Publisher: Jules verne
The story begins with strange lights and sounds, including blaring trumpet music, reported in the skies all over the world. The events are capped by the mysterious appearance of black flags with gold suns atop tall historic landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Essays in the Art of Writing Robert Louis Stevenson examines the techniques of writing, and gives insights into the writing of "Treasure Island" and "The Master of Ballantrae."CONTENTS On Some Technical Elements of Style in Literature, The Morality of the Profession of Letters, Books Which Have Influenced Me, A Note On Realism, My First Book: "Treasure Island," The Genesis of "The Master of Ballantrae" Robert Louis Stevenson Stevenson's life was almost as adventurous as the stories he created. He spent much of it as a traveler, writing about his exploits in such exemplary travel books as TRAVELS WITH A DONKEY IN THE CEVENNES.Show book
In this classic short story, Chekhov takes a snapshot of the Russian life, illuminating the harsh complexities and yet subtle simplicities that interact seamlessly together. The cold and gloom of the Russian environment cannot compare to the relationship that Pavel Andreitch, a rich aristocratic, has with his wife, who is no longer in love, or even tolerant of her husband, although helplessly reliant on his financial support. Their disintegrating relationship is set to the backdrop of the starving peasants of the lower classes, illuminating the perennial tension of an egotistical, self-centered man and the struggling goodness of a woman who cares about more than just herself.Show book
The story mirrors the tension in early 20th Century Ireland in a poetic narrative that echoes in a haunting and melodic way the melancholy of life and death. The story centers on Gabriel Conroy, a university professor, on the night of the Morkan sisters' annual dance and dinner in the first week of January 1904, a celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany. Gabriel, favorite nephew of the sisters, arrives late to the party with his wife Gretta, where he is enthusiastically received. Gabriel has doubts about the speech he is to give, especially that it contains too many academic references for his listeners. He is confronted by Miss Ivors, an Irish nationalist, about his publishing a weekly literary column in a newspaper with unionist sympathies, and she teases him as a "West Briton," that is, a supporter of English political control of Ireland.Show book
When Mr. Cornelius Appin announces that he has succeeded in teaching the cat, Tobermory, to speak, nobody in the house party believes him. But when Tobermory makes his entrance and begins to reveal the kind of personal secrets only a cat can know about the assembled company, chaos breaks out. Tobermory must be destroyed at all costs. Hector Hugh Munro at his most masterful!Show book
Invited to a ball at the Ministry of Public Instruction where her husband works, Mathilde is in despair about how to look the part. She manages to persuade her husband to give her 400 francs for a new dress. But she also would like some jewellery to complete the outfit. Although their budget cannot stretch to this, Mathilde is able to borrow a diamond necklace from an old schoolfriend who is wealthy. But while she dazzles everyone at the ball, disaster is waiting in the wings...Show book
Ivan Matveich, the most ordinary person you might hope to meet, is swallowed alive by a crocodile at a sideshow. Finding life inside the belly of the beast quite comfortable, he makes a home for himself there. His disquisitions on the state of the world from inside the crocodile make him quite a name for himself; while all the while the discussion rages outside as to whether the beast is going to be cut open to release him or not, its value as a sideshow attraction having massively increased owing to the presence of the human voice buried inside it. One of Jorge Luis Borges' seven most favourite stories.Show book
