I've just learned that the great marxist and historian Eric Hobsbawm died two days ago on October the 1st at the age of 95. It's a big loss. I enjoyed his books about the long 19th century and the short 20th century immensely. May he rest in peace.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/oct/01/eric-hobsbawm?INTCMP=SRCH
I've just learned that the great marxist and historian Eric Hobsbawm died two days ago on October the 1st at the age of 95. It's a big loss. I enjoyed his books about the long 19th century and the short 20th century immensely. May he rest in peace.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/oct/01/eric-hobsbawm?INTCMP=SRCH
Read of this myself just this morning. Very sad and you're right , Emil - it is a big loss. Still remember his effort in The Invention of Tradition , outlining the false genealogy of clan tartan in Scotland. Funny and insightful ...
I think you will find that it was Hugh Trevor Roper (a rampant (Scottish) revisionist historian) who made the claim that tartan, and the kilt were a modern invention not Eric Hobsbawm (although his Marxist perspective would like to see the hand of modern commercialism in everything!). It is a patently untrue assertion, just look at the John Speed map of Scotland from c.1600 that illustrates the highland people in 'native dress' as he commonly did for most maps. You will see the tartan kilt well depicted. As for modern tartans yes they have evolved as new dyes have become available. Traditionally local vegetable dyes were used, therefore tartans tended to be regional reflecting the immediate habitat rather than allied to a specific family, although clan groupings also were also geographically based, therefore there would obviously be instances were dyes taken from the local flora would coincide with clan territories.
Mariangela Melato (1941-2013), great Italian actress. RIP
Oh, she was in Swapt Away, wasn't she?
First her film I saw was Flash Gordon.
RIP