Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  Uncomfortable Bed An - From...

  Guy de Maupassant

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  Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was born on August 5th, 1850 near Dieppe in France.  
  Maupassant’s early life was badly torn when at age 11 (his younger brother Hervé was then five) his mother, Laure, a headstrong and independent-minded woman, risked social disgrace in order to obtain a legal separation from her husband. 
  After the separation, Laure kept custody of her two boys. With the father now forcibly absent, Laure became the most influential and important figure in the young boy's life.   
  Maupassant’s education was such that he rebelled against religion and other societal norms but a developing friendship with Gustave Flaubert began to turn his mind towards creativity and writing. 
  After graduation he volunteered for the Franco-Prussian war. With its end he moved to Paris to work as a clerk in the Navy Department.  Gustave Flaubert now took him under his wing.  Acting as a literary guardian to him, he guided the eager Maupassant to debuts in journalism and literature.  For Maupassant these were exciting times and the awakening of his creative talents and ambitions. 
  In 1880 he published what is considered his first great work, ‘Boule de Suif’, (translated as ‘Dumpling’, ‘Butterball’, ‘Ball of Fat’, or ‘Ball of Lard’) which met with a success that was both instant and overwhelming.  Flaubert at once acknowledged that it was ‘a masterpiece that will endure.’ Maupassant had used his talents and experiences in the war to create something unique.  
  This decade from 1880 to 1891 was to be the most pivotal of his career.  With an audience now made available by the success of ‘Boule de Suif’ Maupassant organised himself to work methodically and relentlessly to produce between two and four volumes of work a year.  The melding of his talents and business sense and the continual hunger of sources for his works made him wealthy. 
  In his later years he developed a desire for solitude, an obsession for self-preservation, and a fear of death as well as a paranoia of persecution caused by the syphilis he had contracted in his youth.  
  On January 2nd, 1892, Maupassant tried to commit suicide by cutting his throat.  Unsuccessful he was committed to the private asylum of Esprit Blanche at Passy, in Paris.  It was here on July 6th, 1893 that Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant died at the age of only 42.

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  Shimmer

  Alex Pugsley

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  In ten vividly told stories, Shimmer follows characters through relationships, within social norms, and across boundaries of all kinds as they shimmer into and out of each other’s lives.
  		 
  Outside a 7-Eleven, teen boys Veeper and Wendell try to decide what to do with their night, though the thought of the rest of their lives doesn’t seem to have occurred to them. In Laurel Canyon, two movie stars try to decide if the affair they’re having might mean they like each other. When Byron, trying to figure out the chords of a song he likes, posts a question on a guitar website, he ends up meeting Jessica as well, a woman with her own difficult music. And when the snide and sharp-tongued Twyla agrees to try therapy, not even she would have imagined the results.

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  Rudyard Kipling - Six of the...

  Rudyard Kipling

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  Six has always been a number we group things around – Six of the best, six of one half a dozen of another, six feet under, six pack, six degrees of separation and a sixth sense are but a few of the ways we use this number. 
   
  Such is its popularity that we thought it is also a very good way of challenging and investigating an author’s work to give width, brevity, humour and depth across six of their very best. 
   
  In this series we gather together authors whose short stories both rivet the attention and inspire the imagination to visit their gems in a series of six, to roam across an author’s legacy in a few short hours and gain a greater understanding of their writing and, of course, to be lavishly entertained by their ideas, their narrative and their way with words. 
   
  These stories can be surprising and sometimes at a tangent to what we expected, but each is fully formed and a marvellous adventure into the world and words of a literary master. 
   
  1 - Six of the Best - Rudyard Kipling - An Introduction 
  2 - Rudyard Kipling - An Introduction 
  3 - The Phantom Rickshaw By Rudyard Kipling 
  4 - They by Rudyard Kipling 
  5 - Mary Postgate by Rudyard Kipling 
  6 - Mark Of The Beast By Rudyard Kipling 
  7 - The Maltese Cat by Rudyard Kipling 
  8 - The Man Who Would Be King - Part 1 by Rudyard Kipling 
  9 - The Man Who Would Be King - Part 2 by Rudyard Kipling

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  The Short Stories of Stephen...

  Stephen Crane

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  Stephen Crane was born 1st November, 1871 in Newark, New Jersey and was the eighth surviving child out of fourteen.  Incredibly he began writing at the age of four and was published several times by the age of sixteen.   
   
  Crane only began a full-time education when he was nine but quickly mastered the grades needed to catch up and move forward. Although educated at Lafayette and Syracuse he had little interest in completing university and was keener to move on to a career, declaring college to be ‘a waste of time’.  By twenty he was a reporter and two years later had published his debut novel ‘Maggie: A Girl of the Streets’.  In literary circles this was hailed as the first work of American literary Naturalism.  
   
  Two years later, in 1895, he was the subject of worldwide acclaim for his Civil War novel, written without the benefit of any actual war experiences, ‘The Red Badge of Courage’.  It was indeed a masterpiece and his finest hour.  A year later life began its downwards descent when he became embroiled in a scandal which was to doom his career.  In attempting to help a suspected prostitute being falsely charged by a policeman he became the target of the authorities. 
   
  Later the same year en-route to Cuba as a War Correspondent he met the hotel madam Cora Taylor in Jacksonville, Florida.  This was to become the defining relationship of his life.  Continuing his journey, somewhere between Florida and Cuba his ship sank, and he was cast adrift for several days.  Rescued, he returned to cover conflicts wherever they were situated, some as far away as Greece.  For a time he lived in England with Cora, usually beyond their means, befriending fellow writers such as H G Wells and Joseph Conrad.    
   
  In declining health and beset by money problems, Stephen Crane died of tuberculosis, aged a mere 28 on 5th June 1900, at Badenweiler, Germany. He is buried in New Jersey. 
  01 - Stephen Crane - A Short Story Collection - An Introduction 
  02 - The Open Boat by Stephen Crane 
  03 - The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky by Stephen Crane 
  04 - The Veteran by Stephen Crane 
  05 - A Dark Brown Dog by Stephen Crane

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  Nobel Prize The: Ten Winners - A...

  W B Yeats

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  Being acknowledged for what you do is always very welcome.   When it comes to Oscar’s, Emmy’s, Pulitzer’s and Nobel’s it’s also international news and for many, the pinnacle of their career. 
   
  The Nobel Prize is much lauded and very difficult to secure.  In this volume we list ten of its winners over the decades who were famed for their literature.  The prize is given with an emphasis on its contribution to literature and its influence in the world and for the individual, more usually, for the body of work created. 
   
  So, whilst none of the stories in this volume were winners in their own right, their authors most certainly were.  They perfectly illustrate both the nature and mastery of the writing and the power and the purpose set within its storied prose. 
   
  1 - The Nobel Prize - Ten Winners - An Introduction 
  2 - The Father by Bjornstjerne Bjornson 
  3 - The Phantom Rickshaw by Rudyard Kipling 
  4 - The Victory by Rabindranath Tagore 
  5 - An Arch Rascal by Knut Hamsun 
  6 - The Daughter of Lilith by Anatole France 
  7 - Dhoya by W B Yeats 
  8 - Speed by Sinclair Lewis 
  9 - The Salvation of a Forsythe - Part 1 by John Galsworthy 
  10 - The Salvation of a Forsythe - Part 2 by John Galsworthy 
  11 - Son by Ivan Bunin 
  12 - Sicilian Limes by Luigi Pirandello

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  A Comedy In Rubber

  O. Henry

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  Delve into the humor and charm of early 20th-century city life with O. Henry’s delightful short story, A Comedy in Rubber. Known for his clever wit and unexpected twists, O. Henry brings us a playful tale of misadventure, following a character who encounters a string of amusing predicaments—all set in motion by a simple trip in a vintage automobile. With every turn, the story unfolds with O. Henry’s signature blend of humor and irony, giving readers a nostalgic glimpse into a bygone era.Narrated by Joe Reeder, this audiobook brings the story’s lighthearted tone and comedic nuances to life. Reeder’s engaging narration draws listeners into the delightful absurdities of O. Henry’s world, where every encounter holds a surprise, and humor is woven into each scene. Perfect for listeners seeking a brief escape into a world filled with laughter, nostalgia, and classic Americana.Whether you’re a long-time fan of O. Henry or discovering his work for the first time, A Comedy in Rubber is an entertaining listen that highlights the timeless appeal of his storytelling. This short, whimsical tale is ideal for those looking for a quick, enjoyable break filled with humor and classic charm.

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