Other books that might interest you

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  Bach at Leipzig - A Play

  Itamar Moses

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  Leipzig, Germany, 1722: Johann Kuhnau, revered organist of the Thomaskirche, suddenly dies, leaving his post vacant. In order to fill the position, the city council invites a small number of musicians to audition for the appointment, including Johann Sebastian Bach. This, however, is not his story. Based on actual events, Bach at Leipzig imagines with uncommon intelligence and wit how six little-known musicians resorted to bribery, blackmail, and betrayal in an attempt to secure the most coveted musical post in all of Europe.

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  The Trenches

  Frederic Manning

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  LibriVox volunteers bring you 20 recordings of The Trenches by Frederic Manning. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for October 30, 2011 to mark this year's festivals of remembrance.Manning was an Australian poet living in England at the outbreak of the First World War. He enlisted in the King's Shropshire Light Infantry, and was in action at the Battle of the Somme. This poem paints a vivid picture of the horror of night in the trenches. (Introduction by Ruth Golding)

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  Seeking the Cave - A Pilgrimage...

  James P. Lenfestey

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  “Part travelogue, part literary history, and part spiritual journey . . . His quest to find Han Shan’s cave is a delight from beginning to end.”—Chase Twichell, author of Horses Where the Answers Should Have Been   In this transformative book, award-winning poet and essayist James Lenfestey makes an epic journey across the world to find the Cold Mountain Cave, a location long believed to exist only in myths and the ancient home of his idol, Han Shan, author of the Cold Mountain poems. Lenfestey’s voyage takes him from the Midwestern United States to Tokyo to a road trip across the expanse of China with frequent excursions to the country’s rich historical and cultural landmarks. As he makes his way to the cave, Lenfestey learns more than history or geography; he discovers his identity as a writer and a poet. Interspersed with poems by both the author and Han Shan, Seeking the Cave will appeal to lovers of poetry and travel narrative alike.   “A lively account of Lenfestey’s trip to China . . . It unites our brief literary life with the ancient richness of Chinese culture.”—Robert Bly, New York Times bestselling author “A profound, and profoundly personal book. It’s very captivating, warm and friendly, personal, unguarded, idiosyncratic, pointed but also finally apolitical, and eminently charming.”—Gary Snyder, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet   “His lighthearted approach, poet’s attention to detail and genuine passion for the poems of Han-shan bring the narrative far beyond essential archetypes of the Far East.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune   “[A] poetry-infused memoir . . . The story of his outer and inner journeys is frank, charming, funny, moving and wise.”—Greenfield Recorder

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  The Poetry of John Dryden -...

  John Dryden

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  John Dryden was born on August 9th, 1631 in the village rectory of Aldwincle near Thrapston in Northamptonshire and grew up in a nearby village.  In 1644 he was sent to Westminster School as a King's Scholar and then obtained his BA in 1654, graduating top of the list for Trinity College, Cambridge that year.  
  Returning to London during The Protectorate, Dryden found work with Cromwell's Secretary of State, John Thurloe.  At Cromwell's funeral on November 23rd 1658 he found company with the Puritan poets John Milton and Andrew Marvell.  The setting was to be a sea change in English history. From Republic to Monarchy and from one set of lauded poets to what would soon become the Age of Dryden. Later that year he published the first of his great poems, Heroic Stanzas (1658), a eulogy on Cromwell's death.  
  With the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 Dryden celebrated in verse with Astraea Redux, an authentic royalist panegyric and with the re-opening of the theatres he began to also write plays. His first, The Wild Gallant, appeared in 1663 and whilst not successful, he was contracted to produce three plays a year for the King's Company, in which he became a shareholder. During the 1660s and '70s, theatrical writing was his main source of income.    
  In 1667, he published Annus Mirabilis, a lengthy historical poem which described the English defeat of the Dutch naval fleet and the Great Fire of London.  This work established him as the pre-eminent poet of his generation, and was crucial in his attaining the posts of Poet Laureate in 1668 and a couple of years later, historiographer royal (1670) as his talent encompassed many forms; from Poetry to Plays to translations. 
  In 1694 he began work on what would be his most ambitious and defining work as translator, The Works of Virgil (1697), which was published by subscription. It was a national event.  
  John Dryden died on May 12th, 1700, and was initially buried in St. Anne's cemetery in Soho, before being exhumed and reburied in Westminster Abbey ten days later. 
   This volume comes to you from Portable Poetry, a specialized imprint from Deadtree Publishing.  Our range is large and growing and covers single poets, themes, and many compilations.

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  Christopher Durang Explains It...

  Christopher Durang

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  A collection of dark comedies about terrible therapists, dysfunctional parents, and more, from a winner of a Tony Award for Best Play and three Obies.  
   
  Known for his dark, absurd humor and social commentary, Christopher Durang explores the pain and confusion of everyday life—and makes audiences laugh uproariously at the results. Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You, the center of a storm of controversy for its satire of misplaced trust in religious authority, remains as powerful today as when it was originally produced. The excruciatingly funny The Nature and Purpose of the Universe asks whether Eleanor Mann’s Job-like suffering is really her fault, while Titanic takes us into the heart of children’s anger with their parents and parents’ manipulation of their children. In Beyond Therapy, two horrifyingly human therapists pursue their own needs at the expense of the most mismatched couple ever to meet through a personal ad. 
   
  Also including ’Dentity Crisis and The Actor’s Nightmare, this collection demonstrates that laughter is the best surgery, slicing through prejudice and hypocrisy, cutting out dead beliefs and inflamed opinions. These black comedies, lit by lightning bolts of truth and humor, come from “one of the most explosively funny American dramatists” (Newsweek). 
   
  Includes: 
   
  The Nature and Purpose of the Universe 
  ’Dentity Crisis 
  Titanic 
  The Actor’s Nightmare 
  Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You 
  Beyond Therapy

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  The Poetry of Hafiz

  Hafiz

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  Khw? ja Shams-ud-D?n Mu?ammad ??fe?-e Sh?r?z? is commonly known to us as Hafiz, the Persian poet who was born in Shiraz, Iran in either 1315 or 1317.  The facts of much of his early life are unknown to us but it is said that, at an early age, he memorized many passages of the Quran and was therefore given the title of Hafiz, which means 'the memorizer or the safe keeper.'  
   
  Hafiz mainly wrote lyric poetry or ghazals - an ideal form for expressing the ecstasy of the divine and the intoxicating mystical union with God.  He was also outspoken on society’s hypocrisy but was supported by patronage during his lifetime from the court of Abu Ishak and succeeding regimes until, towards the end of his life, when he resided at the Court of Timur, more usually known to us as Tamerlane, the conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in modern day Iran and Central Asia. 
   
  Certainly that support enabled Hafiz to devote himself to his writings. Surprisingly there is no definitive version of his collected works (or D?v?n); some editions run to a mere 573 poems others to just shy of a thousand.  However, their beauty and wordplay illuminate why Hafiz was admired so much throughout the Islamic world even during his own lifetime.  He remains one of the most celebrated of the Persian poets and his influence through poems, proverbs and, sayings can be felt to this day.  On various holidays, including 12th October in Iran, Hafiz Day is celebrated: Families will open his D?v?n at random and read aloud that poem, using it as a guide to what may happen next in their lives. 
   
  Hafiz died in 1390. His mausoleum, H?fezieh, is located in the Musalla Gardens in Shiraz.

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