Realms Frequented By The Muses

Social conventions and legal imperatives demand that I reveal my identity here, although revealing it may adversely effect the cause of my Art, paradoxically the reason I am here in the first place!

You should therefore be reading this at the end rather than at the beginning!

Imagine Charles Dickens opening up the Pickwick Papers with a some derelict pages containing some dry facts about himself, of interest to only a few students of literature and that too probably because of the forthcoming examinations, instead of introducing us to his benevolent Anglo-Saxon patron, the types of whom have managed to bring forth wonders on this planet, the honorable english gentlemen Mr. Pickwick & Mr. Snodgrass and the elusive rogue Mr. Jingle, no less an Englishman and the respected members of the Pickwick Club and the sundry!

Traditional artists, publishing for the print media had it certainly better that way.

This kind of anonymity on the web can no doubt be attained by publishing the entire content within a third party domain, but that; besides being conventional and therefore according to, amongst the progressive web-community prevalent and eagerly promoted opinion, to be a lame duck, would not do justice to the spirit of the Muses, who have initiated these bemused wanderings through past and present, through varied biotopes, through culture-, class- and language-Cinemascopes and, as ever and always through unfailing eternal human hopes. And the Muses have apparently something more up their sleeves. They usually don’t ring the bell but just pop-up, when they have to _ and that means, I don’t myself know all the reasons for this self-publishing as yet, but assume the Muses know it and accordingly ought to consider myself happy in being their humble scribe, chosen probably more for my affinity for the amusing rather than my prowess in things literary.

For that reason, I will reduce the story to the bare essential prerequisites, like giving my contact address here.

There is a lot more coming out about me but not here (a bit of me in Realm Tom, Dick & Harry and a bit more in Realm Hammurabi).

The reason is the peculiar nature of this Site.

This Site (Realms frequented by the Muses) is a cyberspace where two realms i.e; my own website (www.mushtaqbhat.com) and the realm of the Muses _ the latter still under construction and meant for members who have been admitted under approval of the Muse Polymnia, come in contact and interact with each other and if the need arises with the visitor.

If the winged Muses brought you here, you are welcome to be our guest.

All the interaction between the two realms is open to the public, but participation will, because of the nature of this space, be restricted to the Muses and the Editors only.

To be an Editor you need an approval from the Muse Polymnia. In due time she will be opening one such Forum, where she will probably be interacting directly with the visitor.

In the meantime, you can muse browse any topic here without having to login.

High Resolution pictures will be however only available at my own Site, if you are interested in my art.

Credits to outside sources are mentioned most of the time at their proper places. However there are many others, whose contributions I will be acknowledging in a separate section (under Acknowledgments _ Realm Words).

Finally, almost forgot that! Why the Muses? I have tried to explain it elsewhere, for that see my Blog at Blogspot.com.

So happy muse browsing

And keep smiling…

Mushtaq

Berlin 14.12.2005