karlkeatingWelcome to Rasselas House!
Curious about the name? I took it from the title of the only novel written by Samuel Johnson (1709-1784). The book appeared in 1759 and was written in just a week, so Johnson could earn money to pay for his mother’s funeral.
The story is about young Rasselas, “prince of Abissinia,” who leaves his sheltered valley and goes into the world to seek happiness and to determine his “choice of life.” Rasselas is accompanied by his sister, Nekayah; by her attendant, Pekuah; and by a poet-philosopher, Imlac, who instructs Rasselas in wisdom.