Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  The Passenger: Ireland

  Passenger The

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  The best new writing, photography, art, and reportage from and about Ireland—in the series that’s “like a literary vacation” (Publishers Weekly). 
   
  Ireland is a land full of charm and conflict, a country that in just a few decades has gone from being a poor, semi-theocratic society to a thriving economy free from the influence of the Catholic Church. With the 1998 peace agreements, the conflict between nationalists and unionists seemed, if not resolved, at least dormant. But Brexit—with the ambiguous position it leaves Northern Ireland in—caused old tensions to resurface, with ramifications in politics, society, culture, and sport. 
   
  Meanwhile, south of the border, epochal transformation has seen a deeply patriarchal, conservative society give space to diversity, the only country in the world to enshrine gay marriage in law through a referendum. And there’s a whole other Ireland abroad, an Irish diaspora that looks to the old country with newfound pride but doesn’t forget the ugliness it fled from. 
   
  Memory and identity intertwine with the transformations—from globalization to climate change—that are remodeling the Irish landscape, from the coastal communities under threat of disappearing along with the Irish language fishermen use to talk about the sea, inland the peat bogs, until recently important sources of energy and jobs, are being abandoned. Pieces in this collection include: 
   
  The mass is ended by Catherine Dunne and Caelainn Hogan · The Way Back by Colum McCann · A Trip to Westeros by Mark O’Connell · Plus: life on the margins of two unions and right in the middle of Brexit, making war on each other for thirty years while playing on the same national rugby team, emigrating to the great enemy or transforming the country one referendum at a time, digging peat bogs and building cottages, talking of the sea in Gaelic, and much more . . .  
   
  “These books are so rich and engrossing that it is rewarding to read them even when one is stuck at home.” —The Times Literary Supplement

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  Beyond the Mountains - An...

  Deja Vu Prem

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  The powerful story of how an immigrant from the Philippines overcame childhood trauma and an emotionally abusive marriage to find her voice and thrive 
   
   
   
  As a child in a small barrio in the Philippines, Deja Vu Prem faced neglect and physical abuse. At age seventeen, desperate to escape her situation and claim a better life for herself beyond the mountains of her town, she became a mail-order bride and moved to San Francisco. But the challenges of her childhood didn't go away—they merely evolved into the form of her emotionally abusive husband. 
   
   
   
  Cut off from her family and any kind of emotional or financial support, Prem was a prisoner in her own home, unable even to use the phone or check the mail. But she wasn't helpless. Relying on her deep faith and the fire within that had always pushed her to achieve, Prem made the brave decision to escape her situation to provide a better life for herself and her two young children. 
   
   
   
  Recounting Prem's harrowing yet hopeful journey, Beyond the Mountains is a stirring and moving portrait of one immigrant's refusal to be defined as a victim and a testament on finding the strength to forgive in order to reclaim the power that lives within us all.

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  Dust and Light - On the Art of...

  Andrea Barrett

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  The celebrated National Book Award–winning writer's intimate exploration of how fact is transformed into fiction. 
   
   
   
  In this thoughtful collection of essays, Andrea Barrett draws from her experiences writing some of the most acclaimed historical fiction of our time to explore the mysteries and delights of the genre. Inspiration found in the past, she argues, can illuminate fiction, just as dust scatters light and makes the unseen visible. Delving into some of the largest questions in the genre—How does a writer find meaningful subject matter beyond the confines of their life? How are scraps of history transformed into a fully formed narrative?—Barrett explores how she came to create some of her beloved works and explores lessons gleaned from the work of such masters of historical fiction as Toni Morrison, Leo Tolstoy, Hilary Mantel, and Colm Tóibín. Candid and elegant, Dust and Light is the perfect book for anyone who loves reading fiction set in the past, as well as for anyone aspiring to write it.

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  Looking for Africa in America -...

  Ike Okwuonu

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  This book is about an African American male frustrated as a result of difficulties he encountered growing up. He found his problem common to the majority of peer members of his ethnic group compared to other ethnic peer group members' experience. Johnson attributed his failure to the stripping away of the African American culture by the slave masters. He resolved to recover the "Africa" that was missing in him. Johnson traveled to his origin in Africa and embraced originality after ritualistically dancing with his ancestors at the king's palace. His new way of thinking transformed him into a color-blind successful happy American. Johnson came back from Africa, went to Law school, and graduated with honors. He married a white lady and was elected city mayor.

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  The Arthurian Legends - The Epic...

  Julia Blacksmith

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  The Arthurian legends have captivated audiences for centuries, blending history, myth, and romance into a timeless narrative. At the heart of these tales stands King Arthur, the noble ruler of Camelot, surrounded by his valiant knights, wise counsel, and a destiny shaped by magic and fate. These stories, filled with chivalry, heroism, and tragedy, have evolved over time, transforming from medieval folklore into one of the most enduring mythological traditions in the Western world. Whether viewed as a historical figure or a fictional hero, Arthur’s legend continues to inspire literature, art, and modern storytelling.  
    
  The roots of the Arthurian legends can be traced back to early medieval Britain, a period marked by conflict and shifting power. The earliest references to Arthur appear in Welsh and Celtic traditions, portraying him as a warrior who defended his land against invading forces. As these stories spread, they were enriched by medieval chroniclers such as Geoffrey of Monmouth, whose twelfth-century work *Historia Regum Britanniae* established Arthur as a grandiose king with a mythical kingdom. French and English writers expanded the legend, introducing characters like Lancelot, Guinevere, and the Holy Grail, further shaping the narrative into the form known today.  
    
  The debate over whether King Arthur was a real historical figure or merely a legendary construct has fascinated scholars for centuries. Some believe that Arthur may have been based on a real Brittonic war leader who fought against Saxon invasions in the fifth or sixth century. However, definitive historical evidence remains elusive. What is clear is that Arthurian stories took on a life of their own, infused with elements of medieval knighthood, Christian symbolism, and mythical enchantment. Arthur became more than just a king—he became an ideal, embodying the virtues of justice, bravery, and sacrifice. 

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  Vergil - The Poets Life

  Sarah Ruden

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  A biography of Vergil, Rome’s greatest poet, by the acclaimed translator of the Aeneid 
   
  The Aeneid stands as a towering work of Classical Roman literature and a gripping dramatization of the best and worst of human nature. In the process of creating this epic poem, Vergil (70–19 BCE) became the world’s first media celebrity, a living legend. 
   
  But the real Vergil is a shadowy figure; we know that he was born into a modest rural family, that he led a private and solitary life, and that, in spite of poor health and unusual emotional vulnerabilities, he worked tirelessly to achieve exquisite new effects in verse. Vergil’s most famous work, the Aeneid, was commissioned by the emperor Augustus, who published the epic despite Vergil’s dying wish that it be destroyed. 
   
  Sarah Ruden, widely praised for her translation of the Aeneid, uses evidence from Roman life and history alongside Vergil’s own writings to make careful deductions to reconstruct his life. Through her intimate knowledge of Vergil’s work, she brings to life a poet who was committed to creating something astonishingly new and memorable, even at great personal cost.

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