Snakes

Fülszöveg

LITERATURE
1-59077-008-0
NAKES
Olli Ciiiiliol'oim o.'
SERPENT TALES
Ever since that unfortunate encounter in the Garden of Eden, snakes have suffered from an image problem. Who doesn't recoil in horror over Perseus' meeting witli Medusa and her headdress of writhing reptiles? If Daniel had to choose between a den of lions or a pit full of serpents he might have decided to try pot luck with the cats.
But then again, perhaps not. Practically since the beginning of recorded time, and in widely differing cultures, the serpent has been invested with a rich religious, poetic and artistic symbohsm. hi modern times, the form and movement of the serpent has influenced our notions of beauty and design. It is no insult to describe the curved body of a handsome woman or the outlines of a piece of sculpture as serpentine.
The functionary's remark underscores the pervasive influence these creatures exert over the imaginations of men everywhere. In editing Snakes: An Anthology of Serpent... Tovább

Fülszöveg

LITERATURE
1-59077-008-0
NAKES
Olli Ciiiiliol'oim o.'
SERPENT TALES
Ever since that unfortunate encounter in the Garden of Eden, snakes have suffered from an image problem. Who doesn't recoil in horror over Perseus' meeting witli Medusa and her headdress of writhing reptiles? If Daniel had to choose between a den of lions or a pit full of serpents he might have decided to try pot luck with the cats.
But then again, perhaps not. Practically since the beginning of recorded time, and in widely differing cultures, the serpent has been invested with a rich religious, poetic and artistic symbohsm. hi modern times, the form and movement of the serpent has influenced our notions of beauty and design. It is no insult to describe the curved body of a handsome woman or the outlines of a piece of sculpture as serpentine.
The functionary's remark underscores the pervasive influence these creatures exert over the imaginations of men everywhere. In editing Snakes: An Anthology of Serpent Tales, Willee Lewis has achieved a panoramic selection of snake poetry and prose ranging from the heroic grandeur of Ovid to the whimsy of Ogden Nash, from the classicism of Milton to folksiness of Mark Twain. Serpents serve as the common denominator, but they appear in many different guises. Who could doubt that Rudyard Kipling's Nag and Nagaina - adversaries of the plucky Rikki Tiki Tavi - are lethal and remorseless killers? But Kipling's cobra couple bears little resemblance to D. H. Lawrence's snake at the water trough that is poetically imagined as "a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld "
(con linued on back flap)
(continued from front flap)
The organization of tiiis collection allows us to a])preciate snakes IVoni both a profane and a sacred perspective. Snakes are also presented here as creatures inhabiting the garden of life—for better or worse, while another section presents them as mortal combatants. Yet another grouping of selections describes the exotic nature of snake encoimters. A final set takes us into the world of folklore and mythology.
hi a piece written for this book, Gail Godwin, wliose love for her garden embraces the garter snakes that live there, captures the elusive mystery that seems to attach itself to our relationship with snakes. She writes, "No matter how often I go looking for my snakes, I always scream and clutch my heart when we first make contact. The thrill of a snake's sheer otherness never seems to wear off"
That thrill is at the heart of this book.
WILLEE LEWIS has
taught high school English in Chicago and Minneapolis and at the Washington hitemational School, in Washington, D.C., where she has hved I since 1972. Currently, she is president of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation.
jacket design and PIKXR) (front coveh) by SUSAN SHAPIRO AirmOR PHOTO (back cover) by leslie cashen

"SiKike! Jiisl die sound of the word strikes (leejj and disturi)iiig in the suljooiiscioiis—mysterious, dangerous, prirnoidiai in their suggestiveness, snakes are as much a pari of our imagination as they are real. And Snakex, a rich and varied coMeclioa edited by Willee Lewis and ranging in content from die Genesis to contem])orary snake stories—is a book to own, to buy for gifts—full of tales which delight and provoke and amuse." — susan richards shrevk, Author of Plnni & Jaggers
"As a reformed catcher of snakes, I enjoyed curling up to this collection on the serpent. Ranging from the hilarious to the hoiTendous, Snaki'fi is a fine tribute to a fascinating subject." — amy tan,
Author of The Bonesetter's Daughter and The Opposite of Fate
"Willee Lewis' book is eveiything an anthology about snakes should be: creepy, crawly, cool and mesmerizing. I've been sleeping with the light on ever since I read it." — christopher buckley, Author of No Way to Treat a First Lady and JVashington Schlepped Here
"Willee Lewis has brought us a splendidly entertaining, imaginative and siu prising collection, with contributions from some of the most honored authors in the English language. After reading this book, you will wonder why St. Patrick was so eager to drive ali the snakes out of Ireland."
— mlchael. beschi.oss, Author of The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, iQ4i-ig4^
"Coiled at the dark center of imagination, the snake is a brilliant theme, binding this sophisticated collection with a primal shiver." — suzannah lessard, Author of The Architect of Desire Vissza