Author Spotlight: Katalin Prajda
Here is an introduction to a new author who has contributed to our issue on the Medici MWCC.18 - Dr. Katalin Prajda.
- What have you contributed to Medieval World?
Katalin Prajda, "The rise of the Medici: The family, the firm, and the faction," 18-25.
- Tell us a bit about your background as a historian. What edge do you think it gives you as an author and as an historian?
My interdisciplinary background allows me to combine the study of material culture with that of economic and social history, providing a well-rounded analytical perspective. Before completing my doctoral degree in History and Civilization in Florence with a specialization in written culture, I pursued undergraduate studies in Comparative Social and Economic History, as well as in Art History. I am also trained as a museum professional and have gained extensive experience working on archaeological excavations and medieval sites and buildings.
- Do you have a favourite event or figure or object from Middle Ages? Tell us about it.
I have long had a deep interest in the role of artistic production in the economic development of Renaissance Italy. This passion first took root during my undergraduate studies, but it was further intensified by my encounter with leading scholars of the field researching in those days the inexhaustible collections of the State Archives in Florence.
- Tell us about your research and writing process. What research do you usually undertake for your articles? What is the perfect environment/circumstance for you to write?
My articles and monographs typically draw on both visual and written sources. As such, my research usually begins with archival research in the various state archives of Italy, such as Florence, Venice, Rome, or the Apostolic Archives in the Vatican and the study of museum collections and cultural heritage sites to gather primary written and visual materials.
I tend to finalize my articles and books at home, but the bulk of my thinking, reflection, and narrative development usually takes place in nature. Urban gardens are my preferred setting for this creative process. I wrote most of my first book in the Giardino delle Rose, a beautiful rose garden overlooking the city of Florence. From there, one can admire the dome of the Florentine cathedral, the Palazzo della Signoria, and the medieval city walls of the Oltrarno. I also spent long hours in the Bobboli Gardens of the Pitti Palace, later residence of the Medici.
- What do you find most valuable about this magazine?
It integrates both textual and visual elements to disseminate historical knowledge more effectively. My impression is that the journal also places importance on inviting professional historians to contribute, thereby ensuring high-quality content that is accessible to a wider, non-specialist audience.
- What book(s) are you currently reading?
MARIA GIUSEPPINA MUZZARELLI, LUCA MOLà, GIORGIO RIELLO, Tutte le perle del mondo. Storie di viaggi, scambi e magni ci ornamenti, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2023. – A book written by three Italian leading experts of early modern material culture, on the trade and the use of pearls in fashion and decoration.
- Have you published any books recently?
My latest book is Italy and Hungary in the Early Renaissance.