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  The Ghost in the Garden Room

  Elizabeth Gaskell

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  Elizabeth Stevenson was born in Chelsea in London on 29th September 1810.  
   
  Both parents embedded their strong Unitarian beliefs into Elizabeth who rebelliously was often reluctant to display these religious convictions.  
   
  The early death of Elizabeth’s mother saw her sent away to be brought up by her maternal aunt in Knutsford, Cheshire.  
   
  Her father now remarried but Elizabeth spent most of her childhood in Cheshire away from her father and his new family but was supportive towards her half-siblings.  
   
  Elizabeth’s aunt encouraged her education and particularly to read and express herself through writing.   
   
  In 1828, her brother John, who worked in the merchant navy, disappeared on a journey to India. This disastrous loss depressed her father, and she went to his household to nurse him for the next year before he died.  
   
  In 1832, she fell in love with William Gaskell, a Unitarian minister like her father, and married him.  They settled in Manchester. This booming industrial city had a great impact on Elizabeth who felt the need to speak up for poor workers and their exploitation by large industrial companies. A collection of poems and short stories, ‘Sketches among the Poor’ appeared in 1837, co-authored by her husband.  Her first major work, under a pseudonym, was ‘Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life’ published in 1848. 
   
  During her career she worked continually with Charles Dickens and published much in his various magazines. With him she published ‘Lizzie Leigh’ in 1850 which dealt with the taboo subject of prostitution.  She was an excellent writer and impressed her many Victorian literary peers. Much of her writing reflects her work as a social critic highlighting the exploitation of the working class and the situation of women in society.  
   
  On 12th November 1865, Elizabeth Gaskell died in Holybourne, Hampshire, after suffering from a heart attack a month earlier.

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  Old Bugs (Unabridged)

  H. P. Lovecraft

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  With the onset of Prohibition, the Sheehan Billiard Room in Chicago became a sordid haunt for hard drinkers. A certain Old Bugs, a mature man corroded by vices but capable of showing, at long intervals, the typical sensitivity of educated people works as a kitchen cleaner. When the young Alfred Trever, initiated by his friend Pete Schultz on the way of drinking, arrives at the Sheehan's tavern, Old Bugs will try to convince him not to make the same mistake as he did.

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  Main Street

  Sinclair Lewis

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  This book tells the wonderful story of Carol Milford, a city girl in St. Paul, Minnesota. In the beginning of the story she is full of hope and aspirations as she completes her studies at college. Her dreams are those of changing the world in which she lives and making a true contribution to society. She marries a doctor from a small town in the country and moves to his home in Gopher Prairie, Minnesota. Gopher Prairie is a town like any other small town in America and the town folks don't really see a need for change at all.. Follow Carol as she tries to impose her ideas on the small town folk and gradually her large dreams and aspirations fade into the tall grass of the middle Midwest.

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  Andaz-e-Bayaan - Beloved Urdu...

  Ismat Chughtai, Munshi...

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  This audio compilation has been made with love for anyone wanting to immerse themselves in the world of Urdu stories but may find it difficult to read the script. 
  Featured authors include legends like Ismat Chughtai of the ‘Taraqqii Pasand Tehreek’ (Progressive Writer’s Movement), one of the first Muslim women to write boldly about subjects such as sexuality in the 1940’s; Munshi Premchand, a Hindu writer born in 1880, who was a pioneering figure in both Hindi and Urdu short fiction and wrote on topics such as caste, which were marked by sociopolitical and religious sensitivities; Sa’adat Hassan Manto, who belonged to both Bombay & Lahore and wrote about the partition that resulted in the nations of India and Pakistan, known for stories that showed a mirror to society regardless of the discomfort caused by stark reflections; Rajinder Singh Bedi, a versatile short fiction, novel, and film writer who also amplified the social issues of rurality as they dovetailed with national and metropolitan life; Ghulam Abbas, a novelist and short fiction writer interested in bringing to light the many ironies of modernity; Noon Meem (“NM”) Rashid, a groundbreaking modernist poet who wrote primarily in free verse, exploring contrasting relationships such as those between language & meaning and self & society; Asad Muhammad Khan, whose short fiction weaves his rich life experiences into commentaries on topics such as family life and class relations; and Intizar Hussain, who was arguably the most significant Urdu literary prose writer of the contemporary era, painting epics of migration and nostalgia on an intergenerational canvas. 
  Our narrator, Mr. Zia Mohyeddin, perhaps more than any other single figure in modern times, has shaped an appreciation for Urdu literature by making it accessible in masterfully emotive and lucid audio performances to generations of listeners who may have otherwise remained deprived of such learning and aesthetic pleasure.

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  The Merchant of Venice

  William Shakespeare

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  “How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.”Bassanio is a man in love, but he does not have much money to his name, and thus is unable to woo the rich heiress Portia. His friend Antonio suggests that they borrow money from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender who has had many dealings with Antonio in the past. Shylock, being of Antonio’s ability to repay, agrees to grant the loan with a difficult condition. If the loan is not repaid in full by the agreed date, Shylock will take a pound of Antonio’s flesh.The loan is not paid in time, and what follows is a dramatic courtroom scene in which Shylock’s demands are met with legal intricacies that turn the tables on him. The lengthy legal discussion ends up with lives and fortunes on the line, and through the opposition’s knowledge of in-depth legal rules and policies, the result of the trial is not what anyone expects. Depending on the critical lens with which this text is approached, Shylock or Antonio can each be portrayed as the villain or hero from a certain point of view.The Merchant of Venice is often read and analyzed for its portrayal of Judaism and antisemitism, its spin on the common courtroom drama, and for Shakespeare’s signature witty writing and observations about humanity. It is a play that, like many of Shakespeare’s works, can be read and interpreted in many ways, and leaves the final judgments of the characters to the audience to decide.

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  Virginia Woolfe 3 Complete Works...

  Virginia Woolf

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  Virginia Woolf's literary legacy shines brightly through her acclaimed novels "Mrs. Dalloway," "To the Lighthouse," and "The Voyage Out." In "Mrs. Dalloway," Woolf skillfully weaves a tapestry of inner thoughts, social constraints, and the complexities of human existence. Through the introspective journey of Clarissa Dalloway, Woolf explores the intricacies of personal identity, the influence of societal expectations, and the enduring power of memory. The novel captures the nuances of everyday life, revealing the hidden desires, regrets, and hopes that shape the characters' lives. 
   
  "To the Lighthouse" stands as a literary masterpiece that captures the ebb and flow of time and the profound transformations that occur within relationships and individuals. Woolf delves into the dynamics of the Ramsay family as they navigate the changing tides of love, loss, and the pursuit of artistic fulfillment. Through vivid imagery and lyrical prose, she explores the intricate workings of human connections and the complexities of human emotions. 
   
  "The Voyage Out" takes readers on a captivating journey of self-discovery and the exploration of gender roles. Through the protagonist Rachel Vinrace, Woolf delves into the limitations and societal expectations placed upon women in the early 20th century. As Rachel embarks on a literal and metaphorical voyage, she grapples with her own desires, intellectual curiosities, and the restrictions imposed by a patriarchal society. Woolf's narrative brilliance shines as she intricately weaves together themes of feminism, self-realization, and the yearning for freedom. 
   
  Across these three novels, Woolf's prose is characterized by its poetic beauty, stream-of-consciousness technique, and keen observation of the human psyche.

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