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Vesuvius & Pompeii: Myths and Facts at the Butterfield Library
Author Carolyn Doggett Smith will discuss her recently published novel, The House of the Faun, at the Julia L. Butterfield Library on Wednesday, May 16th at 7pm. Smith dispels myths about the destruction of Pompeii while recounting the imagined lives and loves of the city's people in the last few years before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79A.D.
While most people believe that the city of Pompeii and its residents were instantaneously destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted, the fact is that the eruption lasted for several hours and many residents survived. However, most Pompeiians were unaware of the danger of the volcano beforehand. Smith's story explains why the people didn't realize Vesuvius was an active volcano and weaves a fictional tale of young love through the historical facts.
Smith spent her childhood in Athens and Rome and majored in classical civilization in college and graduate school. A freelance editor and writer, she is the author of The Absentee American, Strangers At Home, and Successful Freelancing. She lives with her husband in Putnam Valley.
Registration is recommended for this program. Please call the Library at 265-3040 or email the program coordinator at mcgrathm@bestweb.net.
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