Meaning: 'dark twist' AND 'every chin turns away'

[all potted out]

Dear Teachers,

I read these 2 sentences:

1.
"I was a dark twist of child hiding behind my father."
What does it mean by "a dark twist" of child?

2.
"It is 1502 .... every chin in Europe turns away from Byzantium and toward Lisboa and Castile."

What does "every chin turns away" mean?

Thanks

[Tom]

[Conchita]

[Yankee]

Hi Conchita

What about the use of "twist" to possibly describe the posture of a child hiding behind someone? I mean, when a child hides behind an adult, most of the child's body might be directly behind the adult, but often the head, neck and shoulders would be "twisted" to the side in order to still be able to see what's going on. I can imagine this as a possibility, too.

Amy
_________________
Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Conchita]