Italy. Angels of Pompeii. Photographs by Stephen Brigidi, poems by Robert Bly.

Ballantine, 1st edition, 1st printing, January 1992. Fine with fine protected dust jacket, like new. Brigidi’s color photographs of angels in Pompeii frescoes and the deteriorating walls around them, accompanied by Robert Bly's poetry.  Back of the book provides a chronology of Pompeii from the 8th Century B.C. to 1991. Summary:

Published in 1991 by Ballantine Books, Angels of Pompeii is a collaborative dialogue between the visual arts and literature, featuring 23 color photographs by Stephen Brigidi and the evocative poetry of Robert Bly.

Core Concept

The book is a meditative exploration of the ancient Roman frescoes that survived the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. During his travels to Pompeii, Brigidi was captivated by the "luminous" but decaying images of angels and winged figures found on the crumbling walls of the city. He sought a collaborator whose voice could match the mystical and timeless quality of these ruins, leading him to Robert Bly.

Themes & Artistic Approach

• The "Luminous" Decay: Brigidi’s photography focuses on the textures of antiquity. His images highlight the vibrant colors and resilient shapes of the frescoes set against the fractured, weathered surfaces of the volcanic ruins.

• Myth and Psychology: Bly, a poet deeply influenced by Jungian psychology and mythology, contributes poems (including "The One Coming Closer") that treat the angels not just as religious icons, but as symbols of the "undiscovered self" and the persistence of the human spirit through time.

• Transience vs. Permanence: The central tension of the book is the contrast between the violent, sudden destruction of Pompeii and the "timeless and transcendent" beauty of the art that remains.

Structure & Features

• Interdisciplinary Narrative: The book is structured so that the imagery and the poems respond to one another, creating a "marriage of words and pictures" that evokes a sense of sacred space.

• Historical Context: In addition to the art, the volume includes a Chronology of the Angel Frescoes by Deborah Jones, providing scholarly background on the specific archaeological sites depicted.

Legacy

Angels of Pompeii is praised for its haunting, ethereal quality. It is viewed as more than a historical record; it is a "glorious tribute" to the enduring power of symbolic figures in human culture, serving as a quiet, lyrical bridge between the ancient world and modern spiritual inquiry.