Editora: Krill Press
Charlotte M. Yonge was one of the most prodigious novelists of the 19th century, and though many of her books have long since gone out of print, some of her works are still read around the world today, including The Heir of Redclyffe, Heartsease and The Daisy Chain.
Franz Kafka was born on 3rd July 1883 in Prague, then in Bohemia, the eldest of 6, into a middle-class Jewish family. Life for the young Kafka and his passion for literature was often made an ordeal by his over-bearing and domineering entrepreneur of a father. In 1889 Kafka was sent to the Deutsche Knabenschule, an elementary school in Prague. His father would only allow him to be educated in German-speaking schools and even went so far as to limit visits to the synagogue to four a year. In 1901 he graduated from the classics-oriented Altstädter Gymnasium. Kafka did well there and across a large range of subjects. He now enrolled at the Charles Ferdinand University, to study chemistry, but quickly switched to law for which he obtained his degree in June 1906 and then performed the mandatory year of unpaid service as clerk at the civil and criminal courts. A job at an Italian insurance company left him little time to write and after a year he took another job with the Worker's Accident Insurance Institute for the Kingdom of Bohemia where he stayed until ill health led to his resignation in 1922. Although he saw work as a means to pay the bills and to allow him time to write, he received several promotions and was noted as a good employee. By 1917 Kafka was suffering from tuberculosis, which required frequent periods of convalescence. Interspersed with this, were several intense affairs before he settled in Berlin with Dora Diamant, a 25-year-old kindergarten teacher who herself having left the ghetto now influenced Kafka's interest in the book of Jewish law, the Talmud. Kafka’s on-going health was littered with problems. Apart from TB there were several other ailments, including migraines, insomnia, boils, depression, all usually brought on by excessive stresses and strains. He attempted to counteract all of this by naturopathic treatments, a vegetarian diet and consuming large quantities of unpasteurized milk. His tuberculosis still worsened. He returned to Prague, where he died on 3rd June 1924. He was 40. His literary works are few in number but towering in influence. His masterpieces include ‘The Trial’, ‘The Metamorphosis’ as well as a number of short stories which reveal facets of humankind that truthfully could only be born from Kafka’s brain and pen.Ver livro
When the Otis family—brash, modern Americans—move into the ancient and supposedly haunted Canterville Chase, they’re met not with terror, but with sarcasm, oil, and detergent. Poor Sir Simon, the resident ghost, has frightened generations of Cantervilles into madness and despair, but now finds himself humiliated and ignored by skeptical newcomers who care more about removing bloodstains than respecting the supernatural. Witty, satirical, and surprisingly moving, The Canterville Ghost blends comedy and ghost story into a timeless tale about redemption, forgiveness, and the gentle power of compassion. At its heart is the unlikely friendship between Sir Simon and young Virginia Otis, whose kindness becomes the key to unlocking centuries of sorrow. This new narration by Simon Relph captures both the dry humor and the emotional depth of Oscar Wilde’s beloved story.Ver livro
War and Peace is a literary work by Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the work mixes fictional narrative with chapters discussing history and philosophy. First published serially beginning in 1865, the work was rewritten and published in its entirety in 1869. It is regarded as Tolstoy's finest literary achievement and remains an internationally praised classic of world literature. The work chronicles the Napoleonic era within Russia, notably detailing the French invasion of Russia and its aftermath. The book highlights the impact of Napoleon on Tsarist society through five interlocking narratives following different Russian aristocratic families. Portions of an earlier version, titled The Year 1805, were serialized in The Russian Messenger from 1865 to 1867 before the novel was published in its entirety in 1869. Tolstoy said that the best Russian literature does not conform to standards and hence hesitated to classify War and Peace, saying it is "not a novel, even less is it a poem, and still less a historical chronicle". Large sections, especially the later chapters, are philosophical discussions rather than narrative. He regarded Anna Karenina as his first true novel.Ver livro
"Never Bet the Devil Your Head", by Edgar Allan Poe, is a satire aimed at literary critics. It tells the story of Toby Dammit, a man who frequently bets his head against the devil, defying fate. Eventually, he loses his bet in a macabre way, satirizing moral and literary conventions.Ver livro
"Northanger Abbey" is a satirical novel that tells the story of Catherine Morland, a young, naïve girl who is taken to Bath by family friends for a season of socializing and romance. Catherine is a great reader of gothic novels, which often lead her to imagine plots and intrigues where there are none. At Bath, Catherine meets the charming Henry Tilney and his sister Eleanor, who introduce her to their family estate, Northanger Abbey. Catherine becomes infatuated with Henry and begins to imagine that his family is hiding secrets and mysteries, much like the gothic novels she loves to read. She begins to explore the Abbey with this in mind, but her fantasies soon come crashing down when she discovers that there is no hidden intrigue at Northanger Abbey. Read in English, unabridged.Ver livro
Thomas Olney, a "philosopher" visiting the town of Kingsport, Massachusetts with his family, is intrigued by a strange house on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It is unaccountably high and old and the locals have a generations-long dread of the place which no one is known to have visited. With great difficulty, Olney climbs the crag, approaches the house, and meets the mysterious man who lives there. The only door opens directly onto a sheer cliff, giving access only to mist and "the abyss". The transmittal of archaic lore and a life-altering encounter with the supernatural ensue, as Olney is not the only visitor that day. He returns to Kingsport the next day, but seems to have left his spirit behind in the strange, remote dwelling.Ver livro
