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  History of Tom Jones a Foundling...

  Henry Fielding

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  A foundling of mysterious parentage brought up by Mr. Allworthy on his country estate, Tom Jones is deeply in love with the seemingly unattainable Sophia Western, the beautiful daughter of the neighboring squire though he sometimes succumbs to the charms of the local girls. When Tom is banished to make his own fortune and Sophia follows him to London to escape an arranged marriage, the adventure begins. A vivid Hogarthian panorama of eighteenth-century life, spiced with danger and intrigue, bawdy exuberance and good-natured authorial interjections, Tom Jones is one of the greatest and most ambitious comic novels in English literature.
  BOOK 11: In our last initial chapter we may be supposed to have treated that formidable set of men who are called critics with more freedom than becomes us; since they exact, and indeed generally receive, great condescension from authors. We shall in this, therefore, give the reasons of our conduct to this august body; and here we shall, perhaps, place them in a light in which they have not hitherto been seen.

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  The Man Who Would Be King

  Rudyard Kipling

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  In this gripping tale of ambition, hubris, and imperial adventure, Rudyard Kipling takes us deep into the heart of 19th-century British India — and beyond, to the remote and mysterious land of Kafiristan. When two bold and cunning ex-soldiers, Daniel Dravot and Peachey Carnehan, hatch a plan to become kings of an isolated region untouched by Western influence, they embark on a journey as daring as it is reckless. 
  What begins as a quest for power and riches quickly becomes something far more dangerous, as legend, belief, and identity collide. Told through the eyes of a journalist who hears their story firsthand, The Man Who Would Be King is a darkly compelling exploration of colonial arrogance, human ambition, and the fine line between myth and madness. 
  This classic novella, brought vividly to life in a new audio performance, remains as powerful and thought-provoking today as when it was first published in 1888. 
  Cover photo by Jose Manuel Gonzalez  Lupiañez Photography: https://www.pexels.com/photo/lightning-bolt-over-a-dark-sky-with-trees-in-the-background-28103646/

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  Frankenstein; or the Modern...

  Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

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  Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus 
  In the early nineteenth century, English author Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) Shelley penned a novel that would forever alter literature. Born in 1797, Mary’s unconventional upbringing shaped her worldview. During a summer near Lake Geneva in 1816, she conceived the tale of Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but tormented scientist. 
  Driven by relentless ambition, Victor embarked on an unorthodox experiment: creating life itself. The result—the Creature, often called “Frankenstein’s Monster”—was stitched together from various body parts. Seeking understanding and acceptance, the Creature grappled with its existence and harsh treatment. 
  The novel delves into profound themes: ambition, nature vs. nurture, responsibility, and loneliness. Beyond horror, “Frankenstein” challenges us to consider science’s boundaries and creators’ roles. It serves as a cautionary tale, warning against unchecked ambition and dehumanization. 
  Because of time, some words in the novel may have changed meanings.

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  History of Tom Jones a Foundling...

  Henry Fielding

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  A foundling of mysterious parentage brought up by Mr. Allworthy on his country estate, Tom Jones is deeply in love with the seemingly unattainable Sophia Western, the beautiful daughter of the neighboring squire though he sometimes succumbs to the charms of the local girls. When Tom is banished to make his own fortune and Sophia follows him to London to escape an arranged marriage, the adventure begins. A vivid Hogarthian panorama of eighteenth-century life, spiced with danger and intrigue, bawdy exuberance and good-natured authorial interjections, Tom Jones is one of the greatest and most ambitious comic novels in English literature.
  BOOK 12: The learned reader must have observed that in the course of this mighty work, I have often translated passages out of the best antient authors, without quoting the original, or without taking the least notice of the book from whence they were borrowed.

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  Chelkash by Maxim Gorky - A...

  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.  
   
  In Gorky’s story, a thief, Chelkash, ensnares a young man into his scheme to steal silk from a ship.  When he then sells the stolen goods he is set upon by the young accomplice.  What happens then is as unexpected as it is remarkable.

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  Smile

  D H Lawrence

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  ‘Smile’ is one of Lawrence's shorter pieces, a thumbnail sketch of an idea. A man is relieved that his wife is dead and struggles to hide his relief when confronted with his wife's body. The relief breaks out in a smile which he struggles to excuse. How much better it would have been, Lawrence seems to be saying, if he had just laughed out loud!

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