Chapter Text
De vita Snowum
Dr. Suetonius Shinehawk
President Snow. These two words have been a fixture of Panem ever since its foundation over two centuries ago. They have also changed meaning over time. In the early years of this nation, they were synonymous with benevolence, progress, and strength. Now, they conjure images of tyranny, decadence, and starvation. How, when, and why has that meaning changed? That is what I set out to find.
This book had been a project of mine over a decade in the making. It required the examination multiple sources of both primary and secondary levels, with many of them containing bias and occasionally completely conflicting accounts. Truths had to be separated from embellishments and falsehoods. It was also not uncommon for sources to be scattered across the nation. Sometimes, entire periods of history would appear be missing due to lack of accounts, which would require the utilization of more unorthodox sources.
For obvious reasons, I was not able to publish it during the reign of Coriolanus Snow. Also due to the highlighting of positive contributions from several of the Snows, it would have likely not been able to see publication during the reign of Alma Coin. Now, however, the Paylor administration gave me the opportunity to send this into circulation, without the restricting dash of the censor's brush.
The biographies here will chronicle every single Snow in the history of this nation, from its foundation to the Mockingjay Rebellion. It will showcase the diversity of leaders: from the visionary Romulus, to the debauched Gallienus, to the calculating Coriolanus. It will examine how they contributed to the various eras that constituted this nation's history: the Golden Age, the Dynastic Period, the Dark Days, and the Hunger Games.
It is with great hope that I release this book. Not simply so that people will be able to know what happened in the past. But also so that lessons will be learned for the future.
—SS
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