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Tag Archives: Hannibal

Where are the elephants?

13 Thursday Aug 2020

Posted by la Clarina in Books, History, Stories

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elephants, Frederick II, Hannibal, Jean de Brunhoff, Mark Shand, Rudyard Kipling

Don’t you think that literature has far too few elephants?

I mean elephant characters, with a central place in the story and a definite personality. You see, yesterday I was discussing Elephant World Day with some friends, and at one point the conversation veered on the literary aspect of the subject – and there was surprisingly little. Surprisingly, when you consider what wonderful, intelligent and meaningful creatures they are – and yet, when you discount those elephants that are merely extras or window dressing, that have nothing to say for themselves, that just walk through the forests, crash into gardens and are hunted, I can think of only a handful of literary elephants. Continue reading →

Cannae

02 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by la Clarina in History

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Battle of Cannae, BBC, Hannibal, Second Punic War

Image from page 24 of "The battle of Cann...

Exactly two thousand two hundred and thirty years ago, near the city of Cannae, Romans and Carthaginians were facing each others, ready to fight one of the greatest battles in history. Well, they didn’t know that – or at least, the Romans didn’t. Sure in their strenght and greater numbers, consuls Aemilius Paulus and Varro were confident that they’d finally give the Carthaginian usptart what was his.

But Hannibal? He must have known the battle he had designed was a tactical masterpiece. Certainly, he didn’t expect it to be his last great victory in the field… In the end, Cannae was his masterpiece and the high point of his flaming parable, and part of his intangible legacy – considering his tactics are still studied in military schools all over the worlds… Who knows, how would he like to know that in spite of losing his war, he won some sort of immortality for himself?

Oh, never mind me. I’m more than a little in love with the man – I’ve even written a novel about him. Well, two novels, technically. And a play, which I’m going to rewrite, because… because. And there are at least a couple of stories and a monologue still to be written…

And meanwhile, yes – today is the 2230th anniversary of Cannae, and here is a nice depiction of Cannae according to the BBC.

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