur du Val
Arthur Rimbaud

C’est un trou de verdure où chante une rivière
Accrochant follement aux herbes des haillons
D’argent ; où le soleil, de la montagne fière,
Luit : c’est un petit val qui mousse de rayons.

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Novelist. Playwright. Poet. Essayist.

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On the same day that the King of Thailand passed away earlier this week, another piece of history was made when the legendary Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. This is historic as it marks the first time the award was given to a musician, cementing the fact that music is poetry and deserves recognition not just for the sounds but also for the lyrics and thought.

My only gripe? Jim Morrison never won.

But that’s neither here nor there. Dylan – another master of words and social reality – most definitely deserves the recognition.

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Aside from a comment here and there as well as a shared post or two, I hadn’t really been planning to write much about the whole controversy involving the upcoming GMA TV show Alyas Robin Hood, a series whose 15-second teaser trailer evoked visuals that are straight out of Arrow.

Do I believe the visuals are a rip-off? Yes. Don’t tell us that no one has a sole claim on the color green. Anyone with eyes and not in denial can clearly see that production practically copied the CW show’s version of the character from the outfit to the overall feel. Please.

How about the story? We cannot really say because the show hasn’t started yet, but I will point out that – based on a synopsis online – it doesn’t sound much like Arrow. It actually sounds like the premise of Will Eisner’s pulp hero The Spirit. Uhm, yey?

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It was hard to get a good profile pic in the days of Mahmud I.

I’ve long known that I shared my birthday with the late, great Peter O’Toole as well as Eddie Furlong (yes, kids, you probably have no idea) and, oh all right, Dingdong Dantes.

However, I recently came upon a more comprehensive list, and I must say, I’m in pretty good company.

Mahmud I. 1696. Because one needs to throw royalty into this list. Mahmud was a Sultan of the Ottoman Empire who fought Persia, Austria, and Russia. He also wrote poetry because obviously one needs a soothing distraction from the occasional pillaging.

Constantine I of Greece. 1868. Okay, fine, just one more royal. Even if he was accused of being a German sympathizer during World War I  (officially, he advocated for neutrality).

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Sixty-two years ago today, J.R.R. Tolkien changed the landscape of fantasy fiction when The Fellowship of the Ring was published. The historical relevance and cultural impact of this book cannot be overstated, as it not only paved the way for a new generation of fantasy writers and readers but it also continues to influence various forms of media as well as the social consciousness of the general public to this very day.

Originally, The Lord of the Rings was supposed to have been one long novel sub-divided into six sections he called “books,” but the publisher instead chose to divide it into three separate novels that formed the trilogy we now know and love.

Some form of Elvish

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From: Jessica Rules The Universe

I went to my mentor’s bookshelf sale last Saturday and left with more stuff than I planned.

My primary purpose was to acquire the cool-looking ornate crucifix she had posted because, well, Buffy. I have no idea where it’s from, but there’s just something Old World about it, something so very classic Europe, maybe even Eastern Orthodox, that I can’t help but want it. I love that culture. Of course, it could’ve been from Paete for all I knew, I am ignorant of these things, but it didn’t matter. It’s gorgeous, and I had to have it.

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… but Sophia more so.

I love books. Really, I would never have become a writer if I didn’t start with books. Books are food for the soul. They stimulate the mind, bringing in new ideas and new worlds into one’s consciousness. They mould your being, providing insight and growth no matter how much you might not know it.

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