Now Reading: Faculty Books

Fall 2024

Illuminating the Vitae Patrum
The Lives of Desert Saints in Fourteenth-Century Italy
Denva Gallant 
Penn State University Press, 2024

Drawing upon scholarship on the history of psychology, Eastern monasticism, gender and hagiography, a new book from art historian Denva Gallant pursues a deeper understanding of the intersection of visual culture and spirituality in medieval Italy. “Illuminating the Vitae Patrum: The Lives of Desert Saints in Fourteenth-Century Italy” is the first book to extensively examine the richly illustrated manuscript of the Vitae Patrum housed at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City. Gallant’s book provides a comprehensive analysis of the manuscript’s historical and cultural significance. 

“The manuscript’s extraordinary illustrations serve as a singular witness to the era’s evolving religious practices, making the desert saints’ teachings compelling and accessible to fourteenth-century city dwellers,” Gallant says, explaining how it deepens our understanding of the centrality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers to late medieval piety. — Brandi Smith

Denva Gallant is assistant professor of art history in the School of Humanities.

Living With Monsters
Ethnographic Fiction About Real Monsters
Yasmine Musharbash and Ilana Gershon, eds.
Punctum Books, 2023

A recent work of ethnographic fiction edited by anthropologist Ilana Gershon shares imaginary stories — inspired by real anthropological fieldwork — of how people around the world coexist with monsters. “Living With Monsters: Ethnographic Fiction About Real Monsters” includes tales of monsters such as ghosts, demons, goblins and aliens, compiled by top anthropologists. The writing is informed by observations in sites as diverse as urban Ghana, the rural U.S., remote Aboriginal Australia and the internet. While the stories in the book are works of fiction, Gershon says they have important lessons for the real world about how to live alongside beings who could turn dangerous at any moment, as well as how to live respectfully with people who believe the world is filled with beings that others consider mythical.  

Ilana Gershon is the Herbert S. Autrey Chair of Anthropology in the School of Social Sciences.

Honors for “Heavy”
In July, “Heavy: An American Memoir” (Scribner, 2018), by writer and Rice English professor Kiese Laymon, was honored by The New York Times as one of “The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.” While the memoir has received both critical and popular acclaim since its debut, the Times poll raises the voices of more than 500 celebrated authors, critics and book lovers in celebration of a quarter century of literary excellence.  

Kiese Laymon is the Libbie Shearn Moody Professor of Creative Writing and English in the School of Humanities.