D'autres livres qui pourraient vous intéresser

• 

  Nameless City The (Unabridged)

  H. P. Lovecraft

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  The unnamed narrator of the story goes into the middle of the Arabian Peninsula to seek out and enter a lost city. After hearing a clanging seemingly coming from deep inside the earth, the narrator inspects mysterious carvings and ruins until nightfall. The next day, the narrator discovers a cliff riddled with low-ceilinged buildings, unfit for human use. While he attends to his suddenly nervous camel, the narrator discovers a somewhat larger temple, with altars, painted murals, and a small staircase going down. After he descends, his torch dies, and he crawls on his hands and knees until he enters a hallway with small wooden coffins containing bizarre reptiles inside of them lining the walls. The narrator notices a large amount of light coming from an unknown source. After crawling to it on his hands and knees, he sees a large brass door with a descent into a misty portal. He then hears moaning coming from the coffin passage, and feels a strong wind coming from the passage, trying to pull him down. Against all odds, he resists, and sees what appear to be reptiles with a body shaped like a cross between a crocodile and a seal with a strange head common to neither of them, involving a protruding forehead, horns, lack of a nose, and an alligator-like jaw crawling behind the lit portal. The wind dies down after the last of it flows down into the light, when suddenly the door closes behind the narrator, leaving him in the dark.

  Voir livre

• 

  Her Lover - From their pens to...

  Maxim Gorky

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  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.

  Voir livre

• 

  The Mill on the Floss

  George Eliot

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  George Eliot's classic explores the complex lives of Maggie and Tom Tulliver, siblings growing up in rural England. Bound by a deep familial bond, they navigate societal expectations, personal desires, and the challenges of their time. Maggie, intelligent and spirited, struggles against the constraints of her role in society, while Tom, more pragmatic, strives to protect his family. 
  The story begins with the Tulliver family living at Dorlcote Mill, where Mr. Tulliver dreams of a better future for his son, Tom, by sending him to a prestigious school. Maggie, the spirited and intelligent younger sister, struggles with societal norms and her own desires, often clashing with Tom's more conservative views. Their lives take a tragic turn when Mr. Tulliver loses a lawsuit, leading to the family's financial ruin and the eventual loss of the mill.

  Voir livre

• 

  Whose Body? - The Lord Peter...

  Dorothy L. Sayers

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Dive into the intriguing world of Whose Body?, Dorothy Sayers' brilliant debut in the Lord Peter Wimsey series. When a mysterious body is discovered in a bathtub, wearing only a pair of spectacles, the case seems destined to remain unsolved. But Lord Peter Wimsey, a sophisticated amateur detective, takes on the challenge, unraveling clues and exposing hidden motives in a story filled with suspense and clever twists. 
  This captivating audiobook immerses listeners in a classic British mystery, showcasing Sayers' talent for intricate plotting and sharp dialogue. Perfect for fans of golden age detective fiction, Whose Body? promises a gripping experience from start to finish.

  Voir livre

• 

  A Dead Woman's Secret - From...

  Guy de Maupassant

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was born on August 5th, 1850 near Dieppe in France.  
  Maupassant’s early life was badly torn when at age 11 (his younger brother Hervé was then five) his mother, Laure, a headstrong and independent-minded woman, risked social disgrace in order to obtain a legal separation from her husband. 
  After the separation, Laure kept custody of her two boys. With the father now forcibly absent, Laure became the most influential and important figure in the young boy's life.   
  Maupassant’s education was such that he rebelled against religion and other societal norms but a developing friendship with Gustave Flaubert began to turn his mind towards creativity and writing. 
  After graduation he volunteered for the Franco-Prussian war. With its end he moved to Paris to work as a clerk in the Navy Department.  Gustave Flaubert now took him under his wing.  Acting as a literary guardian to him, he guided the eager Maupassant to debuts in journalism and literature.  For Maupassant these were exciting times and the awakening of his creative talents and ambitions. 
  In 1880 he published what is considered his first great work, ‘Boule de Suif’, (translated as as ‘Dumpling’, ‘Butterball’, ‘Ball of Fat’, or ‘Ball of Lard’) which met with a success that was both instant and overwhelming.  Flaubert at once acknowledged that it was ‘a masterpiece that will endure.’ Maupassant had used his talents and experiences in the war to create something unique.  
  This decade from 1880 to 1891 was to be the most pivotal of his career.  With an audience now made available by the success of ‘Boule de Suif’ Maupassant organised himself to work methodically and relentlessly to produce between two and four volumes of work a year.  The melding of his talents and business sense and the continual hunger of sources for his works made him wealthy. 
  In his later years he developed a desire for solitude, an obsession for self-preservation, and a fear of death as well as a paranoia of persecution caused by the syphilis he had contracted in his youth.  
  On January 2nd, 1892, Maupassant tried to commit suicide by cutting his throat.  Unsuccessful he was committed to the private asylum of Esprit Blanche at Passy, in Paris.  It was here on July 6th, 1893 that Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant died at the age of only 42.

  Voir livre

• 

  The Monkey's Paw

  W. W. Jacobs

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs is a classic and chilling short story that delves into the dark consequences of tempting fate. When the White family comes into possession of a mysterious monkey's paw, said to grant three wishes to its owner, they are initially skeptical of its powers. However, curiosity and desperation lead them to make a wish, setting off a chain of events that spiral into a terrifying and unforeseen series of events.
  As the wishes unfold, the tale takes a haunting turn, exploring themes of greed, grief, and the haunting power of the supernatural. Jacobs expertly builds suspense, leaving readers on the edge of their seats as the sinister consequences of the wishes become apparent.
  With its atmospheric setting and well-crafted plot, "The Monkey's Paw" is a masterful example of horror fiction, tapping into primal fears and the dangers of meddling with forces beyond human control. This haunting and thought-provoking story continues to captivate readers, leaving them pondering the age-old question of whether it is wise to tamper with fate.

  Voir livre