Essays Books

Book Synopsis**DREAM COUNT, the searing, exquisite new novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is out now!**A personal and powerful essay from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the bestselling author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun.I would like to ask that we begin to dream about and plan for a different world. A fairer world. A world of happier men and happier women who are truer to themselves. And this is how to start: we must raise our daughters differently. We must also raise our sons differently'What does feminism mean today?In this personal, eloquently argued essay adapted from her much-admired Tedx talk of the same name Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century, one rooted in inclusion and awareness. Drawing extensively on her own experiences and her deep understanding of the often masked realities of sexual politics, here is one remarkable author's exploration of what it means to be a woman now an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists.The book I''d press into the hands of girls and boys, as an inspiration for a future''INDEPENDENTTrade Review‘The book I'd press into the hands of girls and boys, as an inspiration for a future "world of happier men and happier women who are truer to themselves"’ Books of the Year, Independent ‘One and a half million YouTube viewings later, this small but perfectly formed talk has become an equally small but perfectly formed book, thanks to Fourth Estate. The perfect size in fact for handbags, pockets and Christmas stockings. There really is no excuse not to buy several’ Harpers Bazaar Praise for Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: ‘A writer with a great deal to say’ The Times 'Here is a new writer endowed with the gift of ancient storytellers.’ Chinua Achebe ‘Adiche [has] virtuosity, boundless empathy and searing social acuity’ Dave Eggers ‘Adichie is terrific on human interactions … Adichie’s writing always has an elegant shimmer to it … Wise, entertaining and unendingly perceptive’ Independent on Sunday ‘[Adichie] is recording the history of her country. She is fortunate – and we, her readers, are even luckier.' Edmund White

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Book SynopsisJoan Didion's hugely influential collection of essays which defines, for many, the America which rose from the ashes of the Sixties.We tell ourselves stories in order to live. The princess is caged in the consulate. The man with the candy will lead the children into the sea. In this now legendary journey into the hinterland of the American psyche, Didion searches for stories as the Sixties implode. She waits for Jim Morrison to show up, visits the Black Panthers in prison, parties with Janis Joplin and buys dresses with Charles Manson's girls. She and her reader emerge, cauterized, from this devastating tour of that age of self discovery into the harsh light of the morning after.Trade Review'All the essays manifest not only her intelligence but an instinct for details that continue to emit pulsations in the reader's memory, and a style that is spare, subtly musical in its phrasing, and exact. Add to this her highly vulnerable sense of herself, and the result is a voice like no other in contemporary journalism.'NEW YORK TIMES 'Demonstrates an uncanny ability to capture the insidious and pervasive infections of mind and spirit that have led to both the corruption of government and business, and the withering of the individual.'CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 'Everything Didion writes has a land's end edginess to it – a hyperattentive eye on the dramas found at the outskirts of the human condition. She writes as someone who has come through great shudders of the earth with a fundamental understanding that everything is subject to instantaneous and complete revision.'VILLAGE VOICE 'She is the best chronicler California has'VOGUE 'Simply an original and unexpected writer who is never banal'NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS

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Book Synopsis'He's like an American Alan Bennett, in that his own fastidiousness becomes the joke, as per the taxi encounter, or his diary entry about waiting interminably in a coffee-bar queue' Guardian review of An Evening with David SedarisTrade ReviewSedaris is the premier observer of our world and its weirdnesses -- Adam Kay, author of This is Going to HurtStill keeps me company like a party guest who's been asked to spend the night...His essays about living in Paris are full of piss and vinegar and achingly funny * Armistead Maupin *He is, simply, very funny... refusing to find anything an unfit subject for humour * Sunday Times *A deadpan, darkly comical portrait of the American underbelly . . . Sedaris shares something of [Alan] Bennett's detached curiosity, and they both have a thirst for amusement -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *So often Sedaris's phrasing is beautiful in its piquancy and minimalism...His life is extraordinary in so many ways - the drug addiction, the eccentric family, the crazy jobs, the fame, the globetrotting - but one of the more unlikely achievements here is in making it all seem quite ordinary. Ultimately, his masterstroke is in acting as a bystander in his own story * Guardian *Audaciously combining memoir, essay, and what has to be fiction, this fourth collection of short pieces offers pleasures normally to be found only in the best novels and the rare standup act that is actually funny * The New Yorker *He makes me laugh so much. In an era when US satire is outpacing our own he's a sharp, humane and hilarious voice that never fails to make you smile - and sometimes weep. Apparently effortless humour is difficult, and precious. He's the real thing -- James Naughtie * Radio Times *The world's most eloquent malcontent, Sedaris has turned self-deprecation into a celebrated art form * Amazon.com editor review *Still keeps me company like a party guest who's been asked to spend the night...His essays about living in Paris are full of piss and vinegar and achingly funny. * Armistead Maupin *Audaciously combining memoir, essay, and what has to be fiction, this fourth collection of short pieces offers pleasures normally to be found only in the best novels and the rare standup act that is actually funny. * THE NEW YORKER *He is, simply, very funny... refusing to find anything an unfit subject for humour. * SUNDAY TIMES *A sophisticatedly funny take on modern life. Treat yourself to this book. * IRISH TIMES *

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Book SynopsisTIME MAGAZINE''S 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2024NEW YORK TIMES'' 100 MOST NOTABLE BOOKS OF 2024''Bracing and brilliant ... scintillating writing of breadth and power'' Kate Kellaway, Observer''A radical and important book'' James Wood, author of Serious NoticingSeriously precise ... and very funny'' TelegraphIn All Things Are Too Small, virtuoso young critic and philosopher Becca Rothfeld turns her clear gaze to a series of interconnected cultural and political questions - about aesthetics, taste, literature, equality, power and sexuality. In a healthy culture, she argues, economic security allows for wild extremes of aesthetic experimentation, yet in our society we''ve got it flipped. The gap between rich and poor yawns hideously wide, while we compensate with misguided attempts to effect equality in love and art, where it does not belong.Our culture''s embrace of minimalism has left our souls impoverished: decluttering has reduced our living spaces to empty non-places; the mindfulness trend has emptied our minds of the thoughts that make us who we are; the regularization of sex has drained it of unpredictability and therefore true eroticism; and our quest for balance has yielded fictions whose protagonists aspire to excise their appetites. As intellectually illuminating as it is gloriously carnal and earthy, All Things Are Too Small is a much needed tonic in a world of oppressive sterility and limitation, and a soul cry for derangement, imbalance, obsession, ravishment and disorder.

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Book Synopsis**DREAM COUNT, the searing, exquisite new novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is out now!**A devastating essay on loss and the people we love from the bestselling author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun.''Grief is a cruel kind of education. You learn how ungentle mourning can be, how full of anger. You learn how glib condolences can feel. You learn how much grief is about language, the failure of language and the grasping for language''On 10 June 2020, the scholar James Nwoye Adichie died suddenly in Nigeria.In this tender and powerful essay, expanded from the original New Yorker text, his daughter, a self-confessed daddy''s girl, remembers her beloved father. Notes on Grief is at once a tribute to a long life of grace and wisdom, the story of a daughter''s fierce love for a parent, and a revealing examination of the layers of loss and the nature of grief.''A work of dignity and of unravelling' GUARDIANAn exquisite howl of pain' TELEGRAPHTrade Review Praise for Notes on Grief ‘Both emotional and austere, a work of dignity and of unravelling’ Guardian ‘With raw eloquence, Adichie’s observations have, simultaneously, an academic detachment and an inescapable anguish at being “in the centre of this churning” with “porous edges that there is no way through” … Notes on Grief is both achingly personal and stunningly familiar to anyone who has felt that scattering’ Independent ‘An exquisite howl of pain written in the aftermath, last year, of the unexpected death of her father’ Telegraph ‘Notes on Grief is a moving account of a daughter’s sorrow and it is also a love letter to the one who has gone. … She is saying don’t go and she is saying goodbye and she is also saying sorry’ Observer ‘In 30 short sections, Notes on Grief lays a path by which we might mourn our individual traumas among the aggregate suffering of this harrowing time.’ New York Times ‘Feels raw, even for a book about grief … It is no salve for her own grief, but Adichie’s brave observance of her own pain, will be a gift to those also suffering their first year of loss in these strange times’ iNews ‘When you send a great writer into the valley of the dead, the reportage is better quality. In 1961 CS Lewis wrote A Grief Observed of the year after the death of his wife; in 2005 Joan Didion wrote The Year of Magical Thinking about the same time span after the death of her husband. Into this tradition falls Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie … For fans of the famously private Adichie – this is fascinatingly intimate. It is also delivered in the most readable, tender bites for any of the many of us whose attention has been shot by the harrowing of this past year’ The Times

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Book Synopsis In the early 2000's, as an undergraduate, Michele Filgate started writing an essay about being abused by her stepfather. It took many years for her to realize what she was actually trying to write about: the fracture this caused in her relationship with her mother. When her essay, “What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About,” was published by Longreads in October of 2017, it went on to become one of the most popular Longreads exclusives of the year and was shared on social media by Anne Lamott, Rebecca Solnit, Lidia Yuknavitch, and other writers, some of whom had their own individual codes of silence to be broken. The outpouring of responses gave Filgate an idea and the resulting anthology offers an intimate, therapeutic and universally resonant look at our relationships with our mothers. As Filgate poignantly writes, “Our mothers are our first homes and that’s why we’re always trying to return to them.”Contributions by Cathi Hanauer, Melissa Febos, Alexander Chee, Dylan Landis, Bernice L. McFadden, Julianna Baggott, Lynn Steger Strong, Kiese Laymon, Carmen Maria Machado, André Aciman, Sari Botton, Nayomi Munaweera, Brandon Taylor, and Leslie Jamison.Trade Review“These essays, each one exceptional on its own, encompass both love and writing at their most vulnerable, and could power entire cities with their electricity.”--Booklist, starred review "Fifteen essayists—many luminaries—write unflinchingly about their mothers...Each one of these intimate and gut-wrenching essays reaches beyond itself to forge connections with readers."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review"The essays all address the authors' relationships with their mothers in stories to be savored but not necessarily read in one sitting. …beautifully composed."--Library Journal, starred review"A fascinating set of reflections on what it is like to be a son or daughter… the range of stories and styles represented in this collection makes for rich and rewarding reading."--Publishers Weekly "These are the hardest stories in the world to tell, but they are told with absolute grace. You will devour these beautifully written—and very important— tales of honesty, pain, and resilience.”--Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Eat Pray Love"By turns raw, tender, bold and wise, the essays in this anthology explore writers’ relationships with their mothers. Kudos to Michele Filgate for this riveting contribution to a vital conversation.”--Claire Messud, bestselling author of The Burning Girl"Fifteen literary luminaries, including Filgate herself, probe how silence is never even remotely golden until it is mined for the haunting truths that lie within our most primal relationships-with our mothers. Unsettling, brave, sometimes hilarious and sometimes scorching enough to wreck your heart, these essays, about love or the terrifying lack of it, don’t just smash the silence; they let the light in, bearing witness with grace, understanding and writing so gorgeous you’ll be memorizing lines."--Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Is This Tomorrow and Pictures of You“This collection of storytelling constellated around mothers and silence will break your heart and then gently give it back to you stitched together with what we carry in our bodies our whole lives.”--Lidia Yuknavitch, national bestselling author of The Misfit's Manifesto"This is a rare collection that has the power to break silences. I am in awe of the talent Filgate has assembled here; each of these fifteen heavyweight writers offer a truly profound argument for why words matter, and why unspoken words may matter even more."--Garrard Conley, New York Times bestselling author of Boy Erased"Who better to discuss one of our greatest shared surrialities -- that we are all, once and forever, for better or worse, someone's child -- than this murderer's row of writers? The mothers in this collection are terrible, wonderful, flawed, human, tragic, triumphant, complex, simple, baffling, supportive, deranged, heartbreaking and heartbroken. Sometimes all at once. I'll be thinking about this book, and stewing over it, and teaching from it, for a long time."--Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers

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Book SynopsisThe world first publication of a previously unknown work of fantasy by J.R.R. Tolkien, which tells the powerful story of a doomed young man who is sold into slavery and who swears revenge on the magician who killed his father.Kullervo son of Kalervo is perhaps the darkest and most tragic of all J.R.R. Tolkien's characters. Hapless Kullervo', as Tolkien called him, is a luckless orphan boy with supernatural powers and a tragic destiny.Brought up in the homestead of the dark magician Untamo, who killed his father, kidnapped his mother, and who tries three times to kill him when still a boy, Kullervo is alone save for the love of his twin sister, Wanona, and guarded by the magical powers of the black dog, Musti. When Kullervo is sold into slavery he swears revenge on the magician, but he will learn that even at the point of vengeance there is no escape from the cruellest of fates.Tolkien wrote that The Story of Kullervo was the germ of my attempt to write legends of my own', and was a majTrade ReviewPraise for J.R.R. Tolkien:‘One marvels anew at the depth, breadth and persistence of J.R.R. Tolkien’s labour. No one sympathetic to his aims – the invention of a secondary universe – will want to miss this chance to be present at the creation.’Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisA much-loved classic of nature writing from environmentalist and the author of Waterlog, Roger Deakin, Wildwood is an exploration of the element wood in nature, our culture and our lives. ''Breathtaking, vividly written . . . reading Wildwood is an elegiac experience'' Sunday Times''He writes nature as a blackbird sings, or a bird of prey rides thermals - effortlessly.'' Reader Review ________________From the walnut tree at his Suffolk home, he embarks upon a quest that takes him through Britain, across Europe, to Central Asia and Australia, in search of what lies behind man''s profound and enduring connection with wood and trees. Meeting woodlanders of all kinds, he lives in shacks and cabins, travels in search of the wild apple groves of Kazakhstan, goes coppicing in Suffolk, swims beneath the walnut trees of the Haut-Languedoc, and hunts bush plums with Aboriginal women in thTrade ReviewFull of delight and joy and wisdom * Sunday Telegraph *With this book Roger Deakin can be counted one of the greatest of all nature writers. His beautiful book should serve to make us appreciate more keenly all that we have here on earth * Mail on Sunday *A breathtaking book * Sunday Times *A masterpiece which deserves to be read and reread * Guardian *One of my favourite kind of books. Few books make you change your habits; this one changed mine -- Will Self * New Statesman *With this book Roger Deakin can be counted one of the greatest of all nature writers. His beautiful book should serve to make us appreciate more keenly all that we have here on earth * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisLove, Poverty and War: Journeys and Essays showcases the Hitchens' rejection of consensus and cliché, whether he's reporting from abroad in Indonesia, Kurdistan, Iraq, North Korea, or Cuba, or when his pen is targeted mercilessly at the likes of William Clinton, Mother Theresa ("a fanatic, a fundamentalist and a fraud"), the Dalai Lama, Noam Chomsky, Mel Gibson and Michael Bloomberg. Hitchens began the nineties as a "darling of the left" but has become more of an "unaffiliated radical" whose targets include those on the "left," who he accuses of "fudging" the issue of military intervention in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq. Yet, as Hitchens shows in his reportage, cultural and literary criticism, and opinion essays from the last decade, he has not jumped ship and joined the right but is faithful to the internationalist, contrarian and democratic ideals that have always informed his work.Trade ReviewDazzling, and often very moving, writing from the 1990s by one of the most prolific, as well as brilliant, journalists of our time * Observer *An exceptional political polemicist * Prospect *Hitchens is just too damn good. * New Statesman *Table of Contents1: The Medals Of His Defeats 2: A Man Of Permanent Contradictions 3: The Old Man 4: Huxley And Brave New World 5: Greeneland 6: Scoop 7: The Man Of Feeling 8: The Misfortune Of Poetry 9: The Acutest Ear In Paris 10: Joyce In Bloom 11: The Immortal 12: It Happened On Sunset 13: The Ballad Of Route 66 14: The Adventures Of Augie March 15: Rebel Ghosts 16: America's Poet? Bob Dylan's Achievement 17: I Fought The Law In Bloomberg's New York 18: For Patriot Dreams 19: Martha Inc. 20: Scenes From An Execution 21: In Sickness And By Stealth 22: The Strange Case Of David Irving 23: Why Americans Are Not Taught History 24: A Hundred Years Of Muggery 25: Unfairenheit 9/11: The Lies Of Michael Moore 26: Virginity Regained 27: The Divine One 28: The Devil And Mother Teresa 29: Blessed Are The Phrasemakers 30: Jewish Power, Jewish Peril 31: The Future Of An Illusion 32: The Gospel According To Mel 33: The Struggle Of The Kurds 34: Thunder In The Black Mountains 35: Visit To A Small Planet 36: Havana Canwait 37: The Clinton-Douglas Debates 38: We're Still Standing 39: The Morning After 40: Against Rationalization 41: Of Sin, The Left, & Islamic Fascism 42: A Rejoinder To Noam Chomsky 43: Blaming Bin Laden First 44: The Ends Ofwar 45: Pakistan: On The Frontier Of Apocalypse 46: Saddam's Long Good-Bye 47: A Liberating Experience

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Book SynopsisVicki Hastrich takes the reader on a stunning voyage through her writer's life and across her chosen patch: the private byways of Brisbane Water, north of Sydney, where she has spent much of her life.Hastrich fuses her intimate, loving knowledge of a tiny arena of Australia's natural world with the grand influence of ideas from throughout civilisation - from the baroque to the American Western, and artists as diverse as Zane Grey, Tiepolo and Goya - to create a truly original and deeply pleasurable collection.Night Fishing unfolds as a series of expeditions or essays, undertaken in the spirit of the philosopher scientist. All the while, slowly, thoughtfully, Hastrich reveals the ordinary and remarkable detail of her life, from her childhood by the sea to her life as a camera operator for the ABC, as a historian and amateur marine biologist, and as a single woman exploring her small stretch of water.The result is entirely new, entirely fresh and profoundly captivating. Night Fishing is a tonic for those of us who have forgotten how to slow down, how to look around, how to be part of our natural world. It will take its place alongside classics of observation and nature by David Malouf, Tim Winton and Annie Dillard.Trade ReviewDeft, ambitious, tender and humane, Night Fishing is the most breathtakingly original memoir you will ever read. -- Charlotte Wood * Charlotte Wood *

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.The only advice, indeed, that one person can give another about reading is to take no advice, to follow your own instincts, to use your own reason, to come to your own conclusions.In her second volume of essays, Virginia Woolf delves deeper into the delights of reading. Here, she explores the novels of Thomas Hardy and Daniel Defoe, and recounts the fascinating lives of Christina Rossetti and Mary Wollstonecraft. In How Should One Read a Book?' she offers sage advice for the common reader, and sheds light on the lessons and pleasures literature can provide.Published in 1932, The Common Reader: Second Series is a wise and illuminating companion collection to her 1925 First Series. Woolf's enduring appeal and ideas continue to resonate with readers in the twenty-first century.

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Book Synopsis''Gavin Maxwell''s trilogy is essential reading'' Sunday HeraldFifty years ago Gavin Maxwell went to live in an abandoned house on a shingle beach on the west coast of Scotland. A haven for wildlife - he named his home Camusfearna and settled there with the otters Mij, Edal and Teko.Ring of Bright Water chronicles Gavin Maxwell''s first ten years with the otters and touched the hearts of readers the world over, brilliantly evoking life with these playful animals in this natural paradise. Two further volumes followed bringing the story full circle telling of the difficult last years and the final abandonment of the settlement.For the first time the entire trilogy is available in a single narrative in this beautifully presented collection.''If you like your wildlife, this is a must-read'' Reader Review''For lovers of otters this is an admirable compilation'' Reader Review''You will fall in love with Scotland'' Reader ReviewTrade Review"Gavin Maxwell's trilogy is essential reading" - Sunday Herald"

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Book SynopsisFirst and foremost an outcry against injustice and inhumanity, Unto this Last is also a closely argued assault on the science of political economy, which dominated the Victorian period. Ruskin was a profoundly conservative man who looked back to the Middle Ages as a Utopia, yet his ideas had a considerable influence on the British socialist movement. And in making his powerful moral and aesthetic case against the dangers of unhindered industrialization he was strangely prophetic. This volume shows the astounding range and depth of Ruskin''s work, and in an illuminating introduction the editor reveals the consistency of Ruskin''s philosophy and his adamant belief that questions of economics, art and science could not be separated from questions of morality. In Ruskin''s words, ''There is no Wealth but Life.''Table of ContentsEdited with an Introduction and Notes by Clive WilmerIntroductionChronologyFurther ReadingThe King of the Golden RiverFrom The Stones of Venice, Volume IIThe Nature of GothicFrom The Two PathsThe Work of Iron, in Nature, Art, and PolicyFrom Modern Painters, Volume VThe Two BoyhoodsUnto This LastPrefaceEssay I: The Roots of HonourEssay II: The Veins of WealthEssay III: Qui Judicatis TerramEssay IV: Ad ValoremFrom The Crown of Wild OliveTrafficFrom Sesame and LiliesOf Kings' TreasuriesFrom Fors ClavigeraLetter 7: CharitasLetter 10: The Baron's GateNotes

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Book SynopsisPresents travel writings which chronicle the author's perilous journeys through Japan and also capture his vision of eternity in the transient world around him.Table of ContentsThe Narrow Road to the Deep NorthAcknowledgmentsIntroductionThe Records of a Weather-Exposed SkeletonA Visit to the Kashima ShrineThe Records of a Travel-Worn SatchelA Visit to Sarashina VillageThe Narrow Road to the Deep NorthMap 1. Central JapanMap 2. Central JapanMap 3. Northern JapanNotes

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Book SynopsisThis selection of thoughts on religion, ethics, politics, women, suicide, books, and much more is taken from Schopenhauer's last work, Parerga and Paralipo-mena, published in 1851.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.Table of ContentsEssays and Aphorisms - Arthur Schopenhauer Selected and Translated with an Introduction by R. J. HollingdaleIntroductionEssaysOn the Suffering of the WorldOn the Vanity of ExistenceOn the Antithesis of Thing in Itself and AppearanceOn Affirmation and Denial of the Will to LiveOn the Indestructibility of our Essential Being by DeathOn SuicideOn WomenOn Thinking for YourselfOn Religion: A DialogueAphorismsOn Philosophy and the IntellectOn EthicsOn Law and PoliticsOn AestheticsOn PsychologyOn ReligionOn Books and WritingOn Various SubjectsList of Correspondences

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Book SynopsisFor the great Roman orator and statesman Cicero, 'the good life' was at once a life of contentment and one of moral virtue - and the two were inescapably intertwined. This volume brings together a wide range of his reflections upon the importance of moral integrity in the search for happiness. In essays that are articulate, meditative and inspirational, Cicero presents his views upon the significance of friendship and duty to state and family, and outlines a clear system of practical ethics that is at once simple and universal. These works offer a timeless reflection upon the human condition, and a fascinating insight into the mind of one of the greatest thinkers of Ancient Rome.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provideTable of ContentsIntroductionList of Greek and Latin Terms1. Discussions at Tusculum (V)2. On Duties (II)3. Laelius: On Friendship4. On the Orator (I)5. The Dream of ScipioAppendicesI. The Philosophical Works of CiceroII. The Rhetorical Works of CiceroIII. Principal DatesIV. Some Books about CiceroGenealogical TablesMapsIndex

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Book SynopsisA timeless treatise on the unique power of human emotion, Stendhal''s Love is translated by Gilbert and Suzanne Sale with an introduction by Jean Stewart and B.C.J.G. Knight in Penguin Classics.In 1818, when he was in his mid-thirties, Stendhal met and fell passionately in love with the beautiful Mathilde Dembowski. She, however, was quick to make it clear that she did not return his affections, and in his despair he turned to the written word to exorcise his love and explain his feelings. The result is an intensely personal dissection of the process of falling - and being - in love: a unique blend of poetry, anecdote, philosophy, psychology and social observation. Bringing together the conflicting sides of his nature, the deeply emotional and the coolly analytical, Stendhal created a work that is both acutely personal and universally applicable.This translation retains all the colour and passion of the original and is accompanied buy the author''s original prefaces and appendices. In their introduction, Jean Stewart and B.C.J.G. Knight discuss the relationship between Stendhal and his beloved and explore his views on feminism, education and society.Stendhal (1783-1842) was the pseudonym of Henri Marie Beyle, born and raised in Grenoble. Offered a post in the Ministry of War, from 1800 onwards he followed Napoleon''s campaigns throughout Europe before retiring to Italy. Here, as ''Stendhal'', he began writing on art, music and travel. Though not well-received during his lifetime, his work, including The Red and the Black (1830) and The Charterhouse of Parma (1839), now places him among the pioneers of nineteenth-century literary realism.If you enjoyed Love, you might like Gustave Flaubert''s Sentimental Education, also available in Penguin Classics.''The single most insightful book on the role of imagination on love''John Armstrong, author of Conditions of Love: The Philosophy of Intimacy

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Book SynopsisWritten in the thirteenth century, Njal''s Saga is a story that explores perennial human problems-from failed marriages to divided loyalties, from the law''s inability to curb human passions to the terrible consequences when decent men and women are swept up in a tide of violence beyond their control. It is populated by memorable and complex characters like Gunnar of Hlidarendi, a powerful warrior with an aversion to killing, and the not-so-villainous Mord Valgardsson. Full of dreams, strange prophecies, violent power struggles, and fragile peace agreements, Njal''s Saga tells the compelling story of a fifty-year blood feud that, despite its distance from us in time and place, is driven by passions familiar to us all. This Penguin Classics edition includes an introduction, chronology, index of characters, plot summary, explanatory notes, maps, and suggestions for further reading.

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Book SynopsisAdapted from a series of four lectures, originally delivered as the first of the Granada Northern Lectures Peter Brook''s The Empty Space is an exploration of four aspects of theatre, ''Deadly, Holy, Rough and Immediate'', published in Penguin Modern Classics.''I can take any empty space and call it a bare stage''In The Empty Space, groundbreaking director Peter Brook draws on a life in love with the stage to explore the issues facing any theatrical performance. Here he describes important developments in theatre from the last century, as well as smaller scale events, from productions by Stanislavsky to the rise of Method Acting, from Brecht''s revolutionary alienation technique to the free form Happenings of the 1960s, and from the different styles of such great Shakespearean actors as John Gielgud and Paul Scofield to a joyous impromptu performance in the burnt-out shell of the Hamburg Opera just after the war. Passionate, unconventional and fascinati

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Book SynopsisA selection of witty and provocative essays from the father of New Journalism, Gay Talese''s Frank Sinatra Has a Cold and Other Essays is published in Penguin Modern Classics.Gay Talese is the father of American New Journalism, who transformed traditional reportage with his vivid scene-setting, sharp observation and rich storytelling. His 1966 piece for Esquire, one of the most celebrated magazine articles ever published, describes a morose Frank Sinatra silently nursing a glass of bourbon, struck down with a cold and unable to sing, like ''Picasso without paint, Ferrari without fuel - only worse''. The other writings in this selection include a description of a meeting between two legends, Fidel Castro and Muhammad Ali; a brilliantly witty dissection of the offices of Vogue magazine; an account of travelling to Ireland with hellraising actor Peter O''Toole; and a profile of fading baseball star Joe DiMaggio, which turns into a moving, immaculately-craftTrade Review'The best non-fiction writer in America' * Mario Puzo *'A masterful New Journalism pioneer ... raises the magazine article to the level of an art form' * Los Angeles Times *

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Book Synopsis''Politics and the English Language'' is widely considered Orwell''s most important essay on style. Style, for Orwell, was never simply a question of aesthetics; it was always inextricably linked to politics and to truth.''All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.When the general atmosphere is bad, language must suffer.''Language is a political issue, and slovenly use of language and cliches make it easier for those in power to deliberately use misleading language to hide unpleasant political facts. Bad English, he believed, was a vehicle for oppressive ideology, and it is no accident that ''Politics and the English Language'' was written after the close of World War II.

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Book Synopsis''Better mad with the crowd than sane all alone''In these witty, Machiavellian aphorisms, unlikely Spanish priest Baltasar Gracián shows us how to exploit friends and enemies alike to thrive in a world of deception and illusion.Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin''s 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.Baltasar Gracián (1601-1658). Gracián''s work is available in Penguin Classics in The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence.

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Book SynopsisLove''s Executioner offers us the humane and extraordinary insight of renowned psychiatrist Irvin D. Yalom into the lives of ten of his patients - and through them into the minds of us allWhy was Saul tormented by three unopened letters from Stockholm? What made Thelma spend her whole life raking over a long-past love affair? How did Carlos''s macho fantasies help him deal with terminal cancer?In this engrossing book, Irvin Yalom gives detailed and deeply affecting accounts of his work with these and seven other patients. Deep down, all of them were suffering from the basic human anxieties - isolation, fear of death or freedom, a sense of the meaninglessness of life - that none of us can escape completely. And yet, as the case histories make touchingly clear, it is only by facing such anxieties head on that we can hope to come to terms with them and develop. Throughout, Dr Jalom remains refreshingly frank about his own errors and prejudices; his book provides a rare glimpse into the consulting room of a master therapist.''Dr Yalom demonstrates once again that in the right hands, the stuff of therapy has the interest of the richest and most inventive fiction'' Eva Hoffman, New York Times''These remarkably moving and instructive tales of the psychiatric encounter bring the reader into novel territories of the mind - and the landscape is truly unforgettable'' Maggie Scarf''Love''s Executioner is one of those rare books that suggests both the mystery and the poetry of the psychotherapeutic process. The best therapists are at least partly poets. With this riveting and beautifully written book, Irvin Yalom has joined their ranks'' Erica Jong''Dr Yalom offers a valuable insight into the delicate process of therapy'' Sunday Telegraph''Dr Yalom is unusually honest, both with his patients and about himself'' Anthony Storr''Yalom is a gifted storyteller, and from the sound of these tales, a no-less-gifted psychotherapist'' Los Angeles TimesTrade ReviewDr Yalom demonstrates once again that in the right hands, the stuff of therapy has the interest of the richest and most inventive fiction -- Eva Hoffman * New York Times *These remarkably moving and instructive tales of the psychiatric encounter bring the reader into novel territories of the mind - and the landscape is truly unforgettable -- Maggie ScarfLove's Executioner is one of those rare books that suggests both the mystery and the poetry of the psychotherapeutic process. The best therapists are at least partly poets. With this riveting and beautifully written book, Irvin Yalom has joined their ranks -- Erica JongInspired ... He writes with the narrative wit of O. Henry and the earthy humor of Isaac Bashevis Singer * San Francisco Chronicle *Dr Yalom offers a valuable insight into the delicate process of therapy * Sunday Telegraph *Irvin Yalom writes like an angel about the devils that besiege us -- Rollo MayThese stories are wonderful. They make us realize that within every human being lie the pain and the beauty that make life worthwhile -- Bernie S. SiegelDr Yalom is unusually honest, both with his patients and about himself -- Anthony StorrYalom is a gifted storyteller, and from the sound of these tales, a no-less-gifted psychotherapist * Los Angeles Times *This is an impressive transformation of clinical experience into literature. Dr Yalom's case histories are more gripping than 98 percent of the fiction published today, and he has gone to amazing lengths of honesty to depict himself as a realistic flesh-and-blood character: funny, flawed, perverse, and, above all, understanding -- Phillip LopateI loved Love's Executioner. Dr Yalom has learned something that fiction writers learned years ago - that people's mistakes are a lot more interesting than their triumphs -- Joanne Greenberg

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Book SynopsisGeorge Bernard Shaw's Major Cultural Essays introduces readers to the wealth and diversity of Shaw's cultural writings from across the breadth of his professional life, beginning around 1890 and ending in 1950.Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Text Select Bibliography Chronology Major Cultural Essays The Quintessence of Ibsenism The Sanity of Art The Perfect Wagnerite A Preface Selections from the Preface to Three Plays by Brieux Shorter Essays and Reviews 11 June 1890 11 October 1893 1 August 1894 and 8 August 1894 The Case for the Critic-Dramatist The Late Censor Church and Stage Nietzsche in English Maddox Brown, Watts, and Ibsen The Board School Henry Irving and Ellen Terry Edgar Allen Poe Rodin Mr. Arnold Bennett Thinks Play-Writing Easier than Novel Writing Oscar Wilde Selections from Ruskin's Politics Keats Tolstoy: Tragedian or Comedian Beethoven's Centenary Am I an Educated Person? The Play of Ideas Explanatory Notes

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Book SynopsisThe 11 tales of the Mabinogion combine Celtic mythology and Arthurian romance. This new translation recreates the storytelling world of medieval Wales and re-invests the tales with the power of performance.Trade Review[This] translation into English by Professor Sioned Davies has not only enhanced public understanding of the text but has led to new perfomrances and inspired a series of modern stories. * Challenge Cardiff *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Translator's Note ; Guide to Pronunciation ; Select Bibliography ; map of Wales at the time of theMabinogion ; The First Branch of the Mabinogion ; The Second Branch of the Mabinogion ; The Third Branch of the Mabinogion ; The First Branch of the Mabinogion ; Peredur son of Efrog ; The Dream of the Emperor Maxen ; Lludd and Llefelys ; The Lady of the Well ; Geraint son of Erbin ; How Culhwch won Olwen ; Rhonabwy's Dream ; Explanatory Notes ; Glossary of Personal Names ; Glossary of Place-Names

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Book SynopsisThe ancient civilization of Mesopotamia thrived between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates over 4,000 years ago. The myths collected here, originally written in cuneiform on clay tablets, include parallels with the biblical stories of the Creation and the Flood, and the famous Epic of Gilgamesh, the tale of a man of great strength, whose heroic quest for immortality is dashed through one moment of weakness. Recent developments in Akkadian grammar and lexicography mean that this new translation, complete with notes, a glossary of deities, place-names, and key terms, and illustrations of the mythical monsters featured in the text, will replace all other versions.Trade Review`has the great merit of including not only the obvious Gilgamesh and Creation texts but also the Atrahasis, Adapa, Etana, Anzu, and Erra stories and even the slight but highly suggestive "Theogony of Dunnu"' Greece & Rome'handsomely produced book' A.R. George, SOAS BUlletin'her enterprise is to be warmly welcomed' John Dillon, Trinity College, Dublin, HermatheraTable of ContentsAtrahasis; The Epic of Gilgamesh; The Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld; Nergal and Ereshkigal; Adapa; Etana; Anzu; The Epic of Creation; Theology of Dunnu; Erra and Ishum

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Book SynopsisThe struggle which Plato has Socrates recommend to his interlocutors in Gorgias - and to his readers - is the struggle to overcome the temptations of worldly success and to concentrate on genuine morality. Ostensibly an enquiry into the value of rhetoric, the dialogue soon becomes an investigation into the value of these two contrasting ways of life. In a series of dazzling and bold arguments, Plato attempts to establish that only morality can bring a person true happiness, and to demolish alternative viewpoints. It is not suprising that Gorgias is one of Plato''s most widely read dialogues. Philosophers read it for its coverage of central moral issues; others enjoy its vividness, clarity and occasional bitter humour. This new translation is accompanied by explanatory notes and an informative introduction. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s comm

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Book Synopsis''No man is crushed by misfortune unless he has first been deceived by prosperity.''In these dialogues and essays the Stoic philosopher Seneca outlines his thoughts on how to live in a troubled world. Tutor to the young emperor Nero, Seneca wrote exercises in practical philosophy that draw upon contemporary Roman life and illuminate the intellectual concerns of the day. They also have much to say to the modern reader, as Seneca ranges widely across subjects such as the shortness of life, tranquillity of mind, anger, mercy, happiness, and grief at the loss of a loved one. Seneca''s accessible, aphoristic style makes his writing especially attractive as an introduction to Stoic philosophy, and belies its reputation for austerity and dogmatism. This edition combines a clear and modern translation with an introduction to Seneca''s life and philosophical interests, and helpful notes. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literatTable of ContentsOn Providence ; On Anger, Book 3 ; Consolation to Marcia ; On the Happy Life ; On the Tranquillity of the Mind ; On the Shortness of Life ; Consolation to Helvia ; On Mercy ; Natural Questions, Book 6: On Earthquakes

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Book Synopsis''So the club rose, the blood came down, and his bitterness and his anguish and his guilt were compounded''Drawing on Baldwin''s own experiences of prejudice in an America violently divided by race, these searing essays - Dark Days, The Price of the Ticket and The White Man''s Guilt - blend the intensely personal with the political to envisage a better world.Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York''s underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.

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Book SynopsisFrom the self-described ''black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet'', these soaring, urgent essays on the power of women, poetry and anger are filled with darkness and light. Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York''s underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.

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Book SynopsisFrom one of the great thinkers and writers of our time, comes the unmissable final instalment in Deborah Levy''s critically acclaimed ''Living Autobiography''.''A beautifully crafted and thought-provoking snapshot of a life'' The Evening Standard_________________________________''I began to wonder what myself and all unwritten and unseen women would possess in their property portfolios at the end of their lives. Literally, her physical property and possessions, and then everything else she valued, though it might not be valued by society. What might she claim, own, discard and bequeath? Or is she the real estate, owned by patriarchy? In this sense, Real Estate is a tricky business. We rent it and buy it, sell and inherit it - but we must also knock it down.''Following the critical acclaim of Things I Don''t Want to Know and The Cost of Living, this final volume of Deborah Levy''s ''Living Autobiography'' is an exhilarating, thought-provoking and boldly intimate meditation on home and the spectres that haunt it._________________________________''Real Estate is a book to dive into. Come on in, the water''s lovely'' The Daily Telegraph''Her reflections on domesticity, freedom and romance are so beautiful, I found myself underlining multiple sentences a page. Wry, warm and uplifting, it''s a book I''ll return to again and again'' Stylist''[Levy''s living autobiography series is] a glittering triple echo of books that are as much philosophical discourse as a manifesto for living and writing'' Financial TimesTrade ReviewA beautifully crafted and thought-provoking snapshot of a life * Evening Standard *One of those wise books where you want to underline every sentence * Good Housekeeping *Her reflections on domesticity, freedom and romance are so beautiful, I found myself underlining multiple sentences a page. Wry, warm and uplifting, it's a book I'll return to again and again. * Stylist *The narrator of Real Estate is drily funny, irreverent, curious, even wise; she makes the reader want her for a companion . . . each of the books [in Levy's living autobiography series] bears several re-readings; together, they offer one version of how a woman might continually rewrite her own story. * The Observer *Levy is experimenting with language in subversive ways * Literary Review *This is a work about what it means to be a writer: its reinventions, isolations, self-interrogations, its shifting penury and riches, both emotional and financial. . . [Levy's living autobiography series is] a glittering triple echo of books that are as much philosophical discourse as a manifesto for living and writing. * Financial Times *Lyrical sentences come naturally, full of cadence . . . She's particularly touching on the love between mothers and daughters, and funny too . . . Real Estate is a book to dive into. Come on in, the water's lovely. * Daily Telegraph *Her voice - at once jokey and elliptical - is so casually intimate that it feels like catching up with an old friend . . . In three moving memoirs, Levy has perfectly fused the act of writing with the art of living. * i *Levy's intellectual energy is as frenetic as [the] dance floor, her memoirs a string of disparate pearls that entwine travelogue with philosophy and memory with literature * i *Expect fierce prose and bold meditations on what it means to be a woman. * Red *

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of UNDERLAND, THE OLD WAYS and THE LOST WORDS - an essay on the joy of reading, for anyone who has ever loved a bookEvery book is a kind of gift to its reader, and the act of giving books is charged with a special emotional resonance. It is a meeting of three minds (the giver, the author, the recipient), an exchange of intellectual and psychological currency, that leaves each participant enriched. Here Robert Macfarlane recounts the story of a book he was given as a young man, and how he managed eventually to return the favour, though never repay the debt.From one of the most lyrical writers of our time comes a perfectly formed gem, a lyrical celebration of the transcendent power and humanity of the given book.Trade ReviewI'll read anything Macfarlane writes -- David Mitchell, author of 'Cloud Atlas'[Macfarlane] can unfurl a sentence with the breathless ease of a master angler, a writer whose ideas transcend the physical region he explores * New York Times Book Review *[Macfarlane] is a godfather of a cultural moment * Sunday Times on Landmarks *

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Book SynopsisNew essays by the Women''s Prize and Pulitzer Prize winning author of Gilead, Home and Lila. In this collection, Marilynne Robinson impels us to action and offers us hope.''Grace and intelligence ...[her work] defines universal truths about what it means to be human'' BARACK OBAMAMarilynne Robinson has plumbed the human spirit in her renowned novels, including Lila, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award; Home, winner of the Orange Prize; and Gilead, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. In this new essay collection she trains her incisive mind on our modern political climate and the mysteries of faith. Whether she is investigating how the work of great thinkers about America like Emerson and Tocqueville inform our political consciousness or discussing the way that beauty informs and disciplines daily life, Robinson''s peerless prose and boundless humanity areTrade ReviewRobinson urges her audience to stand by what makes us human - "creative, knowing, efficacious, deeply capable of loyalty". The argument is sophisticated and persuasive * Guardian *A bracing, stringent book that continually challenges the reader * Telegraph *There is much rich matter in these essays. They are simultaneously challenging, disturbing and rewarding * Catholic Herald *

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Book SynopsisAdvice for graduates and reflections on staying true to yourself from the beloved Gilmore Girls actress and New York Times bestselling author of the memoir Talking as Fast as I Can and the novel Someday, Someday, Maybe.If you''re kicking yourself for not having accomplished all you should have by now, don''t worry about it. Even without any ''big'' accomplishments yet to your name, you are enough. In this expansion of the 2017 commencement speech she gave at her hometown Langley High, Lauren Graham, the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood, reflects on growing up, pursuing your dreams, and living in the here and now. Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you''re doing, especially when the joy isn''t finding you. In her hilarious, relatable voice, Graham reminds us to be curious and compassionate, no matter where life tak

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Book SynopsisEdgar Allan Poe’s works, with their gothic and often obsessive themes, have had a significant influence on American literature.

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Book SynopsisOutspoken writings by the founder of modern nursing record fundamentals in the needs of the sick that must be provided in all nursing. Covers such timeless topics as ventilation, noise, food, bed and bedding, light, cleanliness, and observation of the sick. Still the finest book on nursing. Co-Evolution Quarterly.

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Book Synopsis''If I lose the light of the sun, I will write by candlelight, moonlight, no light, If I lose paper and ink, I will write in blood on forgotten walls. I will write always. I will capture nights all over the world and bring them to you.''Henry Rollins, renowned spoken-word performer, musician, actor and author of several books, has a unique, hard-edged view of the world. This collection of writings from 1989 - 1991 is the classic Rollins book.From dramatic fiction shorts detailing stark, disturbing realities to gut-wrenching tour journals destroying all misconceptions of the glamour of fame and the music industry; from the challenging poetry to revealing dream sequences, Rollins'' writing is unflinching in its honesty, uncompromising in its truth and irresistibly addictive.Trade ReviewAn intelligent and perceptive man. * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisNow in its 7th printing since republication in 1997, the Sefer Yetzirah has established itself as a primary source for all serious students of Kabbalah. Rabbi Kaplan''s translation of this oldest and most mysterious of all Kabbalistic texts provides a unique perspective on the meditative and magical aspects of Kabbalah. He expounds on the dynamics of the spiritual domain, the worlds of Sefirot, souls and angels. This translation is based on Gra version of the Sefer Yetzirah and includes the author''s extraordinary commentary on all its mystical aspects including kabbalistic astrology, Ezekiel''s vision and the 231 gates. Also included are three alternative versions to make this volume the most complete work on the Sefer Yetzirah available in English.

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Book Synopsis''Compelling'' HARPER''S BAZAAR''Richly textured'' GRAZIA''Completely riveting . . . an eclectic compendium of style, subversion and literary snippets . . . all about the magical meaning of clothes'' CALENDAR MAGAZINEMaya Angelou imagined she''d feel like a movie star in a dress of lavender taffeta. Rachel Weisz loves the democracy of denim. Zadie Smith''s look differs depending on whether she''s in New York or London, while Joan Didion always packed the same clothes. Jarvis Cocker found inspiration at jumble sales, Bella Freud in Colette''s novels and Harris Reed in the gender fluidity of Virginia Woolf''s Orlando. Oscar Wilde understood the importance of proportions, Stanley Tucci favours a narrow stripe and Chloë Sevigny delights in traditional, with a twist. For Bernardine Evaristo style is about a refusal to be stereotyped. Jilly Cooper and Trade ReviewStellar * PANDORA SYKES *A rich and broad-ranging compendium of essays, interviews and eclectic snippets . . . sure to kindle plenty of curiosity and unexpected journeys of discovery; whether literary or sartorial. This curated patchwork of writing - new, old (both rediscovered and iconic) - is a perfect metaphor for the way Garnett works with clothes as a stylist, of course. She has a special skill for putting together a fashion editorial with an unexpected mix of designer and thrifted pieces, that makes the storytelling resonate with personality and vibrant life. * Calendar Magazine *Super stylist Bay Garnett has created a new, brilliant tome for the codes of dressing by excavating how others do it. Everyone from Joan Didion to Oscar Wilde, Chloe Sëvigny to Susie Cave appear in her new book Style and Substance - a perfect read for anyone looking to find a new lease of style life or just interested in examining the way icons dress. * i-D *A richly textured collection of essays . . . all about ideas and about cutting out the white noise of what you think you should do. What each perspective touches on is the importance of wearing clothes that feel true to who you are. * Grazia *Through a collection of essays, extracts and interviews, the esteemed stylist draws together a glorious celebration of the clothes we wear and the meaning behind them. From the looks of Maya Angelou and Zadie Smith to the power of drag and brilliance of thrifting, this is a wide- ranging delight. * i News *Gathering voices from past and present, Style and Substance peeks into the hearts and wardrobes of aesthetes including Chloë Sevigny, Stanley Tucci and Oscar Wilde. * Financial Times *A compelling new encyclopaedia of style. * Harper's Bazaar *Thoughtful and gloriously eclectic . . . a mix of old and new, which only amplifies Bay's ability to storytell. The perfect stocking filler! * Fashion Roundtable *A book where gravity mingles with frivolity, humour with weight, never taking itself or its subject too seriously,but allowing it the attention it deserves. In a world of fleeting trends, Bay Garnett has created an accessory to treasure, earning Style And Substance an enduring place in the canon of fashion literature. * Irish News *

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Book Synopsis'A brave writer whose books open up fundamental questions about life and art' – TelegraphIn this inspiring collection of essays, acclaimed writer and critic Olivia Laing makes a vivid and politically-engaged case for the importance of art – especially in the turbulent weather of the twenty-first century.We are often told art can’t change anything. In Funny Weather, Laing argues that it can. It changes how we see the world, it exposes inequality, and it offers fertile new ways of living.Across a diverse selection of essays, Laing profiles Jean-Michel Basquiat and Georgia O’Keeffe, interviews Hilary Mantel and Ali Smith, writes love letters to David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, and explores loneliness and technology, women and alcohol, sex and the body. Written with originality and compassion, Funny Weather is a celebration of art as a force of resistance and repair – and as an antidote to a frightening political moment.Trade ReviewA brave writer whose books open up fundamental questions about life and art * Telegraph *Olivia Laing is my new favourite non-fiction writer -- Nick HornbyLike all great critics, Olivia Laing combines formidable intelligence with boundless curiosity and fabulous taste, but she also has a rare quality of intimacy; an ability to connect the reader to a work of art or literature with a directness that lights it up like nothing else. It’s why I read her -- James LasdunHer observations and poetic incisiveness on art, writers and politics are a gift. This is a fascinating, excursive, tonic of a book -- Sinéad Gleeson, author of ConstellationsA thought-provoking, inspiring collection that you can go back to whenever the weather takes a funny turn * Evening Standard *Funny Weather gives the reader a tangible sense of the sprawling garden of work which Laing has planted. She is to the art world what David Attenborough is to nature: a worthy guide with both a macro and micro vision, fluent in her chosen tongue and always full of empathy and awe * Irish Times *Laing has acted as a kind of cultural sage for the past four years, an accidental literary grande dame of the emotional havoc wrought by late capitalism and digital disconnect * New York Magazine *Laing writes of her creative subjects in a winning, passionate voice that proves both soothing and galvanizing, especially amid a panic . . . It’s not just art we need in an emergency, but writers, like Laing, who gently guide our eyes to what’s out there -- Alina Cohen * Observer *The hospitality of world view in Olivia’s writing is a vital force in our disputatious present -- Maria Balshaw, director of TateLaing combines passion and curiosity in a collection of art-based essays and profiles that reflect the uncertainty of our age * Guardian *Never has a publication been more timely * Dazed *A warm, thinking, enticing sweep of a book, like spending the afternoon with your brainiest friend -- Kate Mosse, author of The Burning ChambersA fine writer’s embrace of the artists who preceded her, friendly visits with their lives and loving acknowledgement of their foundational contributions. A work of joy in recognition -- Sarah SchulmanThe book to help you make sense of the world . . . [a] mesmerizing collection of essays . . . this unique and compassionate book is a mind-expanding opportunity to rethink how we live, and what we can do to change things for the better. * Stylist *A light-footed tour of enriching stories, lives, and ideas * Dazed and Confused *Her gift as a critic is her ability to imaginatively sympathize with her subjects in a way that allows the art and life of the artist to go on radiating meaning after the book is closed * Elle *Breathtaking, beautiful, funny, shocking, sad, revealing, and timely -- Nina Stibbe, author of Love, NinaI yield to absolutely no one in my admiration of Olivia Laing; her essays are magical liberations of words and ideas, art and love; they're the essence of great 21st century literature: brilliantly expressed, wildly uncontained, wilful and wonderfully unbound. -- Philip Hoare, author of RISINGTIDEFALLINGSTAROlivia Laing shines the light for art writing. Funny Weather urges us to humanise art, and listen to what artists say about life, love and crisis. -- Charlie PorterAn incivisive meditation on the value of heartfelt, messy art in our paranoid times * Telegraph *It’s not just art we need in an emergency, but writers, like Laing, who gently guide our eyes to what’s out there * Observer *Vibrant commentary on art and society by a writer with a sharp eye for the offbeat * Kirkus *Laing’s essays are urgent, compassionate, enlivening and acutely perceptive, and that’s true whether or not we encounter them “in an emergency” * the arts desk *Her words seem balefully accurate, given what has now overtaken us * Financial Times *Laing is an intelligent and acute writer, and this book is certainly interesting and assuredly well-written * Scotsman *Laing’s arts writing is sharp-minded, and her manner is generous toward both subject and reader * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERAs Heard on NPR's This American Life'The delights he extols here (music, laughter, generosity, poetry, lots of nature) are bulwarks against casual cruelties . . . contagious in their joy' New York TimesThe winner of the NBCC Award for Poetry offers up a spirited collection of short lyric essays, written daily over a tumultuous year, reminding us of the purpose and pleasure of praising, extolling, and celebrating ordinary wonders.Among Gay's funny, poetic, philosophical delights: a friend's unabashed use of air quotes, cradling a tomato seedling aboard an aeroplane, the silent nod of acknowledgement between the only two black people in a room. But Gay never dismisses the complexities, even the terrors, of living in America as a black man or the ecological and psychic violence of our consumer culture or the loss of those he loves. More than anything other subject, though, Gay celebrates the beauty of the natural world - his garden, the flowers peeking out of the sidewalk, the hypnotic movements of a praying mantis.The Book of Delights is about our shared bonds, and the rewards that come from a life closely observed. These remarkable pieces serve as a powerful and necessary reminder that we can, and should, stake out a space in our lives for delight.***'These charming, digressive "essayettes" surprise and challenge more than a reader might expect . . . experiences of "delight," recorded daily for a year, vary widely but yield revealing patterns through insights about everything from nature and the body to race and masculinity.' New Yorker'Pure balm for your soul. Savor one at a time every morning, this summer, or wolf them all down en masse on a gorgeous sunny day.' Celeste Ng'A reminder of what the personal essay is best at: finding the profound in the mundane . . . His delight is infectious. It's hard to read Gay and not to be won over.' Seattle TimesTrade ReviewThe delights he extols here (music, laughter, generosity, poetry, lots of nature) are bulwarks against casual cruelties. As such they feel purposeful and imperative as well as contagious in their joy * The New York Times Book Review *These charming, digressive 'essayettes,' in the manner of Montaigne, surprise and challenge . . . Gay, an award-winning poet, knows the value of formal constraint: his experiences of 'delight,' recorded daily for a year, vary widely but yield revealing patterns through insights about everything from nature and the body to race and masculinity. The fruits of this experiment-for which gardens and gardening provide a frequent, apt metaphor-attest to an imagination cultivated in hostile conditions. Gay's optimism is as easy as it is improbable, his 'heart cooing like a pigeon nestled on a windowsill where the spikes rusted off. * New Yorker *Ross Gay's poems are little celebrations of joy, and this book of mini-essays - each centering around a particular 'delight,' from sleeping in your clothes to planting tomato seedlings to the nod of greeting between the only two black people in a room - is a pure balm for your soul. Savor one at a time every morning, this summer, or wolf them all down en masse on a gorgeous sunny day. -- Celeste NgEveryone could use a bit more delight in their days . . . Gay, who is the winner of the NBCC Award for Poetry, is here to provide just that, with essays celebrating everything from air quotes to candy wrappers to pickup basketball games * New York Post *The Book of Delights is both practice and perfection in an unassuming package . . . These pieces reflect and examine the natural world, masculinity, racism, and other topics with vibrancy. Most essays are a few paragraphs, a page or two at maximum, but it's not the width or length of the pieces that ultimately grabbed my attention. It was the heart and intelligence found within his daily introspections * The Rumpus *A reminder of what the personal essay is best at: finding the profound in the mundane . . . his delight is infectious. It's hard to read Gay and not to be won over. * Seattle Times *The shock of Gay's writing . . . is his seamless shift from breezy, affable observation to sober (and admittedly still affable) profundity . . . I want to say that Gay's writing is magical because that's the way it feels when I read it. But . . . calling it magic undercuts Gay's craft, the effort that goes into producing literature that feels as fluent and familiar as a chat with a close friend. His voice has integrity, in both senses of the word: a completeness or consistency, true to itself; and an honesty and compassion so frankly subjective that it produces an incorruptible vision. Gay's loose-limbed sentences diagram his delight, partaking in numerous asides - some as paragraph-long parentheticals - and equally numerous asides within asides, as well as nested subordinate clauses that are the purview of intimate conversation, not written prose. They are clauses and asides in which, as Gay writes them, you feel his hand on your arm, you feel him lean in toward you, conspiratorially or simply to emphasize his meaning * The New York Review of Books *

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