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Literary Cities
Literary Savannah
The statues of Savannah's Monument Square are silent. The statue of the solemn girl in Bonaventure Cemetery -- made famous in John Berendt's blockbuster book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil -- can't speak. Only Savannah's literary monuments can give voice to the diverse history of one of America's greatest cities; one that has for centuries inspired fascination worldwide.
288 pages, Paperback
First published July 28, 1998
5 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Allen
130 books4 followersLibrarian Note:
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There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 21, 2008
Literary Savannah is the collection of multiple authors input on the beautiful city with a long and important history in Georgia.
Having lived ourselves in this magnificent city and still calling it our home in our hearts, this book has not only charmed us, but has taught us much about the Savannah history as well as the history of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and partly Florida in general.
The colonial cemetery was a large park crisscrossed with avenues where the finest trees in Savannah cast a constantly moving shade over paths of pink brick. Sycamores, catalpas, cork oaks, all bore in their foliage shreds of grey moss like long torn veils, stirring by the slightest breath of air. Originally from Barbados and borne by the wind, this almost ethereal vegetation added a melancholy element to even the most cheerful countryside land its strange attraction finally had its effect on the imagination. You could pull it out from the green depths, but it would come back, like some obsession…from Julien Green (1900-1998) The Distant Lands.
Let us close our review with a few short strophes from Aberjhanie’s poem Return to Savannah, because, after all who would not want to!
Memories: vicious Like a thicket made hot With cobras. The wrong step or erroneous beat of the heart and I could turn into a tower, bursting with death.
Legends tell the tourists that specters roam this city but I’ve no need for tales to explain the red-eyed shadows hopping like squirrels through the greenless branches of my immediate apprehension. I remember when they died. Stand amazed, now, watching them haunt reflections of their former lives…
The stories of the area’s history come to life as we turn the pages, read from the pen of Conrad Aiken, Sherwood Anderson, William Bartram, John Berendt, Emily Pilsbury Burke, Juliette Gordon Low, Johnny Mercer and Aberjhani and so many more.
Of course even some ghost stories will be found, after all, Savannah is known to friends of the paranormal as the most haunted city in the South.
Naturally, the South has always been of interest to us and our knowledge has been reasonable, but, after reading Literary Savannah, we felt truly educated and Savannah grew even dearer to our hearts.
If you like the South, you should not miss out on this literary adventure, if you love Savannah, you really should include this exceptional work in your home library.
Having lived ourselves in this magnificent city and still calling it our home in our hearts, this book has not only charmed us, but has taught us much about the Savannah history as well as the history of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and partly Florida in general.
The colonial cemetery was a large park crisscrossed with avenues where the finest trees in Savannah cast a constantly moving shade over paths of pink brick. Sycamores, catalpas, cork oaks, all bore in their foliage shreds of grey moss like long torn veils, stirring by the slightest breath of air. Originally from Barbados and borne by the wind, this almost ethereal vegetation added a melancholy element to even the most cheerful countryside land its strange attraction finally had its effect on the imagination. You could pull it out from the green depths, but it would come back, like some obsession…from Julien Green (1900-1998) The Distant Lands.
Let us close our review with a few short strophes from Aberjhanie’s poem Return to Savannah, because, after all who would not want to!
Memories: vicious Like a thicket made hot With cobras. The wrong step or erroneous beat of the heart and I could turn into a tower, bursting with death.
Legends tell the tourists that specters roam this city but I’ve no need for tales to explain the red-eyed shadows hopping like squirrels through the greenless branches of my immediate apprehension. I remember when they died. Stand amazed, now, watching them haunt reflections of their former lives…
The stories of the area’s history come to life as we turn the pages, read from the pen of Conrad Aiken, Sherwood Anderson, William Bartram, John Berendt, Emily Pilsbury Burke, Juliette Gordon Low, Johnny Mercer and Aberjhani and so many more.
Of course even some ghost stories will be found, after all, Savannah is known to friends of the paranormal as the most haunted city in the South.
Naturally, the South has always been of interest to us and our knowledge has been reasonable, but, after reading Literary Savannah, we felt truly educated and Savannah grew even dearer to our hearts.
If you like the South, you should not miss out on this literary adventure, if you love Savannah, you really should include this exceptional work in your home library.
December 31, 2007
A Great Guide to a Beautiful City
Literary Savannah was among the first in a series of literary travel anthologies published by Hill Street Press when the company was founded in the late 1990s. To include the city of Savannah, Georgia, in such a series would have made good sense at pretty much any time but particularly during the last decade because of the spotlight cast on it by a developing film industry within the city and by the immense popularity of author John Berendt’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
The genius of this exceptional travel literary anthology is the eclectic mixture of names it includes. Some––like founding father George Washington and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano––many readers would not expect to find because of their globe-spanning historical stature. Others––like Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Lowe and songwriter Johnny Mercer––were natives of the city and therefore are less surprising. In total, the voices of some 37 writers, plus that of editor Patrick Allen, comprise the volume.
Among those voices are such modern chroniclers of Savannah’s ongoing story as: Pulitzer Prize-winner James Alan McPherson; journalist Tom Coffey; playwright and educator Ja A. Jahannes; author and writing instructor Rosemary Danielle; and the author of “Savannah Spectres,” Margaret Wayt DeBolt.
It also happens to include a poem by this author called "Return to Savannah."
Much of the book’s richness is also due to the variety of literary genres sampled within it. From passing glimpses of the city as jotted down in a notebook entry by novelist Henry James to famous declarations as made by General William T. Sherman in a letter to his commander in chief. Memoirs, fiction, essays, poetry, “true” accounts of hauntings, and songs all blend to create a finely balanced and nuanced portrait of one of the most uniquely beautiful cities in the United States.
by Aberjhani
author of The Bridge of Silver Wings
and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
Literary Savannah was among the first in a series of literary travel anthologies published by Hill Street Press when the company was founded in the late 1990s. To include the city of Savannah, Georgia, in such a series would have made good sense at pretty much any time but particularly during the last decade because of the spotlight cast on it by a developing film industry within the city and by the immense popularity of author John Berendt’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
The genius of this exceptional travel literary anthology is the eclectic mixture of names it includes. Some––like founding father George Washington and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano––many readers would not expect to find because of their globe-spanning historical stature. Others––like Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Lowe and songwriter Johnny Mercer––were natives of the city and therefore are less surprising. In total, the voices of some 37 writers, plus that of editor Patrick Allen, comprise the volume.
Among those voices are such modern chroniclers of Savannah’s ongoing story as: Pulitzer Prize-winner James Alan McPherson; journalist Tom Coffey; playwright and educator Ja A. Jahannes; author and writing instructor Rosemary Danielle; and the author of “Savannah Spectres,” Margaret Wayt DeBolt.
It also happens to include a poem by this author called "Return to Savannah."
Much of the book’s richness is also due to the variety of literary genres sampled within it. From passing glimpses of the city as jotted down in a notebook entry by novelist Henry James to famous declarations as made by General William T. Sherman in a letter to his commander in chief. Memoirs, fiction, essays, poetry, “true” accounts of hauntings, and songs all blend to create a finely balanced and nuanced portrait of one of the most uniquely beautiful cities in the United States.
by Aberjhani
author of The Bridge of Silver Wings
and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
October 18, 2009
Read for a writer's workshop held in Savannah. I found the whole area inspiring, and it was delightful to read other things written by people working in the same place.
May 2, 2010
Looking for a compilation of excerpts from the Best of the Best about Savannah? From James Oglethorpe to John Berendt - this is your book!
November 15, 2020
Love Savannah but not this book. Only enjoyed a few of the essays. So dry and meandering.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews