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19 March 2010

Qype: The Sherlock Holmes in London



London - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs


As many past visitors correctly noted, the pub is nowhere near Baker Street - but it is close enough to the famous Charing Cross, Trafalgar Square, and a handful of London landmarks. The menu is a repertoire of names that owe their origin to Sherlokian stories, and judging by the food I had there it is a splendid adventure, you will certainly not be disappointed.

Better yet, for all Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson fans worldwide, in the pub there is a room filled with the famous sleuth's memorabilia. I was especially surprised to see a figure of Holmes with a hole in his head. To this day, I've no idea why they decided to place that particular mannequin in the pub.

The walls along the staircase are decorated with some of Conan-Doyle's own drawings; in one of those, made shortly before his death, he depicted himself as a horse who carries an overloaded cart.

Last but not least, the Russian visitors will not be disappointed either: they will find a photograph and a letter presented to the pub by Igor Maslennikov, the director of the Russian TV series based on Conan-Doyle's stories. The series, starring Vassily Livanov as Sherlock Holmes and Vitaly Solomin as Dr Watson, has wowed the audiences in Russia and in the West since its release in 1970s-early 1980s.

The pub is tucked away in a side walk off Charing Cross, and is a short walk away from taxi rank or Bond Street tube station.

Check out my review of The Sherlock Holmes - I am juliedelvaux - on Qype


17 March 2010

The Raven: From Poe to Wigan

On Monday I went to the Lancashire town of Wigan for the second time in all 6,5 years in the UK. I went for work, and no sooner that I and my colleagues left the train station there was an impressive Raven Hotel just in front of us. The building bears the mark "1904", and the famous bird proudly crowns the top of the hotel. I didn't have the chance to find out anything about the hotel yet, but it seems quite plausible that it was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's masterpiece.

On the Internet there are a few resources that the students and fans of this American poet and writer may find interesting. Better yet, on YouTube is a fantastic video featuring the engravings by Gustave Doré and narration by the Oscar-winning Christopher Walken (he'd won Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role of Nick in The Deer Hunter).



Links: 

The Raven in the first 1845 facsimile edition

Illustrations by Edouarde Manet (translation by Stéphane Mallarmé)
Illustrations by Gustave Doré

The Raven in translations:

French - Le Corbeau (by Charles Baudelaire)
Italian - Il Corvo (by Antonio Bruno)
Russian - Ворон (by Valery Bryusov)
German - Der Rabe
Spanish - El Cuervo

LibriVox: Audio recordings of The Raven in the following languages: English, Finnish, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Yiddish, Swedish, Italian, and Latin.

The full English text:

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore--
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visiter," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door--
Only this and nothing more."

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;--vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow--sorrow for the lost Lenore--
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore--
Nameless here for evermore. 




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