BOOKS
BOOKS
Michelangelo at Midlife
and Rick Steves books & TV
Travel, history, music, poetry, the arts, personal life events, humor, and the shared universe of Big Ideas… all find expression in Gene Openshaw’s work.
His most recent book, which combines them all, is…
MICHELANGELO AT MIDLIFE: CHASING THE TOMB OF JULIUS II
A traveler’s quest for Michelangelo’s most troubled masterpiece.
FROM FLORENCE TO PARIS TO ROME, a man crisscrosses Europe in search of Michelangelo’s most notorious work: the Tomb of Pope Julius II. Along the way, he teams up with an intriguing Italian woman who opens his eyes to the artist’s troubled inner life and the personal struggle they all share—an acute midlife crisis…
Michelangelo at Midlife is typical of Gene’s work: ambitious, operatic, and hard to classify. It’s a hybrid, weaving two stories together, one fictional, one nonfiction. “Michelangelo’s story wrapped in a 21st century novel,” as one reviewer put it. At your local bookstore, you may find it variously shelved under “Biography,” “Art,” “Travel Literature,” or just plain “Fiction.”
The core of the book is Michelangelo’s story—his 40-year struggle to complete what he hoped would be his magnum opus. Incredibly, this is the only non-scholarly book (that is, “readable”) about the much-talked-about but little-known Tomb of Julius II.
But that’s just the start. Gene himself described how the book evolved as he wrote it: “It began as a purely nonfiction account. But I wanted it to have a sense of ‘place,’ so I added a modern traveler following in Michelangelo’s actual footsteps. Next, that traveler became fictional, to add a dramatic layer. Then I realized the traveler—though highly fictionalized—was kind of like me, and, suddenly, whoa! this is my story!”
The book kept growing. An array of colorful graphics (by Dave Hoerlein) and elegant design (by Sandra Hundacker) transformed the book from a story of words to one also told visually. Taken together, all those elements aim for an emotional impact that’s greater than the sum of the parts. With its evocative travelogue, colorful images, and history detective story, Michelangelo at Midlife is a fast read for lovers of the arts with a romantic streak.
“This is an entertaining treat, especially for art lovers and wanderlust-afflicted travelers looking for a breezy read.” -- Kirkus Reviews
“Like a trip to Italy: edifying, informative, and unpredictable.” -- BookLife Reviews
Michelangelo at Midlife is available wherever you get your books—in print, e-book, or audiobook. Consider supporting your local brick-and-mortar bookstore (rather than Amazon) by ordering it directly from them.
RICK STEVES BOOKS
Gene and travel guru Rick Steves met in 7th grade and have been collaborating off and on ever since.
Together they’ve written numerous books and TV shows, with Gene specializing in making Europe’s history, art, and culture accessible to the traveler. Their guidebooks (to Paris, Rome, London, etc.) are some of the best-selling in the English language. The full-color art book “Europe’s Top 100 Masterpieces” is a breezy overview of Western art with full-color, full-page illustrations. “Europe 101: History and Art for the Traveler” is still going strong after four decades.
For PBS TV, Rick and Gene have co-authored a number of specials, such as “Fascism in Europe,” and the ambitious six-hour documentary covering the entire history of the “Art of Europe.” Gene has also produced dozens of audio tours, where Rick guides travelers through historic sites.
The adventures of Rick and Gene traveling across Asia are documented in Rick’s published journal, “On the Hippie Trail.” With Gene as the editor, the book was a New York Times Bestseller and a 2025 honoree by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.
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MICHELANGELO NEWS (Oct 26-Nov 2)
The Sistine Saga: Triumph
On October 31st of 1512, the Sistine Ceiling was unveiled to the public.
It had been four long years of work.
The first two years had gone especially slow. Even worse, once he’d finished the Ceiling’s first half, Michelangelo thought his figures looked too small.
So for the last half, he pulled out all the stops.
He now had the fresco process down: mix the plaster, trowel it on, lay down the cartoon to make the outlines, and—wait! Why use the cumbersome cartoon at all? Why not just paint freehand? It freed his creative juices, working quickly, improvising as he went.
Over the final three months of work, he completed the same amount as the first three years. And the figures were bigger, the poses more energetic, the scenes more dramatic.
Finally, the work was done. They dismantled the scaffolding and cleaned up the tools.
Pope Julius and Rome’s elites gathered for the big debut.
And there it was.
One of the largest painting projects ever—some 5,000 square feet, with more than 300 figures. It was no less than “The History of the World According to Michelangelo,” from the Creation to the coming of Christ. And there in the center was the central act of creation—God reaching out to pass the spark of life to his greatest work, Man.
Everyone was blown away. They hailed Michelangelo as an unparalleled genius.
What did Michelangelo think of it all? He summed up the four-year odyssey in a single understated sentence: “I have finished the chapel I was painting.”
Next week brings the final chapter in The Sistine Saga—the epilogue.