The popular image of New Orleans as a spooky, mysterious city full of witchcraft and voodoo needs no introduction. But few know that the city owes this image largely to the work of an Irishman named Lafcadio Hearn – a Victorian-era writer and traveller who sought out magic and mystery wherever he went, a collector of folklore and stories of everyday life. During his ten years writing about life in the Crescent City, he emphasised its sensuality and difference from the rest of America.

Today, the ripples he created still affect how we think about New Orleans and Louisiana. So join Cian for a bourbon at the cabin in the woods as we explore the backstreets of the French Quarter and the bayous beyond, searching for the reality behind the myths of voodoo queens and superstitions.

Sources:

A Fantastic Journey by Paul Murray

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fantastic-Journey-Literature-Lafcadio-Hearn/dp/1873410239

Inventing New Orleans by Frederick Starr

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inventing-New-Orleans-Writings-Lafcadio/dp/1578063523/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=inventing+new+orleans&qid=1587906188&s=books&sr=1-1

Book Of The Dead by Jamie Russell

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Dead-Complete-History-Zombie/dp/1903254337/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=book+of+the+dead+jamie+russell&qid=1587906222&s=books&sr=1-1

Ghosthunter theme (PS2) The Swamp Cemetary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY6c4nkB4x4&t=119s

Marie Laveau by Papa Celestin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLRfDLJLjxc&t=29s

Tellers Of Weird Tales

https://tellersofweirdtales.blogspot.com/2017/03/weird-tales-books-stories-of-walking_18.html

Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens

http://www.lafcadiohearngardens.com/