The history and social structures of Latin America's native peoples were neither simple nor peaceful before the arrival of Europeans. Wars were fought, empires were created and destroyed, and-as this program illustrates-narrative tapestries of fact and fiction were woven in the process. Underscoring the linguistic sophistication that flourished for thousands of years in the region, the program addresses the proliferation of Nahuatl and Quechua literature,...

Considered one of the most influential poems in the English language, Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" is a fusion of Arthurian romance and Italian Renaissance epic styles. Written in the 16th century, the poem is heavily laced with allegory and metaphor. Spenser wrote the bulk of the poem while serving as a private secretary in Ireland, and dedicated it to Queen Elizabeth I. Divided into six books, the fantastical "Faerie Queene" explores a world...

Painfully familiar with the clash of personal and religious expression, Salman Rushdie can now be seen as a literary sentinel regarding the rise of Islamic extremism. In this program, Bill Moyers talks with the author of Shame, The Satanic Verses, and Shalimar the Clown about the impact of 9/11, about tension between moderate and radical Islam, and about the need to hold the line on fundamentalism even when it leads to personal risk. A reading by...