By James Aitchison When the Lebanese-born American poet Kahlil Gibran published The Prophet in 1923, he little knew it would become one of the best-selling books of all time. Nor could he have known that the world’s most famous rockstar…
By: James Aitchison When James Stuart was born in 1566, Scotland was far from being a remote, barbaric kingdom to England’s north. Sixteenth century Scotland was, in fact, a flourishing centre of intellectual activity. Young Scots travelled and studied in…
By: James Aitchison She was arguably one of the most innovative film directors and editors in the history of cinema. Her creative black-and-white images continue to inspire film and commercial makers to this day. But in 1930s Germany, she was…
By James Aitchison His rule in Romania lasted 24 brutal years. Incredibly, it ended on Christmas Day 1989 when he and his wife were executed by firing squad. Like many dictators before and since, Nicolae Ceausescu (pronounced Chow-shes-ku) refused to…
By James Aitchison Winning the Booker Prize is every author’s dream. It is arguably the world’s most prestigious literary award. It bestows distinction upon authors and virtually guarantees a boost in sales. But few people know that the award had…
By James Aitchison Meet Elizabeth Báthory, the Hungarian noblewoman who is said to have tortured and murdered 650 female victims and bathed in their blood. Her motivation? The search for eternal youth. But was she really a serial killer in…
By James Aitchison His beguiling smile gave him the appearance of a doting uncle. “He wouldn’t even kill a chicken,” his friends said. But beneath the façade, Pol Pot was a mass murderer. His genocidal regime caused the deaths of…
By James Aitchison Famed for her lithe, legendary beauty, she pioneered modern contemporary dance. She performed across Europe, the United States and Russia. Arguably, today she is remembered more for the macabre — some say absurd — manner of her…
By: James Aitchison From 1270 to 1974, Ethiopia was ruled by a dynasty which claimed descent from the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. For 700 years, despite no evidence to support its legitimacy, the Solomonic Dynasty…
By: David R. Topper Note: This story is the sequel to Mud: Shtetl to Shoah, published in the Winnipeg Jewish Post & News, September 2023, pp. 34-38. As in Mud, the format is a dialogue between me and my imaginary…