Under the Sun The Letters of Bruce Chatwin Elizabeth Chatwin; Nicholas Shakespeare (Edited by) Jonathan Cape 2010 Hardback
The premature death of Bruce Chatwin in 1989 robbed the world of one of its most original literary talents, whose extraordinary books such as In PatagThe premature death of Bruce Chatwin in 1989 robbed the world of one of its most original literary talents, whose extraordinary books such as In Patagonia and Utz blurred the boundaries of the traditional genres of memoir, fiction and travelogue. He was also a prolific letter writer from childhood to his last days, and his correspondence, edited here by his widow and his biographer, offers a frank and revealing insight into his unconventional life, adventurous travels and often idiosyncratic opinions....more
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The Wine of Wisdom The Life, Poetry and Philosophy of Omar Khayyam Mehdi Aminrazavi Oneworld 2007 Paperback
In a comprehensive introduction to the life and works of Omar Khayyam, Professor Aminrazavi places the poet within the context of 5th/11th century PerIn a comprehensive introduction to the life and works of Omar Khayyam, Professor Aminrazavi places the poet within the context of 5th/11th century Persia and explores the personality, poetry and philosophy of 'a figure who is unparalleled in the annals of Islamic intellectual thought'. Drawing on a host of sources, the study offers fresh insights, not only into the Ruba'iyyat, but also into Khayyam's lasting influence on mathematics, astronomy and even Western literature....more
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Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks Fifty Years of Mysteries in the Making John Curran Harper 2009 Hardback
After Agatha Christie's daughter died in 2004, her mother's extraordinary legacy was revealed: 73 notebooks that the doyenne of crime novelists kept tAfter Agatha Christie's daughter died in 2004, her mother's extraordinary legacy was revealed: 73 notebooks that the doyenne of crime novelists kept throughout her career, in which she sketched the plots of her many novels, short stories and plays. The wealth of excerpts and facsimiles reproduced for the first time in this remarkable book are packed with revelations that will fascinate, delight and surprise Christie's many fans - with the added bonus of two newly discovered Poirot stories. Felt-tip mark on lower trimmed edge....more
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W.B Yeats
Augustine Martin Paperview 2006 Hardback
One of the greatest of 20th-century poets, Yeats is a towering figure in the cultural history of Ireland, helping to found the Abbey Theatre, forging One of the greatest of 20th-century poets, Yeats is a towering figure in the cultural history of Ireland, helping to found the Abbey Theatre, forging a literary language that linked the Celtic past with the revolutionary present, and recording the independence struggle in such powerful verses as 'Easter 1916'. This succinct, engaging biography traces the roots of his creativity in his infatuation with Maud Gonne, his love of the Sligo landscape, his preoccupation with the occult, and his nationalist ideals. Promotional edition....more
Samuel Johnson The Struggle Jeffrey Meyers Basic 2008 Hardback
Samuel Johnson is one of the most revered figures in English literature - and one of the least understood. Drawing on a lifetime's study and an array Samuel Johnson is one of the most revered figures in English literature - and one of the least understood. Drawing on a lifetime's study and an array of new archival material, this masterly biography pays close attention to Johnson's writings, finding many echoes of his life. Against a vividly observed backdrop of a squalid, Hogarthian London, it paints a richly sympathetic portrait of a man whose passionate sympathy with the underprivileged sprang from deep personal experience of poverty, depression and ill-health....more
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Oscar Wilde
Jonathan Fryer Paperview 2005 Hardback
'The truth,' remarked Oscar Wilde, 'is never pure, and rarely simple.' This succinct biography cuts through the layers of myth that have accrued to th'The truth,' remarked Oscar Wilde, 'is never pure, and rarely simple.' This succinct biography cuts through the layers of myth that have accrued to the playwright since his death in 1900. It traces his Irish upbringing and meteoric success in London society to reveal, beneath the flamboyant public persona, a dedicated and disciplined artist. It offers a lucid account of the libel case that caused his downfall and, refreshingly, revises the conventional picture of Wilde, post-imprisonment, as a broken man. Promotional edition....more
In this brief, brilliant and compellingly readable biography, one major Irish writer has produced a richly humane account of the life of another. In sIn this brief, brilliant and compellingly readable biography, one major Irish writer has produced a richly humane account of the life of another. In spellbinding, evocative prose, O'Brien evokes a life of tragic-comic vicissitudes to match her subject's greatest fictional creations: his early struggles for recognition, his passionate and tempestuous marriage to Nora, his love-hate relationship with his native land, the titanic creative endeavour that produced Ulysses and Finnegans Wake, and the long years of self-imposed exile in France and Switzerland. Promotional edition....more
Storyteller The Authorized Biography of Roald Dahl Donald Sturrock Simon & Schuster 2010 Hardback Illustrated
More than 20 years after his death, Roald Dahl remains one of the world's best-loved storytellers. This first authorized biography provides a rivetingMore than 20 years after his death, Roald Dahl remains one of the world's best-loved storytellers. This first authorized biography provides a riveting account of the life and adventures of this complex and at times eccentric figure. Richly anecdotal, peopled with spies and movie stars, it draws on unpublished archives and interviews with his family to explore his public triumphs and private tragedies, and trace the roots of his wild imagination and fascination with the macabre. American-cut pages. ...more
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Edward Albee A Singular Journey Mel Gussow Applause 2001 Paperback Illustrated
Edward Albee (b.1928), author of the caustic marital drama Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, is one of America's most celebrated playwrights - and one Edward Albee (b.1928), author of the caustic marital drama Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, is one of America's most celebrated playwrights - and one of its least knowable. Despite its subject's intensely private nature, this biography draws on deep knowledge of both the man and his work. It explores the wellspring of his drama in his relationship with his aloof adoptive parents, his gayness and his struggle with alcoholism, and celebrates his triumphant return to form with Three Tall Women. ...more
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Lives Like Loaded Guns Emily Dickinson and her Family's Feuds Lyndall Gordon Virago 2011 Paperback
'My Life had stood - a Loaded Gun', wrote America's finest woman poet of the 19th century. Never photographed after the age of 16, she is often seen a'My Life had stood - a Loaded Gun', wrote America's finest woman poet of the 19th century. Never photographed after the age of 16, she is often seen as an unworldly recluse. This compulsively readable piece of literary detective work shatters the myth to expose the volcanic turmoil of her family life, which erupted in adultery, betrayal and feuding. Shocking, at times darkly farcical, it reveals Emily herself as a passionate protagonist in the dramatic events that shaped her poetic vision. ...more
Richmal Crompton The Woman behind Just William Mary Cadogan Sutton 2003 Paperback
Cap and tie askew, the scruffy, rumbustious schoolboy William Brown has endeared himself to generations. But who was the creator of this lovable scampCap and tie askew, the scruffy, rumbustious schoolboy William Brown has endeared himself to generations. But who was the creator of this lovable scamp? Cadogan's perceptive biography tells the story of the unlikely author of the Just William books, the private and scholarly Richmal Crompton (1890-1969). Actor Martin Jarvis, for many the quintessential voice of the William stories, provides an introduction. ...more
In the age of the telephone, which he hated, the author of Brideshead Revisited was one of the last great letter-writers. The correspondence to familyIn the age of the telephone, which he hated, the author of Brideshead Revisited was one of the last great letter-writers. The correspondence to family and friends collected in this volume charts his life from undergraduate escapades to literary success. Discussing their work with fellow writers Graham Greene and George Orwell, he is perceptive; discussing high society with Nancy Mitford or Lady Diana Cooper, he is brilliantly bitchy; discussing almost anything, he is entertaining, funny and, despite his acerbic wit, warmly sympathetic. ...more
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