Gothic BC

I just started "The Murder of Tutankhamun", and although I am a HUGE fan of ancient Egyptian culture, I've never thought much of the King Tut tomb discovery.  However, the book has been written by a celebrated Egyptologist (Bob Brier, PhD.), which parallels a television documentary he ran a few years ago.  I had forgotten that Tut was the son of the heretic Pharoah Akhenaten (he belived in one god only, which totally ripped the kingdom apart), and it turns out there was likely a very nasty conspiracy surrounding Tut's death.  Apparently the boy-king was murdered by a blow to the head, which lasted in several days of concussion before he died.  Brier's theories are supported by forensic evidence, records found in tomb vaults, and good old-fashioned detective work.  My kind of book.

Right now, I'm in the middle of "Labyrinths" by Jorge Luis Borges. It's a collection of short stories that interweave through archetypal adjectives and parallel scenarios. Very nicely crafted thus far.

-roy

Fingerprints Of The Gods by Graham Hancock.

Exploring the idea that the story of the civilization of humankind is older than we previously believed, using archaeo-astronomy, geology, anthropology and the collective global comparison of ancient myths to determine our prehistory.  This rather enterprising former correspondant for the London Sunday Times and The Economist did something few have ever bothered to do: approach scientists from several different disciplines to discuss and put together the pieces of the puzzle.

Mid 19th century French popular culture and late 19th century French Bohemianism mostly, with some forays into British and American perceptions. There is some discussion of the recent revivial of Absinthe in British and American sub-cultures (Absinthe's place in the North American Gothic subculture is specifically talked about, for example). Also of local, B.C., interest there is some mention a Malcolm Lowry's infamous drinking and what part Absinthe played in that. The primary focus, though, are the Parisian Bohemians of the Belle Epoche.

I just finished "The Book of Absinthe: a Cultural History" by Phil Baker. It was quite entertaining and informative.

I think I'd like to track down work by and about Dorothy Parker next.