Paradises Lost is a science fiction novella by American author Ursula K. Le Guin (pictured), first published in 2002 in the collection The Birthday of the World . Set during a multigenerational voyage from Earth to a potentially habitable planet, it follows two members of the fifth generation born aboard the vessel as the ship's society responds to the prospect of landing on a planet after generations spent in space. The novella explores the isolation brought on by space travel, as well as themes of religion and utopia. It has elements of ecocriticism, a critique of the idea that human beings are altogether separate from their natural environment. Scholar Max Haiven described the novella as "a chastening lesson in both the potential and the perils of freedom", while author Margaret Atwood said that it "shows us our own natural world as a freshly discovered Paradise Regained, a realm of wonder". The novella has been anthologized as well as adapted into an opera of the same name. ( Full article... )
| |
Humayun's tomb is the tomb of the Mughal emperor Humayun, located in Delhi, India. The tomb was commissioned by Bega Begum, Humayun's first wife and chief consort, in 1558, and was designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas and his son Sayyid Muhammad, Persian architects chosen by Bega. Inspired by Persian architecture, it was the first Indian building to use the Persian double dome on a high neck drum, the dome being white in colour. The rest of the building is largely red sandstone, with white and black marble and yellow sandstone detailing. It reaches a height of 47 metres (154 ft) with a plinth 91 metres (299 ft) wide. A cenotaph is situated directly underneath the dome, while Humayun's actual burial place is in an underground chamber below that. The tomb is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and several smaller monuments and other tombs are located nearby. This photograph shows the western facade of Humayun's tomb as seen in 2012. Photograph credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim Recently featured: |