Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  Joseph and His Brothers: Book 2...

  Thomas Mann

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  Published over a ten-year period between the years 1933 and 1943 while the writer was in exile, Thomas Mann’s Joseph and his Brothers is an epic four-part novel that works as a retelling of chapters twenty-one to thirty of the Book of Genesis. Described as a “Mythological novel”, It took Mann over sixteen years to write the novel and was considered by the writer as his greatest ever literary achievement.  
  in this second volume subtitled ‘Young Joseph’, Mann shifts his focus to Joseph’s formative years, moving towards the novel’s ultimate conclusion where he is imprisoned by his brothers and sold into slavery.  
  Deploying Mann’s signature capacity for incredible, often mesmerising detail, Joseph and His Brothers brings to life a world of mythology and legend, set within the ancient kingdoms of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Palestine. The result is an impressive, awe-inspiring work of psychological depth – one that is replete with historical detail, ironic humour, and breathtaking grandeur. 
  This recording is based on John E. Woods definitive English translation, providing an authoritative retelling that is worthy of Mann’s landmark work.

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  Washington Irving - A Short...

  Washington Irving

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  Washington Irving was born on 3rd April, 1783, the youngest of 11, in New York. 
    
  Irving found his real interests away from school in literature and the theatre.  An outbreak of yellow fever at 15 moved him away from Manhattan and into the surrounding countryside providing valuable settings for later works such as ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’. 
   
  By 19 Irving was writing regularly to the New York Morning Chronicle, commenting on the theatrical and social scenes.  When his health began to fail, he was sent on the Grand Tour of Europe.  Bizarrely he ignored most of the great sights on offer to concentrate on developing his social and conversational powers.  His health, though, did improve.  
   
  In 1806, back in New York to study law, he scraped a pass at the bar and then founded with several others the literary magazine Salmagundi. Irving nicknamed the city ‘Gotham City’, a name still in use today.  Moderately successful, the magazine spread Irving’s reputation beyond New York. 
   
  In 1809 while mourning the death of his teenage fiancée Irving finished his first significant book, ‘A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynsasty, by Diedrich Knickerbocker’.  It satirised local history, local historians and politics.  It received great critical acclaim. 
   
  Unfortunately his family’s established trading company was now facing great upheavals and Irving was dispatched to England to try to sort it out.  After two years he could see no way out but bankruptcy.  This left him in England with no real employment prospects, and so he returned to writing.  
   
  He sent some short stories back to New York to be published as ‘The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent’.  The first part included ‘Rip Van Winkle’ and was extremely successful.  The sixth part contained ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’.  
   
  Beset by literary piracy, with no copyright law at the time, he set about publishing legitimate copies in England to outwit the bootleggers.  From now on Irving published concurrently in America and England in order to render piracy obsolete.  
   
  In August 1824, he published ‘Tales of a Traveller’, which included the famed ‘The Devil and Tom Walker’.  
   
  In 1826, the American Minister to Spain, invited him to Madrid where he could examine the many historical documents that he had access to.  Irving reveled in both the size of the libraries he was granted access to and their rich quality.  Historical works flowed from his pen further enhancing his reputation and fortune.   
   
  Following the completion of ‘Tales of the Alhambra’ in 1832, Irving returned to America after 17 years abroad. He was now a figurehead of American literature and dispensed advice to Edgar Allan Poe amongst others.  Irving also became an advocate for American copyright legislation.  
   
  A later appointment as Minister to Spain in 1842 left him disheartened at the antics of the various political factions he encountered.  It also afforded him no time to write as he had hoped.  
   
  On his return home he began an ‘Author’s Revised Edition’ of his works agreeing an unprecedented deal for 12 per cent of the retail profits.  
   
  Washington Irving died of a heart attack at his ‘Sunnyside’ home on the 28th November 1859 at the age of 76, a few months after completing his five volume George Washington biography, in whose honour he had been named. 
   
  01 - Washington Irving - A Short Story Collection - An Introduction 
  02 - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving 
  03 - The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving 
  04 - The Art of Book-Making by Washington Irving 
  05 - The Conquest of the Earth by the Moon by Washington Irving 
  06 - John Bull by Washington Irving

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  The Mysterious Affair at Styles

  Agatha Christie

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  Step into the grand yet treacherous halls of Styles Court, where secrets lurk behind every locked door. In The Mysterious Affair at Styles—Agatha Christie's dazzling debut novel—the sudden death of wealthy matriarch Mrs. Inglethorp sends shockwaves through a household simmering with tension. Captain Arthur Hastings, home from the front lines of World War I, is drawn into the mystery, quickly realizing that everyone at Styles has something to hide. Enter Hercule Poirot, the brilliant Belgian detective, whose keen observations and masterful deductions will untangle a web of jealousy, greed, and betrayal. Narrated by Mike Polischuk, this timeless whodunit introduces listeners to Poirot’s signature flair and sets the standard for classic detective fiction.

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  Viy

  Nikolai Gogol

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  "Viy" by Nikolai Gogol is a haunting tale that delves into the supernatural. The story follows Khoma, a skeptical seminary student, who is tasked with saying prayers over the deceased witch princess. As Khoma faces a nightmarish encounter with the reanimated corpse, the narrative unfolds into a chilling exploration of fear, folklore, and the clash between the mortal and supernatural realms. Gogol weaves a tale of horror and the macabre, leaving readers on the edge of their seats as the boundary between the living and the dead blurs in the mysterious night.

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  Alexander's Bridge

  Willa Cather

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  ""Alexander's Bridge" is the first novel by the American author Willa Cather. It was initially published in 1912 and later re-released with an author's preface in 1922. The novel also ran as a serial in McClure's magazine, providing Cather with some free time from her work for that publication1.    Here's a brief summary of the novel:    Plot Introduction:  The protagonist, Bartley Alexander, is a construction engineer and a world-renowned builder of bridges.  Bartley is undergoing a mid-life crisis and is married to Winifred.  Despite his marriage, Bartley resumes his acquaintance with a former lover, Hilda Burgoyne, in London.  The affair gnaws at Bartley's sense of propriety and honor.  Plot Summary:  Professor Lucius Wilson arrives at the Alexanders' house in Boston. Bartley had persuaded him to attend a Congress of Psychologists in the city.  Bartley's wife, Winifred, greets Professor Wilson.  Bartley discusses his trouble with a bridge in Canada.  Bartley's relationship with Hilda becomes a central conflict.  The novel takes a tragic turn when Bartley is called to inspect the failing bridge in Canada.  While on the bridge, he realizes its structural integrity is compromised, but it collapses before he can prevent disaster.  Bartley dies along with many workers.  The aftermath involves Winifred making arrangements for her husband's corpse, and Professor Wilson reflecting on the consequences of Bartley's actions.  "Alexander's Bridge" explores themes of love, ambition, and the impact of choices. Cather's portrayal of human connections and their fragility resonates throughout the novel."

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  The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll...

  Robert Louis Stevenson

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  This little novel by Robert Lewis Stevenson is a real classic of the "horror literature". Moreover, its popularity with time only increases.
  The scientist puts on a daring and dangerous experiment. From the depths of the subconscious, he releases his dark personality, the sinister scoundrel and murderer, Mr. Hyde. He causes an inexplicable disgust for everyone who communicates with him. Dr. Henry Jekyll, nevertheless, leaves a testament in which, in the event of his death, leaves all to Hyde.

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