Ragnar’s Epitaph selected for book cover
- December 16, 2020
- Nigel Follett
Ragnar’s Epitaph is without a doubt, my most commercially successful painting, so it was mind-blowing to be asked if it could be used on the cover of a book, co-authored by Prof. Paul Hardwick.
Called, ‘Vikings and the Vikings’ and published by US based McFarland, the book is a wide-ranging exploration of Vikings, the television series that has successfully summoned the historical world of the Norse people for modern audiences to enjoy.
From a range of critical viewpoints, these all-fresh essays explore the ways in which past and present representations of the Vikings converge in the show’s richly textured dramatisation of the rise and fall of Ragnar Loðbrók—and the exploits of his heirs—creating what many viewers label a “true” representation of the age.
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From the show’s sources in both saga literature and Victorian revival, to its engagement with contemporary concerns regarding gender, race and identity, via setting, sex, society and more, this first book-length study of the History Channel series appeals to fans of the show, Viking enthusiasts, and anyone with an interest in medievalist representation in the 21st century.
For me, to have this painting and my name on the cover of this book is a dream come true.
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