Publicity
Briefly Noted
The New Yorker
February 26, 2018
When Montezuma Met Cortes, by Matthew Restall (Ecco).
In 1519, the emperor Montezuma received the conquistador Hernan Cortes and some of his men as guests in the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. Within two years, Montezuma was dead, the Aztecs routed, and the city destroyed. This revisionist history contests received views of Cortes as either swashbuckling hero or bloviating villain, of the Aztecs as cannibals, and of Montezuma as a meek, mystical king who volunatarily capitulated. Restall skillfully describes a subtler story of relationships both loving and coercive. He offers a particularly bold interpretation of Montezuma’s devotion to his palace zoo, arguing that he saw Cortes and his men as exotic creatures and hoped to learn by studying them.
Pop Matters
Rich Wilhelm, 8/11/2020
The Redemption of Elton John’s ‘Blue Moves’
Once reviled as bloated and pretentious, Elton John’s 1976 album Blue Moves, is one of his masterpieces, argues author Matthew Restall in the latest installment of the 33 1/3 series.
“…anyone wishing to dive deeper into the Elton John discography will inevitably be faced with Blue Moves, and Restall’s Blue Moves will be an eye-opening companion on that musical journey. Those of us who have always had the album playing somewhere in the deep recesses of our musical memories will appreciate Restall’s call to revisit Blue Moves” – Rich Wilhelm,
Read the complete article here: Pop Matters
Lockdown Lectures:
Q&A with History Authors
Cambridge University Press
In August 2020, Restall participated in a remote informational session for teachers, students, and history buffs about navigating the world of online teaching and learning, and using resources like Restall’s When Montezuma Met Cortes and Latin America in Colonial Times (co-authored with Kris Lane). The video is available to watch via Cambridge University Press’s “Lockdown Lectures: Q&A with History Authors”.
Restall was also recently interviewed by Philadelphia Mag about the history of and debate surrounding Philadelphia’s Christopher Columbus statue.