Texas Pages

Two lessons for would-be writers in tonight's remarks byThomas Cahill.

Lesson one is: Persistence. He says he conceived of his series, which he calls "Hinges of History," in 1970. It took him 10 years of research to determine whether the series was possible.

It took him another 10 years to find someone to publish it. "Nobody buys history," he was told.

Then he met none other than Nan Talese. He mentioned his project almost offhandedly, he says. She asked to see his work. The rest, you might say, is history -- many thousands of copies of history.

Lesson two might be: Chain bookstore operators are sexist slime.

Because of demand for tickets, Thomas Cahill's Arts & Letters Live talk was moved from the Dallas Museum of Art across the street to First United Methodist Church.

It was fortuitous.

The estimated 700 people who turned out tonight to hear the popular historian were probably hoping to hear a seasonally appropriate lecture on "How the Irish Saved Civilization." Instead, Mr. Cahill gave the Irish only a cursory nod and dealt almost exclusively with "Mysteries of the Middle Ages," specifically, the "playfulness and heightened sense of the visual" that he says defined the era.

There was nary a mention of green beer or pots o'gold on this St. Patrick's night.

Rather, he gave a presentation worthy of a collegiate art history class, showing slide after slide of works from European cathedrals, interpreting Christian iconography, recounting tales of figures ranging from Eleanor of Aquatine to St. Francis of Assisi.

And the reaction from the crowd, many of whom sported shamrocks or other green-tinged holiday wear?

The Texas Institute of Letters has announced nominees for awards to be given out April 19 at its annual banquet in Dallas.

The TIL has a pretty good track record with these things -- last year it tapped Cormac McCarthy and Lawrence Wright, both of whom went on to win Pulitzers. (Although what I will recall most from last year's reception was the sight of some of the best minds in Texas casually chatting away the evening at the Hall of State in Fair Park, while outside the sky boiled green-black and the tornado sirens blared.)

This year's nominees are listed below. Details for those interested in attending are posted here.

Bring a weather radio at your own discretion.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of "The Little Prince" disappeared in World War II. A Luftwaffe pilot says he knows what happened.

Maybe.

Authors scheduled on the KERA-FM call-in show this week:

Noon today: Thomas Cahill, author of "Mysteries of the Middle Ages: And the Beginning of the Modern World"

1 p.m.: Gayle Greene, "Insomniac"

1 p.m. Tuesday: E. Benjamin Skinner,"A Crime So Monstrous: Face to Face with Modern-Day Slavery."

Noon Wednesday: Bart Ehrman, "God's Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question - Why We Suffer."

1 p.m. Wednesday: Chris Hedges, "I Don't Believe in Atheists."

If you read books and have a computer, somebody has probably already sent this to you.

But just in case they have not, let us welcome Thomas Cahill to Dallas (read our story about him here) with assistance from the Medieval Help Desk.