Публицистика: прочее
Различные книги в жанре Публицистика: прочееWalk in the Light and Twenty-Three Tales
“Walk in the Light and Twenty-Three Tales” is a collection of religious tales and parables by the famed Russian author Leo Tolstoy, regarded by many as one of the world’s greatest authors. In addition to his most well-known novels “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina,” which are regarded as the epitomes of realist fiction, Tolstoy was also a prolific writer of short stories and non-fiction. In the middle of his life, the author underwent a profound religious and spiritual awakening and become a deeply devout Christian. Contained in this collection is the inspirational “Walk in the Light While Ye Have Light”, written in 1893. It is the story of Pamphylius, set in the ancient Roman Empire, and his conversion from paganism to Christianity, which is presented as a series of arguments in favor of Tolstoy’s faith. Also included are such classics as “God Sees the Truth, but Waits”, “The Bear-Hunt”, “What Men Live By”, “Little Girls Wiser Than Men”, and “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”, and many more. This representative collection of short stories exhibits why Leo Tolstoy is considered one of the world’s most renowned authors. This edition includes a biographical afterword.
My Man Jeeves
“My Man Jeeves” is a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, several of which concern two of his most beloved characters, the idle rich young English aristocrat, Bertie Wooster, and his clever and unflappable valet, Jeeves. Bertie and Jeeves, although they are minor characters, appear for the first time in “Extricating Young Gussie”, which while not included in the original collection of “My Man Jeeves” is included in this collection. First appearing serially in several magazines before being published in a book in 1919, “My Man Jeeves” also contains several stories about Reggie Pepper, who was an early prototype of Wodehouse’s more famous character, Bertie Wooster. Reggie appears in tales such as “Absent Treatment”, where the wealthy and bored Reggie helps his hapless friend remember his wife’s birthday so that she will allow him to come back home. Wodehouse rewrote many of these early stories to include Bertie and Jeeves and republished them in “Carry on, Jeeves” in 1925. This collection of nine stories exhibit the origins of Wodehouse’s most famous literary creations, which would eventually solidify his reputation as one of England’s greatest humorists. This edition includes a biographical afterword.
Best Short Stories of Algernon Blackwood
“Best Short Stories of Algernon Blackwood” is a collection of frightening tales by one of the greatest British writers of supernatural fiction of the twentieth century. Born in London in 1869, Blackwood began publishing ghost stories in 1906 and became a prolific writer, as well as a journalist and radio broadcaster. Included in this collection are such classic tales as “Ancient Sorceries”, which follows a tourist who becomes enchanted by a strange French town and the ancient secrets that are hidden there, and the “The Willows”, which was considered by H. P. Lovecraft to be one of the finest supernatural stories ever written. Blackwood interwove both the traditional elements of horror literature, such as haunted houses and ghosts, with ideas far ahead of his time, like cosmic experiences, advanced beings, and multiple dimensions of existence. Blackwood is famous for his unsurpassed ability to create foreboding moods, slowly building suspense, and keeping readers on the edges of their seats. All together this collection includes eighteen of Blackwood’s most haunting tales.
His Last Bow
Published in 1917, “His Last Bow: Some Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes” is a collection of eight previously published detective stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, starring his most famous and enduring literary creation, Sherlock Holmes. The collection contains many noteworthy titles, including the titular “His Last Bow: The War Service of Sherlock Holmes”, which was first published earlier in 1917 in “Strand Magazine”. “His Last Bow” is a departure from the usual Holmes story in that it is told in third person, rather than the typical first-person narrative told from the perspective of Dr. Watson. It is also a spy story rather than a detective tale and follows Holmes and Watson as they find and apprehend German spies and protect British secrets during World War I. Also included is the controversial “The Adventure of the Cardboard Box”, which was first published in “Strand Magazine” in 1893 and appeared in some British editions of the “The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes”. It is the tale of murder, disfigurement, infidelity, and betrayal between sisters that many readers of Victorian England found to be shocking and brutal. This collection is an essential addition for any fan of literature’s most famous detective. This edition includes a biographical afterword.
First Love and Other Stories
In this volume of “First Love and Other Stories” six of Turgenev’s shorter works are collected together. Firstly in “The Diary of a Superfluous Man” we find the story of a dying man who recounts the incidents of his life. Secondly this collection contains the short story “Mumu”, which relates what follows when Gerasim, a deaf and mute man, rescues a drowning dog. Thirdly, in “Acia”, there is the story of an unnamed narrator who recounts, in a remorseful recollection, his love for the illegitimate daughter of a Russian landowner. Fourthly there is the title story of the volume “First Love” the unfortunate tale of a young man’s love for who he ultimately discovers is his father’s mistress. Next in this collection is “A Lear of the Steppes”, a reworking of Shakespeare’s “King Lear” set in the Russian countryside. Lastly there is “The Song of Triumphant Love”, a story of the friendship between two young men, Fabio and Muzzio, and the woman that they both love. In the numerous critical essays that American author Henry James wrote of Ivan Turgenev’s work he claimed “his merit of form is of the first order”. While somewhat overshadowed by his contemporaries, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Nikolai Gogol, and Anton Chekhov, Turgenev rightly deserves a place amongst the great Russian writers of the 19th century. This edition includes a biographical afterword.
The Lais of Marie de France
Though little is known about Marie de France, her work changed romantic writing forever. “The Lais of Marie de France” challenged social norms and the views of the church during the twelfth century concerning both love and the role of women. She wrote within a court unknown to scholars, in a form of Anglo-Norman French. Inspired by the Greeks and Romans long before her, Marie de France sought to write something not only morally instructive, but memorable, leaving an indelible imprint on the reader’s memory. In her “Lais”, Marie de France confronts the issue of love as a topic of suffering and misery, fraught with infidelity. What was revolutionary about this, however, was the fact that the infidelity she addressed was committed by women, and in some circumstances condoned. This challenged the submissive role of women in her time, and illustrated them with a sense of power and free will. Her condensed yet powerful imagery remains timeless, still relevant and evocative to modern day readers. This edition follows the translation of Eugene Mason and includes a biographical afterword.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
First published in 1893, “The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes” is a collection of eleven detective stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous literary creation, Sherlock Holmes. Doyle had intended that this collection be the final stories of Holmes and Watson and killed off the beloved detective in the last story in this collection, “The Final Problem”, which contains the infamous confrontation between Holmes and his arch-nemesis, the criminal Moriarty, at the Reichenbach Falls. However, the public clamored for more tales of their favorite detective and Doyle brought Holmes back in “The Hound of Baskervilles” and the short story collection “The Return of Sherlock Holmes”. This collection contains some of the most exciting and famous of the adventures of the intrepid detective, such as the “Silver Blaze”, and its mysterious dog in the night, “The Greek Interpreter”, which stars Holmes’ intense and formidable brother Mycroft, and many more. These timeless tales of male friendship, complicated and intriguing mysteries, set in the foggy cobblestone streets of London, remain as thrilling and satisfactory as when they were first written. This edition includes a biographical afterword.
The Best Short Stories of Fyodor Dostoyevsky
After a brief military career, the illustrious Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky quickly turned to writing as a profession with the publication of his first novel, “Poor Folk” in 1846. This novel sparked a literary career that would eventually cement Dostoyevsky’s reputation as one of the greatest novelists of the nineteenth century. Early participation in a literary political group landed the writer in exile in Siberia for nearly a decade, an experience which had a profound influence on Dostoyevsky’s understanding of fate, the suffering of human beings, and resulted in a powerful religious conversion experience. Dostoyevsky’s works are marked by his penetrating exploration of psychology and morality and today he is considered one of the most important “existentialist” writers. This representative collection of Dostoyevsky’s short stories spans his impressive career and includes such classics as “White Nights”, a heartbreaking tale of loss; the famous “Notes from the Underground”, an important work of guilt and cynicism; and “The Honest Thief”, which centers on a sad criminal who cannot resist committing crimes. Also included in the this collection are “A Christmas Tree and a Wedding”, “The Peasant Marey”, “A Faint Heart”, and “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man”. This edition follows the translations of Constance Garnett and includes a biographical afterword.
Candide and Other Stories
Collected together here in “Candide and Other Stories” we have a collection of philosophical fiction by 18th century French author Voltaire. In the author’s best known work, “Candide”, we find the story of a man who has lived a sheltered comfortable life, but when he begins to travel the world he witnesses the pervasive hardships of the world, an experience that leads to his ultimate disillusionment with his previously held philosophy. In “Micromegas”, Voltaire crafts an early work of science fiction in which a 450 year old, 120,000 foot tall alien travels the universe ultimately discovering humans and their philosophies on earth. In the third work of this volume we have the story of its titular character, Zadig, an ancient Babylonian philosopher. Fourthly in a work of narrative verse, “What Pleases the Ladies” is the tale of Jean Robert who seeks an answer to the question, “what do women desire?” The fifth story of this collection, “The Huron”, is a tale of a native American who travels across the Atlantic to discover a very different world than his own in Brittany, France. Lastly we find “The White Bull”, a philosophical fable based on the Greek tale of Europa and the bull. This collection follows the translations of William F. Fleming.
Civil War Stories
Popular American writer Ambrose Bierce comes alive in the magnificent collection of short stories. Having been no stranger to the battlefield, Bierce draws upon his experience as a soldier and the stories he heard during the American Civil War in this collection. However, his tales do not happily reminisce about the good times; instead, Bierce’s dry wit and love of the macabre guide his stories to much darker places. “Civil War Stories”, includes the tale “Chickamauga”, the story of a young boy who fell asleep in the woods after playing alone. When he wakes, he sees a group of soldiers marching back from a battle. In jest, the young boy begins marching with them, and even participates in burning a house to the ground. In Bierce’s most famous and chronicled story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, Peyton Farquhar, a Confederate sympathizer, is tricked by Union soldiers and is hanged in front of his wife and children. Somehow, though he manages to escape his noose and is able to run far away from the frenzied scene. Regardless of which of the sixteen stories included in this collection that you read, you will be amazed at Bierce’s ability to spin a short, suspenseful tale about one of the most tumultuous times in American history. This edition includes a biographical afterword.