Two Years in the Kingdom- Museum of Fine Arts

Hello All, and thanks for following me. Todays topic is Museum of Fine Arts

Cambodia has a long rich history dating back thousands of years. Those of us from a western culture may have a hard time grasping this concept because structures that we can consider old in the US are relatively new compared to the ancient temples of Cambodia. Some of these temples were built a thousand years ago. I live close to the ruins of Mount Chisor and go there regularly. The Mt. Chisor temple was built a thousand years ago and is an example of Pre-Angkor architecture. At that time the people of Cambodia practiced Hindu and the inscriptions and designs carved into the sandstone walls of the temples are most likely related to the Hindu deities with writings in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is the ancient language of India and Hinduism. My understanding is that there are elements of Sanskrit in Khmer vocabulary and syntax of today. Even the monks at the Wats will chant in Sanskrit.

During the 9^th century, Cambodia transitioned from Pre-Angkor to Angkorean architecture. The word Angkor literally means city. King Jayavarman VII (1181-1220) had converted the country to Buddhism from Hinduism during his reign. Virtually all temple inscriptions that are carved into the stone walls are related to either Hindu or Buddhist beliefs. By the beginning of the Angkor period the inscriptions were written in Khmer rather than Sanskrit. Many of these stone tablets are on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh. It is truly impressive how they were able to carve these writings into stone with such precision and leaving us with a written record dating back thousands of years.

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This is a short description of one of my books called Azaleas Beyond the Prison Walls. This is my favorite book filled with twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.

It’s 1930 and Carson Jones is a prison guard at the notorious Eastern States Penitentiary in Philadelphia where some of America’s most violent inmates and gangsters are serving time. Amidst the desperation of the Depression and a crowd of hostile convicts, Carson finds solace in an azalea garden behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art and in helping an inmate he believes has been wrongfully accused of murder and sentenced to death. Carson’s life begins to take a turn when he meets a beautiful young woman through a coworker. Her father is a judge and agrees to help him, but at a price. Carson is forced to choose between a life of meaning and purpose and leaving his friend at the mercy of a threatening warden who is becoming increasingly more unhinged. Though the life he has always dreamed of is finally within reach, is it worth it? In a novel chock-full of history and suspense, James Rizzo crafts a suspenseful narrative full of real-life history and page-turning intrigue.

This is the book trailer for my novel Azaleas Beyond the Prison Walls. Book sales are increasing so I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those that have supported me by purchasing my books. Although I’m no longer with Smart Cat Publishing, all my books are available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Links are on this website. Hope you will take a moment to listen and enjoy.

 

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