Other books that might interest you

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  The Adventures of Gerard

  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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  The Adventures of Gerard is a compilation of short stories that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote regarding a French Brigadier named Etienne Gerard who thinks very highly of himself as can be reflected in how he told his stories. The book is divided into chapters containing different segments of his life as a soldier under the leadership of Napoleon together with his personal exploits and the romance that swept his way in between.

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  Ages of Man

  William Shakespeare

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  Here are some of Shakespeare's finest speeches performed by one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of this century. It ranges from the youth of Jaques' introduction to life, 'All the world's a stage!' in ""As You Like It"" to the aged Prospero's goodbye to Ariel and Shakespeare's own farewell to his muse in ""The Tempest"": 'Now my charms are all o'erthrown!' Sir John's masterful reading brings delight to the ear and joy to the heart.

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  A Paan

  Edgar Allan Poe

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  A Paan: Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories.
  
  How shall the burial rite be read?
  The solemn song be sung?
  The requiem for the loveliest dead,
  That ever died so young?

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  Wireless - A rare Kipling...

  Rudyard Kipling

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  Joseph Rudyard Kipling was born in Mumbai, India on 30th December 1865.   
   
  As was the custom in those days, he and his sister were sent back to England when he was 5.  The ill-treatment and cruelty by the Portsmouth couple they boarded with Kipling said contributed to the onset of his literary life.  
   
  At 16 he returned to India to work on a local paper where he was soon contributing and writing.  It also exposed him to the issues of identity and national allegiance which pervade much of his work.  
   
  In 1886, his ‘Departmental Ditties’, collection of verse appeared in print followed by 39 short stories for his newspaper over only 8 months.  These were then published as ‘Plain Tales from the Hills’, shortly after his 22nd birthday.  
   
  He continued his prolific pace of writing before being dismissed in a dispute and, taking his pay-off and the profits from the sale of some publishing rights, decided to return to London, travelling via Rangoon, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States, all the while writing articles, and arriving at Liverpool in October 1889. 
   
  Over the next two years he saw further works published as books and in magazines, as well as a nervous breakdown for which he was prescribed a sea voyage, to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and India.  
   
  Happier times came with marriage to Caroline Starr Balestier in January 1892.  The honeymoon began in Vermont and ended in Yokahama where they heard their bank had failed.  They returned to Vermont and settled.  Caroline was now pregnant and he was planning the ‘Jungle Books’.  
   
  A failed arbitration between the US and England resulted in an argument between Caroline’s brother and Kipling, and then his arrest.  At the hearing he was mortified by the exposure of his private life and after settling the matter they returned to England and life in Torquay.  ‘Kim’ was published in 1902, and ‘Just So Stories for Little Children’, a year later.  
   
  In 1907 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature with the citation “in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterise the creations of this world-famous author”.   
   
  When the Great War erupted, he scorned those who refused conscription.  His son enlisted and was killed at the Battle of Loos in September 1915, at 18, an exploding shell had ripped his face apart.  This death inspired Kipling’s writing thereafter, but the tragedy broke his life and by 1930 his prolific pen had almost ceased. 
   
  Rudyard Kipling died on 18th January 1936 from a perforated duodenal ulcer.  He was 70.  His ashes are buried at Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey.

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  Lecture to Art Students...

  Oscar Wilde

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  Oscar Wilde (16 October 1854 - 30 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s.
  LECTURE TO ART STUDENTS: Delivered to the Art students of the Royal Academy at their Club in Golden Square, Westminster, on June 30, 1883. The text is taken from the original manuscript. In the lecture which it is my privilege to deliver before you to-night I do not desire to give you any abstract definition of beauty at all.

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  The Duel

  Anton Chekhov

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  Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, renowned for his contributions to modern literature. Born in Taganrog, he studied medicine at Moscow University, becoming a doctor. His literary career began with humorous sketches, evolving into profound short stories noted for their realism and depth. His works are celebrated for their subtle humor, compassion, and exploration of the human condition. Chekhov died of tuberculosis at age 44, leaving a lasting impact on both theater and literature. 
  Constance Garnett (1861-1946) was a British translator who significantly influenced English-speaking readers' access to Russian literature. Garnett is best known for her translations of works by Russian authors like Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Turgenev, and Gogol. Her translations, starting in the early 20th century, brought these classics to a broader audience. 
  Frank Marcopolos lives in Florida with his dog, Sparky.

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