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September 07, 2006
Bartholomaeus Spranger
Oh, what a beautiful early September morning. Here I am, at the computer, smelling crispy air, watching the sun reflecting off the window shade's slats.
Berti Spranger, Maddalena's impetuous lothario, is on my mind, this time as the main character of Bartholomaeus, Book Two of The Golden Tripolis Trilogy. Due to his privileged position at court of Rudolf II Habsburg, he is a natural narrator in Book Two. With his friendship and blessing, Berti marries goldsmith Muller’s daughter, yet his patron dominates his life. Commanded to paint nearly exclusively in the castle studio which the emperor visits regularly, Berti’s erotic compositions offer intimate comments on Rudolf’s sexuality.
Home to Rabbi Loew and a large Jewish population, as well as numerous foreigners—mostly Germans, Netherlanders, Spaniards and Italians—Rudolfine Prague is also where the first tulips arrived from Turkey, where exotic lions and Dodo birds landed in Rudolf’s menagerie. His patronage of artists, artisans and craftsmen, scientists and quacks, scholars and pretenders; his unwillingness to marry royal princesses while fathering children with a mistress; and his religious indifference and need to rule an imaginary macrocosm alone energize a singular historical novel.
Are you ready for it? It's coming! Word-by-word, one chapter at a time. Dear reader, be patient, please.
Posted by Eva Siroka at September 7, 2006 10:04 AM