Rejoignez-nous pour un voyage dans le monde des livres!
Ajouter ce livre à l'électronique
Grey
Ecrivez un nouveau commentaire Default profile 50px
Grey
Abonnez-vous pour lire le livre complet ou lisez les premières pages gratuitement!
All characters reduced
The Gift of the Magi - Including Other Tales of New York - cover

The Gift of the Magi - Including Other Tales of New York

O. Henry

Maison d'édition: DigiCat

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Synopsis

O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" is a poignant short story celebrated for its exploration of love, sacrifice, and the irony of human existence. Originally published in 1905, the narrative is characterized by O. Henry's signature twist endings and eloquent prose, blending elements of realism and sentimentality. Set in early 20th-century America, the story follows a young couple, Della and Jim, who are economically challenged yet rich in love, ultimately sacrificing their prized possessions to buy each other Christmas gifts. Through its rich imagery and carefully constructed plot, O. Henry comments on the true essence of giving and the paradoxes associated with materialism. O. Henry, born William Sydney Porter in 1862, was an American writer known for his witty narratives and clever wordplay. His experiences as a bank teller and his later imprisonment for embezzlement deeply influenced his understanding of the human condition, often highlighting the struggles of everyday people. These life experiences shaped his storytelling, imbuing his works with authenticity and emotional depth, traits that resonate throughout "The Gift of the Magi." This timeless tale is highly recommended for readers seeking a heartfelt reflection on love and sacrifice. O. Henry's compact narrative encapsulates profound lessons about the essence of giving, making it an ideal read during the holiday season or any moment where the essence of love and selflessness comes into focus.
Disponible depuis: 13/11/2022.
Longueur d'impression: 700 pages.

D'autres livres qui pourraient vous intéresser

  • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - cover

    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

    Mark Twain

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    In the sequel to Tom Sawyer, his sidekick Huckleberry Finn takes centre stage.
    
    Innocent and well-intentioned, Huck is brought face to face with the reality of slavery in the southern states as he helps his friend Jim escape to freedom.
    Voir livre
  • Persuasion - cover

    Persuasion

    Jane Austen

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Anne Elliot is persuaded to reject the love of her life, Captain Wentworth, when her good friend Lady Russell, hints that there is a better match to be found. Now eight years later, Anne's family has been forced to retrench and move to Bath. But while visiting her married sister, Anne meets Captain Wentworth again, who is now a wealthy man and seeking a wife. Will fate give Anne a second chance at happiness, or will the Captain look elsewhere as he still bears the hurt of her rejection.
    Voir livre
  • The Call of the Wild - cover

    The Call of the Wild

    Jack London

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    "The Call of the Wild" is a classic adventure novel written by Jack London. The story follows Buck, a domesticated dog who is stolen from his comfortable home in California and sold into the harsh life of an Alaskan sled dog during the Klondike Gold Rush. Buck undergoes a transformation as he adapts to his new environment, tapping into his primal instincts and embracing his inner wildness. Through trials and tribulations, Buck learns the true meaning of survival and ultimately answers the call of the wild that beckons him back to his ancestral roots.
    Voir livre
  • The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - cover

    The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

    Agatha Christie

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Hercule Poirot thought that retiring to a small village to do some gardening would bring his detective career to a halt. But when Roger Ackroyd's body is found in his study with a knife stabbed into him, Poirot takes on the case. Ackroyd, whose wealthy fiancee had just recently committed suicide, is hosting a dinner party for a swathe of guests one night when a friend comes to him in confidence and reveals that someone had been blackmailing his late fiancee. That is the last time anyone saw Mr. Ackroyd alive. Join one of Agatha Christie's most notable characters in this entertaining and surprising murder mystery.
    Voir livre
  • Old Stage-coaching House An (Unabridged) - cover

    Old Stage-coaching House An...

    Charles Dickens

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Charles Dickens was a writer and social critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.
    AN OLD STAGE-COACHING HOUSE: Before the waitress had shut the door, I had forgotten how many stage-coaches she said used to change horses in the town every day. But it was of little moment; any high number would do as well as another.
    Voir livre
  • Chelkash by Maxim Gorky - A small time thief is caught up in a larger scheme testing his willpower and showing the dangers of greed - cover

    Chelkash by Maxim Gorky - A...

    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.  
     
    In Gorky’s story, a thief, Chelkash, ensnares a young man into his scheme to steal silk from a ship.  When he then sells the stolen goods he is set upon by the young accomplice.  What happens then is as unexpected as it is remarkable.
    Voir livre