Background
Sax, Boria was born on March 31, 1949 in New York City. Son of Saville and Susan Sax.
(This important book explores the relationship between the...)
This important book explores the relationship between the Third Reich and animals -- as symbols, as myths, and as living creatures. From a review in Choice: "Rarely does a book contribute to two fields so significantly as this one. Sax, an independent scholar and consultant to various human rights organizations, has written the first book to explore thoroughly the Nazi cult of animals. In a way, this book reads like a mystery novel, as it uncovers some of the chief paradoxes of Nazi ideology. The Nazis promoted vegetarianism and passed the most progressive anti-cruelty laws the world has ever known. Yet they also developed a mystical technocracy that reduced morality to the crudest version of a biological struggle for survival...This book is a must for all collections in German history and in animal rights. It is a deep and profound reflection on the complex and perplexing ways that animals can shape human culture and politics." (S.H. Webb). This second, expanded edition includes a new essay on "Nazi Totemism."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0922558701/?tag=2022091-20
( "The tales tell that Charles the Second feared ‘Britain...)
"The tales tell that Charles the Second feared ‘Britain will fall’ if the ravens ever left the Tower of London. Yet the truth is that they arrived in Victorian times as props in gory tales for tourists. The legend began in 1944 when a raven spotted bombers over London. But the ravens’ past has far more high drama. From the plains of the North American Indians to the Arctic tundra, all the way to the Tower of London, they have been symbols of cruelty, of survival through adversity, and a loveable icon. Boria Sax shows how our attitudes to the raven and to the natural world in general have changed enormously over the centuries. By describing the distinct place of this special bird in Anglo-Saxon culture, he shows how blurred the lines between myth and history can be. This is a unique and brilliantly readable story of the entwined lives of people and animals."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1590207777/?tag=2022091-20
(This book represents a scholarly treatise on folkloric an...)
This book represents a scholarly treatise on folkloric and literary narratives of animals. Useful select bibliographies on zoology, literature, folklore and language conclude these introductory comments which are followed by intriguing fables, legends, anecdotes and literary works concerning the animals under discussion. The book is thus a novel approach to the fascinating subject of the depiction of animals in prose writings over many centuries, giving scholarly information while at the same time providing a splendid collection of readable and enjoyable narratives from anonymous or known authors. It is exactly this all-inclusive approach to animal narratives that makes this book by Boria Sax such worthwhile reading for naturalists, folklorists, cultural historians, literary scholars, and last but not least, the interested generalists.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0944473075/?tag=2022091-20
( In this fascinating encyclopedia about animals in world...)
In this fascinating encyclopedia about animals in world myth, legend, and literature, author Boria Sax documents how profoundly animals and their symbolism are integrated into human values. In the prehistoric cave paintings of France and Spain—the most ancient works of art we have—humans were depicted as stick figures and animals painted with more care and passion. The first clearly religious shrines were dedicated to animals. Later, animals were representative of anything from totems and deities to demons and augurs of witchcraft. Creatures that seem the products of gene splicing between species were the monsters of folklore. Emphasizing depth rather than breadth, The Mythical Zoo covers everything from frogs and grasshoppers to dolphins, salmon, rabbits, and tigers. After a masterful overview, there are about 50 entries with references to literature from a variety of cultures and extensive illustrations ranging from medieval prints to cartoons and advertisements.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1576076121/?tag=2022091-20
( The Serpent and the Swan is a history and analysis of a...)
The Serpent and the Swan is a history and analysis of animal bride tales from antiquity to the present. The animal bride tale, the author argues, is an enduring expression of humankind's need to remain close to and a part of nature. Boria Sax traces the idea of the animal bride through history by drawing upon legends and literary works from throughout the world. He pays particular attention to Eurasian sources which support his thesis that the animal bride theme originated among the serpent cults of Mesopotamia and southeastern Europe. Through time, the details of the animal bride theme changed as a result of mankind's changing perceptions of the natural world. In general, this study is an account of myths and beliefs that have surrounded animals—and women—during the rise of modern humankind. The Serpent and the Swan identifies and explains images of the animal bride that pervade, enliven, and enrich our culture. The bride becomes Eve taking an apple from the serpent, Medea casting spells, Cinderella riding to the royal ball in a pumpkin coach, and the Little Mermaid rising from the waves. The Author: Boria Sax, who holds a doctorate in German and intellectual history, is the author of The Frog King and The Parliament of Animals, among other books.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0939923688/?tag=2022091-20
(Boria Sax, steeped in animal studies in myth and literatu...)
Boria Sax, steeped in animal studies in myth and literature, is not only a teacher and scholar, but also one of our finest lyric poets. This collection of poems and tales, centered around the mysterious world of crows and ravens that exists around us almost unnoticed, demonstrates the universality of the narratives in which animal wisdom plays, as he retells Eastern European and Native American crow/raven tales. The book is also interspersed with Sax's sensitive lyrics on other topics. Includes two "crow wheel" illustrations by Tom Fitzpatrick.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0922558434/?tag=2022091-20
(In this illuminating discussion of the role of animals in...)
In this illuminating discussion of the role of animals in Western thought, the author shows, through his analysis of folklore, popular ideas, and natural history, that man's traditional fascination with animals is more than it appears. Professor Sax asserts that "animals put us in touch with modes of perception that are prior to culture. Encounters with animals compel us to question what it means to be human." After summarizing recent research on the bonds between animals and people, the author discusses the two major traditions of animal tales in Western culture, fables and fairy tales. Also discussed is what role specific animals, such as the beaver, stag, and elephant, have played in Western thought.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0944473016/?tag=2022091-20
writer intellectual history studies educator
Sax, Boria was born on March 31, 1949 in New York City. Son of Saville and Susan Sax.
Bachelor, University Chicago, 1972. Master of Arts in German, State University of New York, Buffalo, 1978. Doctor of Philosophy in German and History, State University of New York, Buffalo, 1981.
Boria Sax is probably best known for his writing on human-animal relations, where he has developed a style that combines scholarship with narrative and lyricism. He views the representation of animals in human culture as a means to explore human identity, as well as an enduring source of myths and legends. The publications of Boria Sax include books of scholarship, poetry, reference, translation, memoirs, and other genres.
Two of the scholarly books have been named to list of “outstanding academic titles of the year” compiled by the journal Choice: Animals in the Third Reich: Pets, Scapegoats, and the Holocaust (Continuum, 2000) and The Mythical Zoo: An Encyclopedia of Animals in Myth, Legend, and Literature (American Broadcasting Company-CLIO, 2002).
His books have been translated into French, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, and Czechoslovakian. He received his doctorate in Intellectual History and German from State University of New York, Buffalo.
He has worked as a consultant on human rights for Amnesty International, Helsinki Watch, and Human Rights Internet.
(In this illuminating discussion of the role of animals in...)
( In this fascinating encyclopedia about animals in world...)
(Boria Sax, steeped in animal studies in myth and literatu...)
(This important book explores the relationship between the...)
( "The tales tell that Charles the Second feared ‘Britain...)
( The Serpent and the Swan is a history and analysis of a...)
(This book represents a scholarly treatise on folkloric an...)
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Human right activist Amnesty International. Founder & board member Nature in Legend and Story. Member of International Society Anthrozoology, Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists and Novelists association American, Nature In Legend and Story.
Married Linda Jean Wooh, April 16, 1977.