Matthias KringeBy Francis Pharcellus Church, Virginia O'Hanlon
Translated by Hermann Wiegand, Walter Sauer

Description

The meaning of Christmas in Latin: a perfect gift!
"Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?" On September 21, 1897, the minds and hearts of two people met and in that meeting created magic that has survived more than a century.

Virginia O'Hanlon's earnest question set New York Sun editor Francis Pharcellus Church to writing. Church's reply, a testimony to the existence of Santa Claus, on the marvels of the unseen but very real world of wonder, are now a part of Christmas lore.

This edition offers a translation into Latin of the text of Church's well-known editorial. The Latin text is handsomely scripted and charmingly illustrated.

Special Features

• New Latin translation, in ornate script with decorated capitals
• All new, full-color, charming illustrations for the Latin text
• English text on dual-language (English-Latin) pages in easy-to-read type, to aid translation of Latin
• Full Latin-English glossary with "Christmas Memories" journal pages

Comments and Reviews

Among the noted children's books we may recall Pinoculus of H. Maffacini (Pinocchio), A. Lenard's Winne Ille Pu (Winnie the Pooh), Regulus of A. Haury (Le petit prince), Alicia in terra mirabili of C. H. Carruthers (Alice in Wonderland) (if the latter two are realy children's books), and the recent translations of J. Tunberg and T. Tunberg: Quomodo Invidiousulus nomine Grinchus natalem Christi Abrogaverit (How The Grinch Stole Christmas) and Cattus Petasatus (The Cat in the Hat). Such books have a place in the Latin heritage of the Western civilization, but they can also be used as a powerful didactic instrument. By approaching through Latin the archetypes of their childhood, students may create their own shortcuts towards undersanding Latin and more easily internalize a language that for all too many remains external. Furthermore, some of these translations go far beyond the original and proclaim their own life in the new language.

Vere Virginia, Sanctus Nicolaus est! contains two letters: the short inquiry of Virginia, and the longer reply of Franciscus P. Church, the latter one being really a treatise in epistolary form. The language used in the one of philosophical and moral discourse. Some of the monosyllabic sentence endings chould be shifted within the sentence to preserve a better Latin rhythm (as in the title Vere, Virginia, Sanctus Nicolaus est!). In favor of a genuine Latin sentence-structure, the vocatives could be moved from the very beginning to second or third position, e.g., on p. 4: Cara Virginia, affirmare ausim amicos tuos parvulos errare, could become Affirmare ausim, cara Virginia, amicos tuos parvulos errare. Also, the name of the sender, alreqady incorporated in the initial greeting, may be omitted at the end of the letters so that Bene vale is the conclusion of the letter (p. 13).

Vere, Virginia, Sanctus Nicolaus est! would be a lovely touch of sophisticaion ounder the Christmas tree (a Christmas memories journal is included, hopefully to be composed in Latin!), but also an addition to the livrary of anyone collecting the complete Latin tradition throughout the centuries up to our days.

—Seventeenth Century News

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