Bibliography
Cities
"Why did Constantinople get the works?"It all has to do with who conquered who when. The city has been there since the 7th century BCE, when it was known as Byzantium. It was renamed Constantinople around 330 CE, in honor of conquering Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, and remained so (under various rulers) until 1453 when the Ottoman Empire took control and made the glittering port city the capital of their empire, calling it Istanbul (from a Greek phrase already common on the streets, meaning simply "in the city") - however, the great city's name was not formally changed to Constantinople until March 28, 1930!
So it's no wonder that in 1953, someone was inspired to write a novelty song about the city's fluctuating nomenclature. The song "Istanbul, Constantinople," performed on our show by They Might Be Giants is from their 1990 album FLOOD; complete lyrics can be found online.
This article on Lonely Planet's website gives some background on the city's history.
Here you'll find a good explanation of the city's name changes, plus good links.
IMAGINARY CITIESSound & Spirit host Ellen Kushner once invented a city of her own, and has published two novels set there - still without ever giving her city a name! In Swordspoint and The Fall of the Kings, Ellen explores city life, culture and spirit.... In this essay, she explains more about cities and her work.
Here you'll find a rich archived discussion board thread about imaginary and mythic cities such as Oz, Tolkein's Shire, Camelot and more.
Bookthink, a website for booksellers and collectors, has an article by Timothy Doyle titled Urban Fantasy - Worlds Within Worlds. It's a short introductory essay followed by an annotated bibliography of some of the author's favorite Urban Fantasy & SF.
DAMASCUSThis article by Robert Irwin on "Muslim Response to the Crusades" includes information about Abu'l-Hasan Ahmad ibn Munir al-Tarabulusi, a 12th-century Muslim poet of Damascus whose poetry in praise of that city was sung on our show.
ILE IFE (NIGERIA)A Columbia University site all about Ile Ife: where the world began.
A modern perspective on the city of Ife, written by a Finnish traveler.
THE NEW JERUSALEM: "A CITY ON A HILL"An in-depth article about the Puritans and the American vision of the New World as New Jerusalem.
Here you'll find the complete text to John Winthrop's famous sermon "A Model of Christian Charity," written in 1630 on board the Arbella, while en route to the New World.
An op-ed piece by Charles C. Euchner and William M. Fowler, "Embracing that 'City Upon a Hill,'" discussing Winthrop's legacy and how his ideas are relevant today. Published in the Boston Globe, September 4, 2002.
The complete text of President-Elect John F. Kennedy's "City on a Hill" speech of January 9, 1961, and a recording of JFK delivering it, are here at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum site.
A song about the New Jerusalem from an unusual African-American production of Uncle Tom of 1887!
"TOWARDS A SPLENDID CITY"We were also moved and inspired by Pablo Neruda's Nobel Lecture of 1971, "Towards a Splendid City," based on this quote from Arthur Rimbaud: "In the dawn, armed with a burning patience, we shall enter the splendid Cities." Neruda's talk also affected composer Richard Danielpour, whose "Urban Dances" were featured in this program.
HOME | About the Series | Programs | Stations and Times
Feedback | Above and Beyond | Sound & Spirit Albums | Listen Online
Sound & Spirit | WGBH Boston | Public Radio International