Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  Paste - From their pens to your...

  Henry James

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  Henry James was born 15th April 1843 in New York City. 
  His youth was spent travelling with his family receiving what was an "extraordinarily haphazard and promiscuous" education as they journeyed through London, Paris, Geneva, Boulogne-sur-Mer and Newport, Rhode Island, according to the father's current interests and publishing ventures. James studied primarily with tutors and only briefly attended schools.    
  Undoubtedly the quality of his writing has ensured his name is enshrined in the American literary tradition.  
  James was a committed Anglophile and spent most of his adult life as an expatriate in Europe.  Many of his novels juxtapose the Old World with the New World. Classics such as ‘The Portrait of a Lady’, ‘Daisy Miller’ and ‘The Ambassadors’, display the entanglement between American and European cultures and mentalities. They highlight the differences between the two worlds through following the experiences of American expatriates in Europe.  
  A prolific author he was able to easily move across genres to create vivid and totally real worlds and situations and to offer sophisticated observations of human relations as well as realistic, social criticism.  
  As a critic James was unafraid to venture into reviews and essays of those other literary giants around him.  These together with his short stories and, of course, classic novels, make Henry James an author to be not only admired but read, and read often.  
  In 1915 Henry James became a British citizen. 
  On 28th February 1916, at the age of 72, Henry James died in Chelsea, London. 
  He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912 and 1916. He never won.

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  The Tempest

  William Shakespeare

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  A spellbinding tale of magic, betrayal, forgiveness, and redemption, The Tempest is one of William Shakespeare's most imaginative and poetic plays. Set on a mysterious island filled with enchantment and hidden dangers, this late romance blends drama, fantasy, and profound reflection into a story that continues to captivate audiences across centuries.
  
  At the center of the play is Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, who was betrayed by his brother Antonio and cast adrift at sea with his young daughter, Miranda. Stranded on a remote island, Prospero has mastered the art of magic and commands the spirit Ariel, along with other mystical forces. When fate brings his enemies within reach—sailing near the island—Prospero conjures a violent storm that shipwrecks them on its shores.
  
  As the castaways struggle to survive and make sense of their strange surroundings, Prospero carefully orchestrates events to confront his betrayers and restore justice. Meanwhile, Miranda encounters Ferdinand, the son of the King of Naples, and the two fall deeply in love, offering hope for reconciliation between once-divided families.
  
  Through its richly layered narrative, The Tempest explores themes of power, illusion, freedom, revenge, and forgiveness. Prospero's journey from anger to mercy lies at the heart of the play, raising timeless questions about authority, control, and the true nature of strength. The character of Caliban, the island's original inhabitant, adds further depth to the story, prompting reflection on colonialism, identity, and belonging.
  
  Often considered Shakespeare's farewell to the stage, The Tempest carries a tone of reflection and resolution. Its lyrical language and imaginative setting create a world where the boundaries between reality and enchantment blur, and where transformation becomes possible.
  
  Enchanting, thought-provoking, and deeply human, The Tempest remains a masterpiece of dramatic literature—a magical exploration of loss and reconciliation, and a powerful reminder that forgiveness can be the greatest act of all.

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  Twenty-Six Men and a Girl - From...

  Maxim Gorky

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  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.

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  Peter Pan

  J. M. Barrie

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  Peter Pan; or, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, often known simply as Peter Pan, is a work by Scottish novelist J. M. Barrie, in the form of a 1904 play and a 1911 novel titled Peter and Wendy. Both versions tell the story of Peter Pan, a mischievous little boy who can fly, and has many adventures on the island of Neverland that is inhabited by mermaids, fairies, Native Americans and pirates. The Peter Pan stories also involve the characters Wendy Darling and her two brothers John and Michael, Peter's fairy Tinker Bell, the Lost Boys, and the pirate Captain Hook.

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  Summer

  Edith Wharton

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  tbc

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  Little Women

  Louisa May Alcott

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  "Little Women" is one of the most widely-read novels in American literature, following the four March sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy — and their passage from childhood into womanhood.  
  "Little Women" is a classic novel originally published in 1868 which tells the story of four sisters and their coming of age during the American Civil War. With the help of their beloved mother and their neighbor, Mr. Laurence, the girls learn valuable lessons about love, family and the importance of giving back to the community. 
  Along the way, they learn the importance of resilience and self-determination, as they face various hardships and struggles. This timeless classic is an inspiring and heart-warming story about the power of family, friendship and the importance of chasing your dreams. 
  It is loosely based on the lives of the author, Louisa May Alcott, and her own three sisters.

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