Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  Dies Irae - From their pens to...

  Kenneth Grahame

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  Kenneth Grahame was born on 8th March 1859 in Edinburgh. 
  At age 5 his mother succumbed to puerperal fever.  His father, who had a drinking problem, now sent his 4 children to live with their grandmother at her large house in Cookham, Berkshire. Here the children lived in large open grounds next to the river.  These early experiences would in later years, be retold in his writing through a myriad of characters. 
  Grahame loved being a pupil at St Edward's School, Oxford and wanted to enroll at the university there but his guardian demurred on account of the cost. 
  Instead, a banking career was chosen for him, starting in 1879 at the Bank of England, where he rose steadily to the rank of its Secretary until retiring, with a pension, in 1908 due to ill health. 
  Alongside his commercial career Grahame had written and published various stories and essays in several periodicals. Some were anthologized as ‘Pagan Papers’ in 1893, and two years later ‘The Golden Age’ and later still ‘Dream Days’ and its masterpiece ‘The Reluctant Dragon’ became part of many home libraries.  His ability to view life through the lens of a young and curious child was superb, enabling the reader to easily identify with the character.   
  Grahame married Elspeth Thomson in 1899 and they had one child; Alastair, born semi-blind and plagued by health problems.  In a heart-rending tragedy he would later take his own life whilst attending Oxford University in 1920.   
  In 1908 Grahame reworked many of the bedtime stories he had fashioned for his son into the enduring favourite; ‘The Wind in the Willows’, describing the heart-warming adventures of Mr Toad and his friends.   
  Kenneth Grahame died in Pangbourne, Berkshire, on 6th July 1932.

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  The Burning Secret

  Stefan Zweig

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  "The Burning Secret" by Stefan Zweig is a captivating novella that delves into the complexities of human emotions and relationships.  
  Set against the backdrop of an Austrian resort in the early 20th century, the story revolves around a young baron who, in his pursuit of an intriguing woman, unwittingly befriends her young son. This friendship becomes a strategic tool in his quest, leading to an intricate web of deceit, passion, and emotional turmoil.  
  Zweig masterfully explores themes of innocence, manipulation, and the subtle dynamics of human interaction. The boy's innocent perspective contrasts sharply with the baron's more worldly views, creating a tension that drives the narrative forward.  
  As the baron's intentions become clearer, the story unfolds into a compelling exploration of secrecy and the burning desires that drive us. The author's signature psychological depth is on full display, offering readers a nuanced look at the characters' inner lives.  
  The lush descriptions of the Austrian countryside provide a serene backdrop to the turbulent emotions that simmer beneath the surface.

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  Wuthering Heights

  Emily Brontë

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  Wuthering Heights is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, published under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent relationships with Earnshaw's adopted son, Heathcliff. It was influenced by Romanticism and Gothic fiction. 
   
  Wuthering Heights is now considered a classic of English literature, but contemporaneous reviews were polarized. It was controversial for its depictions of mental and physical cruelty, and for its challenges to Victorian morality, and religious and societal values. Emily Jane Brontë was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature.

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  Captain Rogers - From their pens...

  W Jacobs

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  William Wymark Jacobs was born on 8th September 1863 in Wapping, East London.  
  He was educated at a private school and then Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution, now part of the University of London. 
  In 1879, Jacobs began work as a clerk in the civil service, in the Post Office Savings Bank.  In 1885 his first short story was published but it was not until almost the turn of the century that he would abandon his post office career to that as a full-time writer. By then he was a very popular author, his collections selling extremely well and with an excellent income. 
  His best-known work is the macabre ‘The Monkey's Paw’ and he is also highly regarded for his ghost stories although much of his remaining short story output is streaked with humour.  His characters are immediately identifiable and we all know that life will take chunks out of them in no time at all.  
  Jacobs married the noted suffragette Agnes Eleanor Williams in 1900 at West Ham, Essex. They went on to have two daughters and three sons as they settled down to life.  
  By the outbreak of the First World War his literary output had declined and he now mainly spent his time rewriting his earlier stories for the stage.  In all he wrote 18 plays. 
  W W Jacobs died on 1st September 1943 at Hornsey Lane, Islington in London. He was 79.

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  The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll...

  Robert Louis Stevenson

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  On their weekly walk, an eminently sensible, trustworthy lawyer named Mr. Utterson listens as his friend Enfield tells a gruesome tale of assault. The tale describes a sinister figure named Mr. Hyde who tramples a young girl, disappears into a door on the street, and reemerges to pay off her relatives with a check signed by a respectable gentleman. Since both Utterson and Enfield disapprove of gossip, they agree to speak no further of the matter. It happens, however, that one of Utterson’s clients and close friends, Dr. Jekyll, has written a will transferring all of his property to this same Mr. Hyde. Soon, Utterson begins having dreams in which a faceless figure stalks through a nightmarish version of London.Puzzled, the lawyer visits Jekyll and their mutual friend Dr. Lanyon to try to learn more. Lanyon reports that he no longer sees much of Jekyll since they had a dispute over the course of Jekyll’s research, which Lanyon calls “unscientific balderdash.” Curious, Utterson stakes out a building that Hyde visits—which, it turns out, is a laboratory attached to the back of Jekyll’s home. Encountering Hyde, Utterson is amazed by how undefinably ugly the man seems as if deformed, though Utterson cannot say exactly how. Much to Utterson’s surprise, Hyde willingly offers Utterson his address. Jekyll tells Utterson not to concern himself with the matter of Hyde.A year passes uneventfully. Then, one night, a servant girl witnesses Hyde brutally beat to death an old man named Sir Danvers Carew, a member of Parliament and a client of Utterson. The police contact Utterson, and Utterson suspects Hyde as the murderer. He leads the officers to Hyde’s apartment, feeling a sense of foreboding amid the eerie weather—the morning is dark and wreathed in fog. When they arrive at the apartment, the murderer has vanished, and police searches prove futile.

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  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn...

  Mark Twain

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  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: The Original 1884 Unabridged Edition by Mark Twain is a timeless American classic that follows the journey of a young boy named Huck Finn as he escapes the constraints of civilization and embarks on a raft voyage down the Mississippi River. Alongside Jim, a runaway slave seeking freedom, Huck confronts the moral dilemmas of society, friendship, and justice. Set in the pre-Civil War South, the novel blends satire, adventure, and social commentary, offering a vivid portrayal of 19th-century American life. Twain’s sharp wit and authentic voice make this work a powerful exploration of race, identity, and the meaning of freedom in a divided nation. This audiobook edition is vividly dramatized by Luke Erlenbusch, bringing the characters and atmosphere to life with dynamic narration and immersive storytelling.

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