De Libris | About Books Seán A. Hemingway ’85
The Tomb of Alexander Hutchinson
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n his first novel, Seán Hemingway ’85 explores one of the greatest leaders of all time. After Alexander died, his tomb was the most renowned and respected shrine in the Roman Empire, the object of veneration by great emperors and leaders the world over. It stood at the heart of the grandest city on earth. And then it disappeared. Centuries later, on a dig in Crete, curator and archaeologist Tom Carr is convinced that he’s discovered a vital clue. At his side is a beautiful young artist, Victoria Price. Together, they are prepared to risk everything to find the tomb and solve one of the most enduring mysteries of our time. Seán, an archaeologist and a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, has written about ancient Greek art and has edited several books by his grandfather, Ernest Hemingway. Robert B. Whitney ’61 (aka S.W. Bardot)
House Ascendant: Odysseus & His Family in the Early 13th Century BC iUniverse
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riting under his pen name, Robert B. Whitney ’61 explores the young life of Odysseus and his early friendship with Mentor, a relationship that grew into one of the great friendships of Western literature. Beginning with Odysseus’ birth in 1286 during the co-regency of his father, Laertes, and his grandfather, who was sired by the legendary Cephalos, the book takes us to 1271 B.C., when Odysseus was 15 years old. The first part tells tales about Odysseus as a young boy under the care of his mother, Anticleia; a second part explores his late childhood, from his apprenticeship in naval command under the guidance of the brilliant Laertes to his earliest accomplished naval titles. A third part of the book introduces his loves-in-life, which begin just after his recuperation from a gashing boar wound that he suffered while a guest of his grandfather, Autolykos, at Gulf Phokis. He heals, of course, to command the near fleets of the Ithacan League, during which period he consorts with Kassiope of Scheria. The book’s extensive addenda provide tools for both advanced scholars and laypersons wholly unfamiliar with antiquity.
William M. Tsutsui ’81
Japanese Popular Culture and Globalization Association for Asian Studies
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apanese popular culture—from anime (animation) and manga (comic books) to video games and Sudoku number puzzles—has become a global phenomenon. Yet few of the worldwide fans of Pokémon, Iron Chef, and Hello Kitty understand the historical origins of contemporary Japanese pop culture, the course of its international diffusion, or the broader implications of its global appeal. This concise volume explores the historical, cultural, and economic factors that have fueled Japan’s pop creativity and the reception of Japanese entertainment products by markets and consumers around the world. It also considers how the rise of Japan as a “soft superpower” will affect Japan’s place in the global political system, its neighbors in East Asia, and our conceptions of what is so “Japanese” about Japanese pop culture. Bill Tsutsui ’81 also recently co-edited The East Asian Olympiads, 1934-2008: Building Bodies and Nations in Japan, Korea, and China.
56 | Quarterly Spring 2012