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  The Mark of the Beast - From...

  Rudyard Kipling

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  Joseph Rudyard Kipling was born in Mumbai, India on 30th December 1865.   
  As was the custom in those days, he and his sister were sent back to England when he was 5.  The ill-treatment and cruelty by the Portsmouth couple they boarded with Kipling said contributed to the onset of his literary life.  
  At 16 he returned to India to work on a local paper where he was soon contributing and writing.  It also exposed him to the issues of identity and national allegiance which pervade much of his work.  
  In 1886, his ‘Departmental Ditties’, collection of verse appeared in print followed by 39 short stories for his newspaper over only 8 months.  These were then published as ‘Plain Tales from the Hills’, shortly after his 22nd birthday.  
  He continued his prolific pace of writing before being dismissed in a dispute and, taking his pay-off and the profits from the sale of some publishing rights, decided to return to London, travelling via Rangoon, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States, all the while writing articles, and arriving at Liverpool in October 1889. 
  Over the next two years he saw further works published as books and in magazines, as well as a nervous breakdown for which he was prescribed a sea voyage, to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and India.  
  Happier times came with marriage to Caroline Starr Balestier in January 1892.  The honeymoon began in Vermont and ended in Yokahama where they heard their bank had failed.  They returned to Vermont and settled.  Caroline was now pregnant and he was planning the ‘Jungle Books’.  
  A failed arbitration between the US and England resulted in an argument between Caroline’s brother and Kipling, and then his arrest.  At the hearing he was mortified by the exposure of his private life and after settling the matter they returned to England and life in Torquay.  ‘Kim’ was published in 1902, and ‘Just So Stories for Little Children’, a year later.  
  In 1907 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature with the citation “in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterise the creations of this world-famous author”.   
  When the Great War erupted, he scorned those who refused conscription.  His son enlisted and was killed at the Battle of Loos in September 1915, at 18, an exploding shell had ripped his face apart.  This death inspired Kipling’s writing thereafter, but the tragedy broke his life and by 1930 his prolific pen had almost ceased. 
  Rudyard Kipling died on 18th January 1936 from a perforated duodenal ulcer.  He was 70.  His ashes are buried at Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey.

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  Twice-Told Tales

  Nathaniel Hawthorne

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  The stories Hawthorne published anonymously in magazines over a dozen years and then collected at last under his own name: the minister who puts on a black veil and will not explain, the man who steps out of his life for twenty years to watch it from across the street, the ambitious guest. Poe reviewed the book and announced that its author was a genius; Hawthorne said the tales had been written in a lonely chamber by a man who had no one to talk to.

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  The White Maiden - From their...

  Hanns Heinz Ewers

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  Hanns Heinz Ewers was born on 3rd November 1871 in Düsseldorf, Germany. 
  His first published poem was at 17 on the death, after a reign of only 99 days, of the German Emperor Frederick III. 
  A stint in the German military was cut short after only 44 days because of his myopia.  Writing was to be the way forward for him with a book of satiric verse published in 1901. At the same time he co-founded a literary vaudeville troupe that toured central and eastern Europe before censors and expenses forced its closure.  An inveterate traveller he was in South America when the Great War enveloped Europe and he relocated to New York. 
  From here his story darkens. Although by now a successful and admired author he was arrested in the U S in 1918 as a German Agent on the pretext of his travels and a falsified Swiss passport. Interned, he was released in 1921 and returned to Germany.  He claimed only to be raising money for the German Red Cross. 
  His literary fame is decidedly easier to clarify. His novels beginning with ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ in 1910 are dark, they bristle with evil intent and are littered with characters who have a dubious moral compass and yet, along with his short stories, are brazen, brilliant feats of literary narrative. 
  He also wrote and published plays, fairy tales, opera librettos, critical essays and lectured for many years on ‘The Religion of Satan’ and was one of the first to write scripts for the cinema, which he considered a legitimate art form. 
  As the Weimar republic began its chaotic death throes Ewers became attracted to the rising Nazi Party.  At first he was warmly received despite disagreeing with its anti-semitism (his most famed literary character had a Jewish mistress) and he was even commissioned by Hitler to write a biography of the Nazi martyr Horst Wessel.  This together with his own homosexuality culminated with his works being banned in 1934 and his assets and property seized.  It took him many years to have the ban lifted.  This association rightfully clouds his personal reputation but has meant his literary contributions are also overlooked and neglected. 
  Hanns Heinz Ewers died of tuberculosis on 12th June 1943 in his Berlin apartment.

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  The Stranger - All-new classic

  Albert Camus, Gang Yiseo

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  The Stranger 
  Essence with the same emotion, succinctly! 
  The only adaptation that powerfully reimagines Albert Camus's The Stranger! 
  When you feel unsupported by those around you, as if the world is singling you out for blame, 
  When you find yourself wanting to condemn your own immorality, 
  That's when you need this book.

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  A Midsummer Night's Dream |...

  Jeanette Vigon

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  In an age when the enchanting tales of Shakespeare might feel remote, Jeanette Vigon offers a bridge to these classics with her adaptation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in the Simple Shakespeare series. Her contemporary retelling injects new life into the whimsical journey of love, magic, and transformation, making the convoluted interplay of romance, mischief, and dreams accessible and captivating for today's audience. Vigon retains the play's charm and fantastical elements while translating its poetic dialogue into language that speaks directly to the modern reader. 
  Ideal for both Shakespeare novices and long-time enthusiasts seeking a novel perspective, this version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" delves into the complex dynamics and emotional depths of its characters amidst a setting that feels both timeless and immediate. Vigon elegantly unfolds the themes of love’s capriciousness, the blurring of reality and illusion, and the enchanting interferences of the fairy world, ensuring the story’s perpetual themes resonate anew. 
  This adaptation stands out as an indispensable companion for anyone looking to navigate the magical realm of one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, without stumbling over the barriers of Elizabethan English. It serves as an invaluable asset for students being introduced to Shakespeare for the first time and for educators in search of compelling literature for their syllabus. Jeanette Vigon’s "A Midsummer Night's Dream" presents a delightful and profound journey that significantly bridges the gap between contemporary readers and Shakespeare’s vision. Immerse yourself in the entangled narratives of lovers, fairies, and craftsmen, reenvisioned through Vigon’s masterful storytelling. Step into a story where every line magnetizes you closer to the whimsical fate of characters who have never felt more vibrant or relatable.

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  Joseph II and His Court - An...

  Luise Mühlbach

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  Vienna, 1760s: Maria Theresa rules, her son waits, and the court's business is arranged by confessors, favourites and the Empress's chastity commission. Klara Mundt wrote as Luise Mühlbach and produced nearly three hundred volumes of this — history as gossip, delivered at speed, with real archives underneath. Nineteenth-century readers learned their European courts from her.

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