Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  Twenty-Six Men and a Girl - From...

  Maxim Gorky

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  Alexei Maximovich Peshkov was born on 28th March 1868, in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. 
  Better known as Maxim Gorky he was orphaned at 11 and ran away from home at 12.  At 19 he had already attempted suicide and thereafter travelled, by foot, across the Russian Empire for 5 years. 
  His first book ‘Essays & Stories’ in 1898 was a sensation and so began a long career as an author of short stories, novels and plays.  Gorky saw writing as a moral and political act that would help to change the unjust world around him.  He was an ardent early advocate of the emerging Marxist movement and publicly opposed the Tsarist regime leading several times to his arrest.  
  In 1904 he began his own theatre but the censor banned every play and Gorky was forced to abandon the project. 
  But Gorky was a financially successful author, editor, and playwright and gave monies to political parties as well as for civil rights and social reform.  The brutal shooting of workers, which set in motion the Revolution of 1905, pushed Gorky more decisively toward radical solutions.  
  In 1906 he went to the United States to raise funds for the Bolsheviks. Those experiences including a scandal over travelling with his lover and not his wife deepened his contempt for the ‘bourgeois soul.’ 
  Gorky now moved to Capri in Italy, both for health reasons and to escape the increasingly repressive times in Russia.  
  An amnesty for the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty saw him return to Russia in 1914. His politics remained close to the Bolshevik cause.  But soon, after the 1918 revolution, his essays referred to Lenin as a tyrant for his senseless arrests and repression.  He was soon appealing to the outside world for food aid after the catastrophic crop failure. 
  In October 1921 Gorky returned to Italy, now in Fascist hands, and settled in Sorrento until 1932.  His health worsened with the onset of tuberculosis. 
  He wrote several successful books there but now decided to find an understanding with the communist regime. Stalin invited him home and his return was hailed as a major propaganda victory.  He was decorated with the Order of Lenin, and a province, a park, and various streets re-named in his honour. 
  But he had his faults too.  In 1933, Gorky co-edited a book on the White Sea-Baltic Canal and denied even a single prisoner died during its construction, but thousands had. As well, knowing that some Nazis were homosexual, a phrase was attributed to him that said ‘exterminate all homosexuals and fascism will vanish’.  Although he was himself was quoting another he was decidedly homophobic. 
  With the increase of Stalinist repression in 1935 Gorky was placed under unannounced house arrest. 
  Maxim Gorky died on the 18th June 1936 from pneumonia.  He was 68. 
  Stalin and Molotov were among those who carried Gorky's urn of ashes at his funeral.

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  The Five Orange Pips

  Arthur Conan Doyle

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  The Five Orange Pips, one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the fifth of the twelve stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.The story was first published in The Strand Magazine in November 1891. Conan Doyle later ranked the story seventh in a list of his twelve favourite Sherlock Holmes stories. A young gentleman named John Openshaw has a strange story: in 1869 his uncle Elias Openshaw had suddenly come back to England to settle on an estate in Horsham, West Sussex after living for years in the United States as a planter in Florida and serving as a colonel in the Confederate Army.Not being married, Elias had allowed his nephew to stay at his estate. Strange incidents have occurred; one is that although John could go anywhere in the house, he could never enter a locked room containing his uncle's trunks. Another peculiarity was that in March 1883 a letter postmarked Pondicherry, in India, arrived for the Colonel inscribed only "K. K. K." with five orange pips (seeds) enclosed.More strange things happened: Papers from the locked room were burnt and a will was drawn up leaving the estate to John Openshaw. The Colonel's behaviour became bizarre. He would either lock himself in his room and drink or he would go shouting forth in a drunken sally with a pistol in his hand. On 2 May 1883 he was found dead in a garden pool.Famous works of the author Arthur Conan Doyle's: "A Study in Scarlet", "Silver Blaze", "The Hound of the Baskervilles", "The Yellow Face", "A Scandal in Bohemia", "The Red-Headed League", A Case of Identity", "The Boscombe Valley Mystery", "The Five Orange Pips", "The Man with the Twisted Lip", "The Blue Carbuncle", "The Speckled Band", "The Engineer's Thumb", "The Noble Bachelor", "The Beryl Coronet", "The Copper Beeches" and many more.

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  The Brothers Karamazov

  Fyodor Dostoevsky

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  "The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for."
  
  In a provincial Russian town, the brutal and lecherous patriarch Fyodor Karamazov is murdered. The suspicion falls on his eldest son, Dmitry, whose fiery passion and public threats make him the perfect scapegoat. But the true "trial" takes place within the souls of the three brothers: the sensualist Dmitry, the intellectual atheist Ivan, and the spiritual novice Alyosha. As the investigation unfolds, Dostoevsky explores the deepest questions of morality, free will, and the existence of God in a world filled with suffering.
  
  The Great Debate: Faith vs. Reason: At the heart of the novel is the legendary "Grand Inquisitor" chapter, where Ivan presents a devastating critique of Christian morality. This intellectual titan is countered by the gentle, life-affirming teachings of Father Zosima. Dostoevsky does not offer easy answers; instead, he presents the conflict with such raw power that it remains the definitive literary treatment of the "problem of evil."
  
  A Masterclass in Psychological Suspense: Beyond the philosophy, the novel is a high-stakes "whodunit." Dostoevsky meticulously constructs the night of the murder, using unreliable narrators and shifting perspectives to keep the reader guessing until the final chapters. The courtroom climax is a brilliant dissection of how legal "truth" often misses the spiritual reality of a man's heart.
  
  The Definitive Human Epic: The Brothers Karamazov is a book that demands to be experienced. It is a messy, passionate, and profound exploration of the "Karamazov force"—the wild, earth-bound energy that can lead to either total destruction or ultimate redemption.
  
  Experience the novel that defined an era. Purchase "The Brothers Karamazov" today and confront the big questions of life.

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  Five Weeks in a Balloon - The...

  Jules Verne

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  What if you could be the first to cross the uncharted heart of Africa... by air?Join the intrepid Dr. Samuel Ferguson and his loyal companions as they embark on a daring expedition to traverse the African continent in a hydrogen balloon. In this groundbreaking adventure—Verne's first published novel—our heroes soar above unexplored territories, facing dangers both natural and man-made.From the sun-scorched Sahara to the lush jungles of central Africa, experience the thrill of discovery and the perils of the unknown. Watch as Ferguson and his crew navigate treacherous weather, dwindling resources, and hostile tribes, all while dangling thousands of feet above the earth in their fragile craft.Verne's vivid imagination brings 19th-century Africa to life, blending real geography with speculative science in a tale that's part travelogue, part scientific romance. As our aeronauts push the boundaries of exploration, they'll challenge the limits of their balloon, their supplies, and their own courage.LibriVox recording of this public domain work, bringing timeless adventures to your ears. Perfect for fans of classic adventure stories, early science fiction, and tales of exploration, "Five Weeks in a Balloon" offers a unique glimpse into the African continent as seen through the eyes of one of literature's greatest visionaries.Prepare for takeoff on an unforgettable journey across the skies of Africa!

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  OZ: The Complete Collection

  L. Frank Baum

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  Included 1. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Track 12. The Marvelous Land of Oz Track 263. Ozma of Oz Track 504. Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz Track 715. The Road to Oz Track 916. The Emerald City of Oz Track 1157. The Patchwork Girl of Oz Track 1458. Tik-Tok of Oz Track 1749. The Scarecrow of Oz Track 19910. Rinkitink in Oz Track 22411. The Lost Princess of Oz Track 24912. The Tin Woodman of Oz Track 27513. The Magic of Oz Track 29914. Glinda of Oz Track 322

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  Janet of the Dunes

  Harriet Theresa Comstock

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  This work by Harriet Theresa Comstock is filled with the air and waves of the sea! It richly inhabits the environment, just as its characters do, as well as relying on each other in tough spots. An old-fashioned story of life in a coastal town on Long Island. All is centered around a lighthouse and a life saving station, where Cap'n Billy Daddy works. He also takes care of Janet, whose mother is out of the picture. One day a young painter comes to the dunes to paint, sees Janet, and asks to paint her and the two fall in love...and then Janet's rich biological father shows up.

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