One of the most compelling figures to emerge from World War II wasn’t a military hero or a world leader. It was a young Jewish girl with a front-row seat to the Holocaust, who kept a diary of her most candid thoughts and observations. Her story serves as a reminder of the horrors of antisemitism, racism, and discrimination, even today.
Off the island of Crete in Greece, the crumbling remains of Spinalonga Island hold the secrets of a castaway colony from long ago. Spinalonga was initially constructed as a fortress to protect the Port of Olous in the early 1700s. With its steep walls and impenetrable defenses, it remained under Venetian control long after the Ottomans conquered the rest of Crete.
Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, the creator of the 1740 French fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast,” actually drew her inspiration from real historical events. In the 1500s, a man named Petrus Gonsalvus was born in Tenerife, Spain, with a rare genetic condition called “hypertrichosis,” or “werewolf syndrome.”
Iconic British photographer Jimmy Nelson carries on his tradition of capturing brilliant images of the world’s many indigenous cultures through his latest book, “Homage To Humanity.” While his earlier work, “Before They Pass Away,” had a more cynical view of the fate of these cultures, his new book takes us on a journey through a new lens – one of celebration and honor.
For some, a visit for a few nights at a secluded mountain resort sounds like a peaceful escape. For others, it could be a nightmare-inducing situation straight out of Stephen King’s thriller, “The Shining.” The experience of staying at “The Stanley Hotel,” located less than 90 minutes from downtown Denver, Colorado is likely to fall somewhere in the middle depending on how open guests are to paranormal events.
For anyone who thinks one person cannot make a difference, just look at the example of Antonio La Cava. The retired Italian schoolteacher has decided to spend his golden years bringing the joy of reading to his local region in southern Italy.
Born in Argentina to a Russian Jewish family in 1925, Adolfo Kaminsky is a former member of the underground French Resistance. During World War II, Kaminsky helped as many as 14,000 Jewish people escape persecution by forging identity papers.
In his recently published book, titled “The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries,” Italian photographer Massimo Listri invites bibliophiles to a wonderful photographic journey to some of the most extraordinary libraries in the world.
Harvard’s Office for the Arts, Classics Department, and Classics Club, in partnership with the Center for Hellenic Studies, and the Consulate General of Greece in Boston will present Sophocles’ classic drama “Antigone.”
Romania, home of Dracula – both the legendary vampire and the real-life ruler – is a country with a long and bloody past. Located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, it is wrapped in mystery and legend.
