Entertainment Books

Book SynopsisChristy Moore is in every sense Ireland''s folk hero. Mentor to a whole generation of Irish musicians, he holds a unique place in musical history. In l992 he broke all attendance records during 12 packed nights at the Point in Dublin. In the UK he fills concert halls around the country. In l997 he announced that he was taking an extended break from touring and recording. It was headline news in Ireland. So was his comeback which began in l999. Set to be an enormous best-seller, his autobiography marries both songs and memories. Around 250 of his favourite lyrics are accompanied by his memories around the song itself and his life. Each entry is fresh, direct, honest and spontaneous - like the most intimate diary. Through it he charts his life from drunk to sober, bar-room guitar player to international singer-songwriter.Trade ReviewAn autobiography which dispenses with a traditional life-narrative in favour of an approach that's far more innovative and revealing. This is one of the few music books you'll read in which the subject eloquently communicates their love of music and illustrates just what it has meant throughout their life. * Independent on Sunday *intimate, absorbing and sometimes disturbing * Sunday Independent *poetic and honest * Financial Times *a frank account of the much-loved singer's rip-roaring career * The Daily Telegraph *Essential reading for anyone who owns even one Christy Moore CD. * The Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisFascinating and extraordinary, thrilling and poignant, My Judy Garland Life will speak to anyone who has ever nursed an obsession or held a candle to a star.Judy Garland has been an important figure in Susie Boyt''s life since she was three years old, comforting, inspiring and at times disturbing her. In this unique book, Boyt travels deep into the underworld of hero worship, reviewing through the prism of Judy our understanding of rescue, consolation, love, grief and fame. What does it mean to adore someone you don''t know? What is the proper husbandry of a twenty-first century obsession?Boyt''s journey takes in a duetting breakfast with Mickey Rooney, a Munchkin luncheon, tea with the largest collector of Garlandia, an illicit late-night spree at the Minnesota Judy Garland Museum and a breathless, semi-sacred encounter with Miss Liza Minnelli . . .Trade ReviewI'm blown away by this book . . . endlessly thoughtful, moving and entertaining . . . the writing is superb - Joseph O'Neill, author of NETHERLANDThe book defies definition . . . it is a bold experiment that sets out to map the boundaries of celebrity obsession, and somewhere along the way discovers what it means to be human . . . beautiful, heart stopping writing - Viv Groskop, OBSERVERWhat a self-deprecating, funny, moving, entertaining read it is, a mad love letter from Susie Boyt to Judy Garland . . . It makes for a new kind of memoir - Ali Smith, THE TIMES

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Book Synopsis It''s time to entertain, Bridgerton-style.Entertain like a queen with these forty recipes for Bridgerton-style food and drink in the first official cookbook from this hugely popular Shondaland series on Netflix. Whether it''s a sumptuous lawn party, a high tea, or a boozy late-night salon, this gorgeous cookbook delivers recipes for finger food, cocktails, and entertaining ideas that help you recreate the high society of Bridgerton in your own home.Host the perfect pique-nique, complete with the Duke''s favorite Gooseberry Hand Pies and a rousing game of Pall Mall (played the Bridgerton way, of course). Create grazing boards with recipes like Roasted Pork Belly Skewers and Beet-Dyed Deviled Eggs that are perfect for a stylish watching party. Evoke the delightful decadence of Lady Danbury''s Den of Iniquity with Sausage-Stuffed Mushroom Caps, an espresso martini, and an old-fashioned game of chance. These forty recipes have been developed with a modern audience in mind, offering mocktail, vegetarian, and gluten-free options to ensure that no fan is left hungry. They are presented alongside mouth-watering food photography, stills from the show, and sidebars explaining essential expertise, such as how to address a Marquis, execute the perfect curtsy, or build a macaron tower sturdy enough to last the night.

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Book SynopsisThe Routledge Companion to Music and Human Rights is a collection of case studies spanning a wide range of concerns about music and human rights in response to intensifying challenges to the well-being of individuals, peoples, and the planet. It brings forward the expertise of academic researchers, lawyers, human rights practitioners, and performing musicians who offer critical reflection on how their work might identify, inform, or advance mutual interests in their respective fields. The book is comprised of 28 chapters, interspersed with 23 voices' portraits that focus on individuals' intimate experiences with music in the defence or advancement of human rights and explores the following four themes: 1) Fundamentals on music and human rights; 2) Music in pursuit of human rights; 3) Music as a means of violating human rights; 4) Human rights and music: intrinsic resonances.Table of ContentsTable of ContentsIntroductionPart I Fundamentals on Human Rights and Music1 What Are Human Rights?Manfred NowakVoice: Andra Matei (Romania/France)Voice: Sajad Sepehri (Iran/stateless)2 Why Music and Human Rights?Julian FiferVoice: Saba Anglana (Somalia/Ethiopia/Italy)3 The Human Right to MusicNoelle Higgins and Michael O’FlahertyVoice: Ramzi Aburedwan (Palestine)4 Music Education: Child Development and Human RightsSteven J. Holochwost and Elizabeth Stuk5 Censorship of MusicKoen De FeyterVoice: Srirak Plipat (Thailand/Norway)6 The Right to Let Culture DieTrevor Reed7 Music Sustainability, Human Rights, and Future JusticeCatherine GrantVoice: Joy-Leilani Garbutt (US)Part II Music in Pursuit of Human Rights8 Orality and the Poetics of Forgiveness in South SudanAngela Impey9 Girls Can Dance Xigubu, Too: An Embodied Response to Gender-Based Violence in MozambiqueKaren Boswall and Jane K. CowanVoice: Ani Zonneveld (Malaysia/US)10 Reimagine: The Role of Popular Music in Overcoming Homophobia in Sub-Saharan Anglophone AfricaFrans ViljoenVoice: Roshnie Moonsammy (South Africa)11 Rock Nacional in Argentina: Resistance to Censorship and Cultural Repression During the Military Dictatorship (1976–1983)Diego Lopez and Veronica GomezVoice: Katia Chornik (Chile/UK) for Victor Jara (Chile)Voice: Erich Schneiderman (US) for Ramy Essam (Egypt/Sweden) and Shady Habash (Egypt)12 Silence, Complicity, and Forgotten Voices HeardKelly Hall-TompkinsVoice: Katy Ambrose (US)Voice: Weston Sprott (US)13 Reinvoking Gran Bwa (Great Forest): Music, Environmental Justice, and a Vodou-Inspired Mission to Plant Trees Across HaitiRebecca Dirksen14 Music and Human Rights: A Perspective From the Humanitarian SectorTeresa HanleyVoice: Laura Hassler (based in the Netherlands)15 Music and the Arts as Healing Power During and After the Siege of SarajevoManfred NowakVoice: Merima Ključo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)16 Claiming Human Rights in Iraq: Reflections on the Creation of a Musicians’ Collective to Advance Freedom of Expression, Gender Equality, and Cultural ParticipationLuca ChiavinatoVoice: Ibrahim Salama (Egypt)Voice: Iara Lee (Brazil/Korea/US)17 Music in Contexts of Incarceration: Perspectives From Javanese Gamelan PerformanceMaria MendonçaVoice: Molly Carr (US)18 Music Therapy and Human Rights Issues in the Clinic and the CommunityBrynjulf StigeVoice: Kanayo Ueda (Japan)Part III Music as a Means of Violating Human Rights19 Music Torture in the ‘War on Terror’Manfred Nowak20 Music, Terror, and Civilizing Projects in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous RegionRachel Harris and Aziz Isa Elkun21 Weaponized Music: Schubert, Interrogation, and Memory in Dorfman’s La muerte y la doncellaKatja Stroke-Adolphe22 Sounds of a Caste-Ending Cultural Movement in Western IndiaRasika AjotikarVoice: Casteless Collective (India)Part IV Human Rights and Music: Intrinsic Resonances23 The Sound of Human Rights: Wordless Music That Speaks for HumanityBruce Adolphe24 Adorno Revisited: Aesthetic Theory, Politics, and Human RightsGeorge UlrichVoice: Lukas Ligeti (Austria/US)25 Decoding Viktor Ullmann’s Last Piano Sonata Through Legal MethodologyMichael WienerVoice: Jeff Janeczko (US)26 Music and a ‘Universal Culture of Human Rights’Peter G. Kirchschlaeger27 Don’t Just Sing About It: Choral Music in the Pursuit of Human RightsJustin Jalea and Alexander Lloyd BlakeVoice: David A. McDonald (US)28 Human Rights and the Professional Musician in the Twenty-First CenturyJulian FiferVoice: Mai Khôi (Vietnam)EpilogueInterview with Alessio AllegriniAlessio Allegrini and George Ulrich

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Book SynopsisThis ambitious publication draws from the knowledge and expertise of leading international figures in voice training in order to examine the history of the voice from an interdisciplinary perspective. The book explores the historical arc of various voice training disciplines and highlights significant people and events within the field. It is written by voice specialists from a variety of backgrounds, including singing, actor training, public speaking, and voice science. These contributors explore how voice pedagogy came to be, how it has organized itself as a profession, how it has dealt with challenges, and how it can develop still.Covering a variety of voice training disciplines, this book will be of interest to those studying voice and speech, as well as researchers from the fields of rhetoric, music and performance. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Voice and Speech Review journal. Table of ContentsIntroduction – The Emergence of a Profession: The History of Voice Pedagogy 1. Theatre-Voice Pedagogy within the Royal Shakespeare Company: A Historical Perspective 2. A Historical View of the Pedagogy of Public Speaking 3. Historical Landmarks in Singing Voice Pedagogy 4. Make the Door Open: Groundbreaking African American Teachers of Singing 5. A Historian’s Journey with Sylvia Olden Lee and Camilla Williams, African American Opera Pioneers 6. Singing Vocal Pedagogy in the Nineteenth Century Neapolitan School: The Work of Francesco Florimo 7. The History of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA) 8. The Rationale and History of Vocology

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Book SynopsisThe world’s leading reggae scholar spent forty years interviewing Bob Marley and his closest confidants. This is the definitive telling of Bob Marley’s life.Trade Review"If Bob Marley is Jesus in these times, Roger Steffens is Peter." -- Carlos Santana"... absorbing oral history... So Much Things to Say is a major work that helps us better understand Marley's tragic yet inspirational tale." -- Mojo"... absorbing "oral history"... So Much Things to Say is a fitting tribute to the tumultuous life and complex character of the country’s favourite son." -- The Observer"So Much Things to Say, an 'oral' account of Marley's life and times, amounts to an absorbing alternative biography." -- The Spectator"Steffens identifies many more pieces of the man than have ever before been put together in one book." -- The Guardian"[So Much Things to Say] narrates the life of Marley from cradle to grave... Steffens has been on the Marley case for decades, and he’s a crucial voice in this epic chorus... Illuminating." -- Touré - The New York Times Book Review"There have been dozens of Bob Marley books, but this 2017 oral history, decades in the making, is definitive." -- Rolling Stone"For decades Steffens has been a leading authority on Bob Marley. Here he identifies many more pieces of the man than have ever before been put together in one book... Steffens marshals his sources with skill, and we’re left with a complex representation." -- The Guardian

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Book SynopsisThe definitive history of Western Music.

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Book SynopsisThe definitive history of Western Music.

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Book SynopsisYes, you can write a great screenplay. Let Syd Field show you how.“I based Like Water for Chocolate on what I learned in Syd's books. Before, I always felt structure imprisoned me, but what I learned was structure really freed me to focus on the story.”—Laura EsquivelTechnology is transforming the art and craft of screenwriting. How does the writer find new ways to tell a story with pictures, to create a truly outstanding film? Syd Field shows what works, why, and how in four extraordinary films: Thelma & Louise, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The Silence of the Lambs, and Dances with Wolves.Learn how:Callie Khouri, in her first movie script, Thelma & Louise, rewrote the rules for good road movies and played against type to create a new American classic.James Cameron, writer/director of Terminator 2: Judgement Day, created a sequ

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Book SynopsisRob Lowe is a film and television actor and producer. He also is involved in politics. He lives with his wife and two sons in California.Trade ReviewA slick, seemingly confidential portrayal of a complex, charismatic actor * The Times *Engaging and revealing * Spectator *Compelling -- Mariella Frostrup * Observer *Fascinating... thoughtful... compelling * Heat *A lovely autobiography, equal parts dish and pathos * Vanity Fair *

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Book SynopsisDanielle Steel is one of the world's most popular and highly acclaimed authors, with over ninety international bestselling novels in print and more than 600 million copies of her novels sold. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; and Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved.To discover more about Danielle Steel and her books visit her website at www.daniellesteel.comYou can also connect with Danielle on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DanielleSteelOfficial or on Twitter: @daniellesteel

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Book SynopsisTom Fletcher (Author) Tom Fletcher is a number-one bestseller and one of the UK's most popular children's authors. The Christmasaurus was the biggest debut middle-grade novel of 2016 and was shortlisted for a British Book Award. Since then, Tom has published several more chart-topping children's novels including The Christmasaurus and the Winter Witch, The Christmasaurus and the Naughty List, The Creakers and the instant number-one bestseller The Danger Gang. Tom also writes the incredibly successful Who's in Your Book? picture-book series and is one half of the author duo behind the Dinosaur that Pooped picture-book series too, which has sold over 1.5 million copies. For older readers, Tom co-authors the Eve of Man series with his wife Giovanna Fletcher. Tom's books have been translated into 40 languages and to date he has sold over 5 million copies of his books in the UK alone. As well as

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Book SynopsisArguably the most gifted artist of her generation, Amy Winehouse died tragically young, aged just 27. Packed with exclusive material, such as extracts from Amy's teenage diaries, photos and notes, this book offers a new and intimate perspective on the life and death of the phenomenon that is Amy Winehouse.Trade ReviewAn authentic, poignant and gut-wrenchingly sad tale... An insightful, honest and often uplifting account of a life cut tragically short -- Isabelle Broom * Heat *Deeply personal... Insightful, offering rare glimpses behind the maelstrom of Amy's public life -- Charlotte Oliver * Jewish Chronicle *Poignant * The Independent *

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Book Synopsis''The only book that will give you a hangover'' Chris Evans Breakfast Show---The hilarious, no holds barred autobiography from sporting legend and broadcaster Alan Brazil.As Alan recounts tales from his extraordinary life, he relives the sporting occasions, radio broadcasts and famously long drinking sessions that have defined his career. He takes readers inside the talkSPORT studio for a behind-the-scenes view of his most memorable interviews, and talks for the first time about the on-pitch rivalries and dressing room debriefs of his footballing career.With his typically outspoken and irreverent delivery, Alan shares everything from his thoughts on how the sports he loves have changed to his top tips for picking winners (and many losers) at Cheltenham. And he revels in wine-soaked jaunts in the South of France and late-night supermarket sweeps with Ray Parlour - if you can keep up.Packed full of never-before-told stories, Trade ReviewThe only book that will give you a hangover. * Chris Evans Breakfast Show *Brazil is a natural raconteur. * The Times *A breathless romp, a highlights reel of Men Behaving Badly with a bit of football and broadcasting sandwiched between boozing sessions. * Mail on Sunday *It's fantastic! * Chris Evans *A snapshot of a life well lived. * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisBrought up in England, Jason Webster has lived for many years in Spain. His acclaimed non-fiction books about Spain include Duende: A Journey in Search of Flamenco; Andalus: Unlocking the Secrets of Moorish Spain; Guerra: Living in the Shadows of the Spanish Civil War; Sacred Sierra: A Year on a Spanish Mountain and The Spy with 29 Names. His Max Cámara series of crime novels started with Or the Bull Kills You, which was was longlisted for the CWA Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards New Blood Dagger 2011. This was followed by A Death in Valencia, The Anarchist Detective, Blood Med and A Body in Barcelona. Trade ReviewThe autobiography-as-travelogue that is also a rite of passage is a form which worked brilliantly for Laurie Lee and Bruce Chatwin - both novelists as well as seekers after the truth-behind-the-truth. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new star of the genre: Jason Webster * Daily Mail *His descriptions of troubled modern day Spain are mesmerising, but the greater curiosity is in seeing just how much trouble the confused innocent can create for himself before finding out whom he might really be * Daily Express *Wonderfully told, with enough detail about flamenco to educate the curious, and enough drama and characters to fill a novel, Webster may not have turned out to be a guitar maestro, but his journey is recounted like a master * Wanderlust *Duende is an intensely personal portrait of a country in the throes of modernisation, whose spirit still defies definition * Observer *One of the best books ever written about Spain * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisJoseph Haydn is one of the greatest and most innovative of all composers, yet in some ways he is still curiously misunderstood. This engaging new Pocket Guide assesses what Haydn''s music means to us today, and challenges some of the myths that have grown up around the composer. With suggestions for further reading and recommended CD recordings, Richard Wigmore''s crisp and concise guide presents you with all you need to listen to and enjoy Haydn''s music. It explores each of his key works, from his symphonies to his quartets, from his choral works to his sonatas, and invites a new generation of listeners to discover the depth and dazzling ingenuity of this most humane and life-affirming of composers.

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Book SynopsisMatthew Bourne and His Adventures in Dance is an intimate and in-depth conversation between the prize-winning pioneer of ballet and contemporary dance Matthew Bourne and the New York Times dance critic Alastair Macaulay. In 1987, a small, aspirant dance group with a striking name made its debut on the London fringe. In 1996, Adventures in Motion Pictures made history as the first modern dance company to open a production in London''s West End. From this achievement, AMP sailed triumphantly to Broadway - winning three Tony Awards - guided by Artistic Director Matthew Bourne.Even before the inception of AMP, Bourne was fascinated by theatre, by characterization, and by the history of dance. In his early works - Spitfire, Town & Country and Deadly Serious - Bourne brought a novel approach to dance. And in his reworkings of the classics of the ballet canon - Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Cinderella - Bourne created witty, vivid, poignant productions that received great acclaim.In the first decade of the new millennium, the company name was changed to New Adventures, and Bourne''s ''classics'', as well as Bourne''s new works - The Car Man, Play Without Words, Edward Scissorhands and Dorian Gray - achieved levels of box-office popularity that have seldom, if ever, been matched in dance. In addition, his choreography for various musicals - My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins and Oliver! - have run for years in the West End and on Broadway.The detail in which Bourne discusses his work with Alastair Macaulay is unprecedented. The two explore Bourne''s upbringing, his training and influences, and his distinctive creative methods. Bourne''s notebooks, his sources and his collaboration with dancers all form part of the discussion in this book.

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Book SynopsisThis unsettling black comedy about private passion and public shame is based on Zoe Heller''s acclaimed novel, adapted for the screen by celebrated dramatist Patrick Marber (Closer). When art teacher Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett) arrives at a London comprehensive she catches the keen eye of her older colleague Barbara Covett (Judi Dench). Barbara is not the only one drawn to Sheba, who then begins an illicit affair. Barbara is the keeper of Sheba''s secret, but can she be trusted?

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Book SynopsisI know now, Kostya, I understand that in our work - doesn''t matter whether it''s acting or writing - what''s important isn''t fame or glamour, none of the things I used to dream about, it''s the ability to endure.The Seagull is one of the great plays about writing. It superbly captures the struggle for new forms, the frustrations and fulfilments of putting words on a page. Chekhov, in his first major play, staged a vital argument about the theatre which still resonates today. Christopher Hampton''s new version of this classic, directed by Ian Rickson in his last production as Artistic Director of the Royal Court Theatre, London, premiered in January 2007.

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Book SynopsisMetallica have sold in excess of 100 million albums and won seven Grammys. Their journey from scuzzy Los Angeles garages to the stages of the world''s biggest stadia has been an epic and often traumatic one, and one of the few truly great rock ''n'' roll sagas.No music writers have been afforded greater access to Metallica over the years than Paul Brannigan and Ian Winwood, two former editors of Kerrang. Having conducted hundreds of hours of interviews with the band, they have between them gained an unparalleled knowledge of the group''s history and an insiders'' view of how their story has developed: they have ridden in the band''s limos, flown on their private jet, joined them in the studio, been invited to the quartet''s ''HQ'' outside San Francisco and shared beers and stories with them in venues across the globe. There are countless memorable stories about the band never before seen in print, tales of bed-hopping and drug-taking and car-crashes and fist-fights an

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Book SynopsisAlready a bestseller, this is a wonderfully entertaining collection of Alan Bennett''s prose writings. Writing Home brings together diaries, reminiscences and reviews to give us a unique and unforgettable portrait of one of England''s leading playwrights. As a memoir it covers the production of his very first play, Forty Years On, which starred John Gieldgud, as well as many other important productions. His television series ''Talking Heads'' has become a modern-day classic; as part of the 1960s revue ''Beyond the Fringe'' Bennett helped to kick-start the English satire revolution, and has since remained one of our leading dramatists, most recently with The History Boys at the National Theatre. At the heart of the book is The Lady in The Van, since adapted into a radio play featuring Dame Maggie Smith. It is the true account of Miss Mary Shepherd, a homeless tramp who took up residence in Bennett''s garden and stayed for fifteen years. This new e

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Book Synopsis''A beautiful retelling ... which captures the great man''s spirit.'' UNCUTFrom ''Crossroads Blues'' to ''Sweet Home Chicago'', ''Hellhound on My Trail'' to ''Come On In My Kitchen'', Robert Johnson wrote some of the most enduring and formative songs of the original blues era, songs that would go on to help shape the birth of rock''n''roll in the 1960s. Beloved of Clapton, Dylan and the Stones, Robert Johnson remains one of the most iconic and mythologised figures in popular music (and the first of many to die at the age of 27). Exploring the stories and legends that surround his life and death - his childhood, his womanising, his pact with the devil at the crossroads - Mezzo and DuPont have produced a fittingly creative and beautiful depiction of this most extraordinary life.

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Book SynopsisHer Again is an intimate look at the artistic coming of age of the greatest actress of her generation, from the homecoming float at her suburban New Jersey high school to her star-making roles in The Deer Hunter, Manhattan, and Kramer vs. Kramer. Michael Schulman charts Meryl Streep's rise stardom on the New York stage, her passionate, tragically short-lived love affair with John Cazale, and her evolution as a young woman of the 1970s, wrestling with changing ideas of feminism, marriage, love, and sacrifice.

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Book SynopsisIn 2008 Paul Robertson, the renowned violinist and leader of the Medici Quartet, suffered a ruptured aorta. After dying for a lengthy period on the operating table, he remained in a coma for many weeks. During this time, he experienced visions which afforded him profound insights and when he awoke, he found his understanding of the world fundamentally altered. This surprising and rewarding memoir offers a fascinating perspective on creative endeavour: the rigours of learning, the challenges of performance and the spiritual nourishment that drives us on. It is a poignant and wise book that draws on a lifetime of experiences, in both life and death.

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Book SynopsisFirst publication in English of an extraordinary and prestigious series of Lectures given by Pierre Boulez, arguably the most influential composer of the second half of the last century.

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Book SynopsisTerrence Malick''s debut film, Badlands, announced the arrival of a unique talent. In the 40 years since that debut, Malick has only made 5 films, but they are distinctive in their beauty.This book is not meant to be a biography of Terrence Malick. The purpose behind the book is to introduce readers to the extraordinary universe of his film-making and to aid them in understanding his work. And to do this through the words of his closest collaborators - cinematographers, set designers, costumers, cameramen, directors, producers, and actors such as Sean Penn, Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek and Jessica Chastain. As their words flow from one to another, they form a fascinating, kaleidoscopic vision of American film and specifically Malick''s artistic world. who make up a film.This book is the fruit of a journey began years ago when Luciano Baracaroli, Carlo Hintermann, Gerardo Panichi and Daniele Villa made a documentary on the work of Terrence Malick, which led to the maki

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Book SynopsisIn 1966 a coal slag heap collapsed on a school in south Wales, killing 144 people, most of them children. Poet Owen Sheers has given voice to those who still live in Aberfan, the pit village in which tragedy struck, and uses their collective memories to create a striking work of poetic power. This is a portrait not just of what happened, but also of what was lost. What was Aberfan like in 1966? What were the interests of the people, the social life, the sporting obsessions, the bands of the day? What was the deeper history of the place? Why had it become the mining village it was, and what had it been before the discovery of coal under its soil? Perhaps most significantly: what is Aberfan like today? The Green Hollow is a historical story with a deeply urgent contemporary resonance; a story of what can happen when a community is run by a corporation. It is also a story known along generational rather than geographic borders. Based on the BBC One production,

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Book SynopsisHow does music reflect the key moments in our lives? How do we choose the works that inspire, delight, comfort or console? Fiona Maddocks selects 100 classical works from across nine centuries, arguing passionately, persuasively and at times obstinately for their inclusion, putting each work in its cultural and musical context, discussing omissions, suggesting alternatives and always putting the music first.

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Book SynopsisSamuel Beckett directed Krapp''s Last Tape on four separate occasions: this volume offers a facsimile of his 1969 Schiller-Theater notebook.Professor Knowlson writes that in these notes ''we see Beckett simplifying, shaping and refining, as he works towards a realization of the play that will function well dramatically. The material reveals a flexibility and openness of approach often considered alien to Beckett''s ways of working in the theatre.'' The Schiller notebook also contains some of the most explicit analysis by Beckett of his own work ever revealed.The revised text incorporates many of the changes Beckett made in the 1969 Schiller production, as well as subsequent changes in later productions. Professor Knowlson worked closely with Beckett over these revisions and deviations from the original are noted and explained in detail.

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Book SynopsisA Times, Spectator, TLS and BBC Music Magazine Book of the YearFascinating.' GuardianSuperlative.' The TimesDefinitive.' ObserverAs an icon of India, Ravi Shankar ranks not far below Gandhi or the Taj Mahal. He was one of the twentieth century's most important musicians, the breadth of his impact reflected in those he influenced: George Harrison, John Coltrane, Philip Glass and Yehudi Menuhin, to name a few. In this first biography of Ravi Shankar, Oliver Craske presents a full portrait of the man and the artist, painting a vivid picture of the public and private faces of a captivating, restless workaholic who lived an intense and extraordinary life across ninety-two years. A masterly chronicle of a life teeming with all-too-human incident but heavenly inspiration.' The Times

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Book SynopsisThe life's work of two of British music's most unique and timeless artists, with an introduction by Jarvis Cocker.Whenever an aspiring musician asks me about songwriting I point them towards Robert and Alfie. Their work is so unusual, so perceptive, so playful and so grown-up. I don't think there''s anyone to compare. If you want songs that touch your mind as well as your heart, these are the best. Wide distribution of this book could improve the state of music dramatically. - Brian Eno***Selected and arranged by the authors themselves, and featuring an introduction by Jarvis Cocker, Side by Side presents the lyrics, poems, writings and drawings of innovative musician Robert Wyatt and his creative partner, English painter and songwriter Alfie Benge.As a founding member of influential English rock bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, and with a solo career which has lasted for over forty years and seen him collaborate with a diver

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Book Synopsis''Stephen Hough''s memoir had me gripped from the beginning . . . riveting and revelatory. Most memoirs give me far more than I want to know this is the rare sort that left me urgently demanding a second volume, a third, a fourth. I loved it.' Philip Pullman Stephen Hough is indisputably one of the world''s leading pianists, winning global acclaim and numerous awards.This memoir recounts his unconventional coming-of-age story, from his beginnings in an unmusical home in Cheshireto the main stage of Carnegie Hall in New York aged 21. We read of his early love-affair with the piano which curdled, after a teenage nervous breakdown, into failure at school and six-hours a day watching television, engulfed in dreams, seesawing between sexual and religious obsessions.We meet his supportive, if eccentric parents - his artistically frustrated father, his housework-hating mother. We read of the teachers who encouraged and inspired, and others who hit him on the head sc

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE PENDERYN MUSIC PRIZEA GUARDIAN MUSIC BOOK OF THE YEAR, 2015FEATURING A NEW FOREWORD BY DAVID MITCHELLAward-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author Jon Savage's monument to the year that shaped the future of global pop cultural history.''One of Britain''s most trusted cultural historians.''THE FACEIn America, in London, in Amsterdam, in Paris, revolutionary ideas fomenting since the late 1950s reached boiling point, culminating in a year in which the transient pop moment burst forth. Exploring the canonical figures, from The Beatles and Boty to Warhol and Reagan, 1966 delves deep into the social and cultural heart of the decade through masterfully compiled archival primary sources.''A marvel of hisotrical reconstruction and pop insight.''OBSERVER''Absorbing . . . this is not only fine pop writing, but social history of a high order.''GUARDIAN

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Book SynopsisFrom the ''Winner of Winners'' of the Baillie Gifford Prize, a timely and dramatic story of a utopian American experiment, and the self-serving politicians that engineered its downfall.1935. As part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's progressive New Deal, the Work Progress Administration is created to support unemployed workers, including writers, artists, musicians and actors. The Federal Theatre Project, a major part of that programme, begins to stage critically acclaimed, subsidised and groundbreaking productions across America, including Orson Welles's directorial debut, a landmark modern dance programme and shows that sought to tell the truth about racism, inequality and the dangers of fascism.1938. An opportunistic Texas congressman, Martin Dies, head of the newly formed House Un-American Activities Committee, successfully targets the Federal Theatre, exploiting rising tensions over communism and creating a new political playbook based on

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Book SynopsisThe complete, authorised scripts, including deleted scenes, of the multiple award-winning Succession.The smartest, cruellest, funniest show on television.' Irish TimesThe most thrilling and beautifully obscene TV there is.' Guardian''Miraculously funny yet mind-blowingly intense.'' Empire** Winner of nineteen Emmys, nine Golden Globes, three BAFTAs and a Grammy. **With an exclusive introduction from Lucy Prebble. Love'. You're coming for me with love?In the wake of an ambush by his rebellious son, Kendall, Logan Roy is in a perilous position, scrambling to secure familial, political and financial alliances. A bitter corporate battle threatens to turn into a family civil war.Collected here for the first time, the complete scripts of Succession: Season Three feature unseen extra material, including deleted scenes, alternative dialogue and characte

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Book SynopsisOtto Preminger was one of Hollywood''s first truly independent producer/directors. Blazing a trail in the examination of controversial issues such as drug addiction (The Man with the Golden Arm) and homosexuality (Advise and Consent), Preminger broke the censorship of the Hollywood Production Code and the blacklist, while creating some of Hollywood''s most enduring film noir classics. Chris Fujiwara''s critical biography - the first in more than thirty years - follows Preminger throughout his varied career, penetrating his carefully constructed public persona and revealing the many layers of his work.

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Book SynopsisPrince unravels the mysteries behind the life of a true musical genius. Through years of research and interviews with ex-Revolution members such as Wendy and Lisa, this is an account of a pop maverick whose experiments with rock, funk, techno and jazz revolutionised pop. With reference to 35 years of released and unreleased recordings, Prince remains the go-to book on the great man.

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Book SynopsisTHE LOUDER THAN WAR #1 BOOK OF THE YEARA ROUGH TRADE, THE TIMES, MOJO, UNCUT BOOK OF THE YEARThoroughly engrossing, insightful and immersive.' Record CollectorOver a prolific forty-year career, the Fall created a world that was influential, idiosyncratic and fiercely original; it was an education. Who wouldn't want to be armed with a working knowledge of M. R. James, contemporary dance and Manchester City.Bringing together previously unseen artwork, rare ephemera and handwritten material, alongside essays by a slate of fans, Excavate! is a vivid, definitive record an illumination of the dark corners of the Fall's wonderful and frightening world.As jagged and as curveball-hurling as peak-period Fall, Excavate! is a box of tricks, lovingly curated . . . tantalising' The i''To 50,000 Fall Fans: please buy this inspired & inspiring, profound & provocative, beautiful & bonkers Book of Revelations.'' David PeaceGorgeous' The Washington Post

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Book Synopsis

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