Mundus vult decipi ("The world wants to be deceived")
Poictesme (/pwɑːˈtɛm/) is a fictional country or province which forms the setting of the fantasy works of James Branch Cabell, known collectively as Biography of the Life of Manuel. Poictesme is ruled by the Count Dom Manuel.
It was the author's intention to situate Poictesme roughly in Southern France. The name suggests the two real French cities of Poitiers (medieval Poictiers) and Angoulême (medieval Angoulesme). Poictesme is a fief of King Ferdinand of Castile and León, who installs Manuel as count in the year 1234. Cabell's fictional history of the country extends as far as the 17th century.[1]
The first map of Poictesme was drawn by Cabell himself, but other maps were created by artists such as Frank C. Papé, Peter Koch, and Judith Ann Lawrence.[2]
At the height of Cabell's popularity in the 1920s, Cabell's publishers sold framed
wall-maps of Poictesme.[3]
The undergraduate literary journal of Virginia Commonwealth University is named pwatem after the fictional province.[4]
^Van Doren, Carl. "The Two Heroes of Poictesme: A Study of 'Jurgen' and 'Figures of Earth'". The Century Magazine (November 1924): 129–134.
^"Maps of Poictesme". James Branch Cabell: Literary Life and Legacy. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
^Darrell Schweitzer, "Cabell, James Branch", in St. James Guide To Fantasy Writers, ed. David Pringle, London,
St. James Press, 1996, ISBN 1-55862-205-5, (p. 91-93).
^"Pwatem - Student Media Center - Virginia Commonwealth University". studentmedia.vcu.edu. Retrieved 2021-11-21.
Poictesme (/pwɑːˈtɛm/) is a fictional country or province which forms the setting of the fantasy works of James Branch Cabell, known collectively as Biography...
romance by James Branch Cabell, set in the imaginary French province of Poictesme during the first half of the 13th century. The book follows the earthly...
library. The VCU undergraduate literary journal at the university is named Poictesme after the fictional province in his cycle Biography of the Life of Manuel...
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academic year, and publishes online year round. Pwatem (formerly spelled Poictesme) – An undergraduate student literary journal distributed every spring...
Hammond and Nanton company Pennsyltucky, from Pennsylvania and Kentucky Poictesme, from the two French towns Poitiers and Angoulême, used in a number of...
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Donaldson "The Adventure of the Snowing Globe" by F. Anstey "Affairs in Poictesme" by James Branch Cabell "The Ring of Hans Carvel" by Fredric Brown "The...
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James Branch Cabell, which is set in the imaginary French province of Poictesme during the second half of the thirteenth century. In Paul Gallico's novel...
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Donald R. Burleson. Loveman and Don Bregenzer (eds). A Round Table in Poictesme. Cleveland: The Colophon Club. Collection of essays on James Branch Cabell...