Poetry Books

Book SynopsisOne of the great classics of European literature, Faust is Goethe's most complex and profound work. This title tells the story of one man's pact with the Devil in exchange for knowledge and power.Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION xi FAUST: A Tragedy DEDICATION 1 PRELUDE ON THE STAGE 3 PROLOGUE IN HEAVEN 9 PART ONE NIGHT (Faust's Study I: Easter Eve) 13 OUTSIDE THE CITY GATE (Easter-Day Walk) 23 FAUST'S STUDY (II: Easter Night) 32 FAUST'S STUDY (III: Pact and Student Scene) 40 AUERBACHS WINE-CELLAR IN LEIPZIG 53 WITCH'S KITCHEN (Rejuvenation) 60 A STREET (I: Margarete Accosted) 67 EVENING (Margarete's Room I) 69 PROMENADE (Street II: Mephistopheles' Report) 72 THE NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE (The Story of Schwerdtlein) 73 A STREET (III: False Witness) 77 (Martha's) GARDEN (I: Promenading Couples) 79 A SUMMERHOUSE (Martha's Garden II) 82 FOREST AND CAVE (Faust's Conscience) 83 GRETCHEN'S ROOM (II: Margarete at Her Spinning Wheel) 87 MARTHA'S GARDEN (III: Faust's Credo) 88 AT THE WELL (Gretchen and Lieschen) 91 BY THE RAMPARTS (Gretchen's Prayer) 92 NIGHT (Street IV: Valentine's Death) 93 CATHEDRAL (Mass, with Organ and Choir) 97 WALPURGIS NIGHT (Faust on the Brocken) 99 WALPURGIS NIGHT'S DREAM (Intermezzo) 108 AN EXPANSE OF OPEN COUNTRY (Faust's Rage) 112 NIGHT: OPEN FIELDS (The Gibbet) 114 PRISON (Margarete's Death) 114 PART TWO, in Five Acts Act I A PLEASANT LANDSCAPE (Faust's Recovery) 121 AN IMPERIAL PALACE THE THRONE ROOM (Council of State) 124 A GREAT HALL (Masquerade and Faust's Masque) 132 A GARDEN (Benefits of Paper Money) 154 A DARK GALLERY (The Mothers) 158 BRIGHTLY LI T ROOMS (Waiting for Faust) 162 KNIGHTS' HALL (The Rape of Helen) 163 Act II A HIGH-VAULTED, NARROW GOTHIC ROOM (Faust's Study IV) 169 LABORATORY (Creation of Homunculus) 175 CLASSICAL WALPURGIS NIGHT 180 The Pharsalian Fields 180 (Erichtho and the Aeronauts 180 * By the Sphinxes 181 * Peneus and Nymphs 186 * Faust, Chiron, and Manto 187 * Again by the Upper Peneus: Seismos' Mountain 191 * Mephistopheles and the Lamiae 196 * Anaxagoras, Thales, and Homunculus 200 * The Phorcides 202) Rocky Inlets of the Aegean Sea 204 (Nereus 206 * Proteus 209 * Galatea 214 * Homunculus merges with the sea 215) Act III (Helen: Classico-Romantic Phantasmagoria. An Intermezzo) BEFORE MENELAUS' PALACE AT SPARTA (Helen's Flight) 216 INNER COURTYARD OF A CASTLE (The Wooing and Defense of Helen) 231 A SHADED GROVE (The Life and Death of Euphorion) 241 Act IV HIGH MOUNTAINS 254 (Margarete Remembered 254 * Faust's Great Plan 256 * The Emperor in Danger 258 * Mephistopheles' Three Mighty Men 260) ON A FOOTHILL (Defeat of the Anti-Emperor) 261 THE ANTI-EMPEROR'S TENT (Rewards of Victory) 272 Act V A BROAD LANDSCAPE (Baucis and Philemon) 279 FAUST'S PALACE BEFORE THE PALACE 281 (Faust's Discontent 281 * The Destruction of Baucis, Philemon and Their Guest 285) FAUST ON THE BALCONY 286 (Mephistopheles' Report 286 * Four Gray Women in the Courtyard 287) WITHIN THE PALACE (Care, and the Blinding of Faust) 288 THE LARGE OUTER COURTYARD 290 (Faust's Death and Interment 292 * Mephistopheles Defeated 295) MOUNTAIN GORGES (Faust's Vision of Heaven and His Reunion with Margarete) 299 Chronology of the Composition of Faust 306 Goethe's Faust and the Present Translation 307 Bibliographical Note 314 Explanatory Notes 315

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Book SynopsisA marvellous collection of poetry from the beloved and bestselling author of I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS. ''A brilliant writer, a fierce friend and a truly phenomenal woman'' BARACK OBAMAPoems of love and regret, of racial strife and confrontation, songs of the people and songs of the heart - all are charged with Maya Angelou''s zest for life and her rage at injustice. Lyrical, tender poems of longing, wry glances at betrayal and isolation combine with a fierce insight into ''hate and hateful wrath'' in an unforgettable picture of the hopes and concerns of one of America''s finest writers. ''She moved through the world with unshakeable calm, confidence and a fierce grace . . . She will always be the rainbow in my clouds'' OPRAH WINFREY ''She was important in so many ways. She launched African American women writing in the United States. She was generous to a fault. She had nineteen talents - used ten. And was a real originaTrade ReviewBlack, bitter and beautiful, she speaks of our survival * JAMES BALDWIN *Maya Angelou writes from the heart and her language rings clear and true . . . Whether joyful, sad or playful, her poems speak with delicacy and depth of feeling * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *It is true poetry she is writing . . . it has an innate purity about it, unquenchable dignity * M.F.K. Fisher *Maya Angelou liberates and exhilarates through her magical, lyrical, mystical medium - poetry * Mary Bryce, TRIBUNE *

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Book SynopsisRead Shakespeare's sonnets in all their brillianceand understand what every word means! Don't be intimidated by Shakespeare! These popular guides make the Bard's sonnets accessible and enjoyable. This No Fear guide contains:The complete original textAline-by-line translation that puts the words into everyday languagePlenty of helpful commentary

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Book SynopsisThis unique collection brings together the finest poetry and prose on the Nakba by Palestinian writers over the last seventy years.Trade Review`In this crucial anthology, Palestine's greatest classic and contemporary writers use the poetry and rigour of their words to delineate both the trauma of the past and the continuities of exile, oppression and resistance.' Molly Crabapple; `An essential collection of vital voices ... Palestinian literature and thought are defiantly alive and pushing boundaries in fiction, poetry, memoir and reportage.' Bidisha; `This anthology brilliantly brings together seminal writings on the Nakba. It will be of interest to students of literature as well as those wishing to learn about Palestine for a long time to come.' Yasir Suleiman, University of Cambridge and the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies; `This collection sings of more than just suffering - remembrance and beauty, too.' Fatima Bhutto;`A Map of Absence is a remarkable collection of some of the finest examples of [Palestinian] literature ... It is the details hidden in each piece of writing - occasionally hopeful, often heartbreaking - that lend this collection its personality.' The National; `Core questions are addressed throughout: injustice, memory, resistance, longing for peace and a normal life, and especially return to the homeland ... A Map of Absence has the makings of becoming a classic, due to its documentation of a seminal event and the beauty and intensity of the writing. In the words of Atef Alshaer, "Nowhere has the voice of Palestine resonated more powerfully than in the literature of Palestinians".' The Jordan Times; `A Map of Absence< is a tribute to the power and elegance of the Arabic language and to the sensitivity of the editor. Some of the contributors write in English but most are beautifully translated from the original Arabic. Above all, the book is a reminder of the suffering and bravery of many of today's refugees in their fight to find a new identity and deal with the fact that they can never forget their home, their land and the identity they have lost.' 7D News; `Throughout this book, it is the human experience that stands out, elsewhere discarded to make space for the politics that have disrupted and ruptured Palestinian lives.' Middle East Monitor

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Book SynopsisFrom New York Times bestselling authors r.h. Sin and Robert M. Drake with bestselling poet Samantha King Holmes comes an ode for all women.This is the time to look into the mirror and see everything you’ve been fighting for. Yourself, a peace of mind, and everything your heart deserves. You fit inside these words.

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Book SynopsisFor hundreds of years, ordinary folk in the small Austrian village of Oberufer on the Danube gathered in the local tavern at Christmas time to perform these plays to their neighbours. With their roots lost in medieval times, the plays gradually evolved to incorporate a unique mixture of broad peasant humour and deep reverence in their celebration of the birth of the baby Jesus. "The Paradise Play" serves as a Preface, presenting the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise, but with the promise of future salvation through Christ. "The Shepherds Play" follows with its portrayal of the birth of Jesus in a stable where he is sought out by a group of simple shepherds. "The Kings Play", the final in the trilogy, depicts the visit of three wise Kings to the birthplace of the 'King of Humanity', and the murderous measures taken by Herod to try and thwart Jesus' mission. This revised edition of the plays - eminently suitable for amateur and professional companies alike - offers a clear layout of the texts, greatly elaborated director's and make-up indications, stage and lighting directions, and detailed costume designs illustrated in colour.

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Book SynopsisThe godfather of British performance poetry - Daily TelegraphThe Luckiest Guy Alive is the first new book of poetry from Dr John Cooper Clarke for several decades – and a brilliant, scabrous, hilarious collection from one of our most beloved and influential writers and performers. From the ‘Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman’ to a hymn to the seductive properties of the pie – by way of hand-grenade haikus, machine-gun ballads and a meditation on the loss of Bono’s leather pants – The Luckiest Guy Alive collects stunning set pieces, tried-and-tested audience favourites and brand new poems to show Cooper Clarke still effortlessly at the top of his game. Cooper Clarke’s status as the ‘Emperor of Punk Poetry’ is certainly confirmed here, but so is his reputation as a brilliant versifier, a poet of vicious wit and a razor-sharp social satirist. Effortlessly immediate and contemporary, full of hard-won wisdom and expert blindsidings, it’s easy to see why the good Doctor has continued to inspire several new generations of performers from Alex Turner to Plan B: The Luckiest Guy Alive shows one of the most compelling poets of the age on truly exceptional form.‘John Cooper Clarke is one of Britain’s outstanding poets. His anarchic punk poetry has thrilled people for decades ... long may his slender frame and spiky top produce words and deeds that keep us on our toes and alive to the wonders of the world.’ Sir Paul McCartneyTrade ReviewThe godfather of British performance poetry * Daily Telegraph *There are a legion of new young poets who rightly pay homage to Cooper Clarke -- Julian Hall * Independent *John Cooper Clarke has, arguably, not only the most recognizable silhouette in show business, but also the most infectious of poetic voices. -- Tim Adams * Observer *Witty and profane, his lyrics are best declaimed aloud, to make you laugh and encourage you to question everything. -- Bel Mooney * Daily Mail *A poet who writes about darkness and decay but makes people laugh, a human cartoon, a gentleman punk, a man who has stayed exactly the same for thirty years but never grown stale. John Cooper Clarke is an original -- Claire Smith * Scotsman *I say to people, have you heard of John Cooper Clarke and if they say, yes, yeah he's an absolute genius and you just go, 'oh - ok, you've saved me a lot of time -- Steve CooganJohn Cooper Clarke uses words like Chuck Berry uses guitar riffs melody and anger, humour and disdain in equal measure. He's the real deal, really funny and really caustic, the velvet voice of discontent. -- Kate MossJohn Cooper Clarke is one of Britain’s outstanding poets. His anarchic punk poetry has thrilled people for decades and his no nonsense approach to his work and life in general has appealed to many people including myself for many years. Long may his slender frame and spiky top produce words and deeds that keep us on our toes and alive to the wonders of the world. -- Sir Paul McCartney...nothing short of dazzling -- Alex TurnerPacy, punchy social satire. Reading it is like spending a night at the pub with your funniest friend, who also happens to have an astute take on everything from the state of the high street, to metrosexuality and the NHS. * Evening Standard *Most people who've been moderately exposed to John Cooper Clarke find it impossible to get through life without muttering the off word to themselves in that extraordinary accent of his. Well, now you've got an entire book to recite. * Strong Words *

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Book SynopsisA kaleidoscopic and compassionate play about a mother and daughter. Premiered at the Donmar Warehouse, London, in 2025, starring Celia Imrie and Tamsin Greig.

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Book Synopsis‘The crossbill is a bonny bird An she sings wi a guid Scots tongue Jip-jip-jip A’ll gie ye gip Gin ye meddle wi me nor ma young’ As a result of his travels across the North American continent in the eighteenth century Alexander Wilson pioneered the science of ornithological writing and illustration, becoming an inspiration for most of the ornithological works which followed. This new book celebrates the artwork of Alexander Wilson by reproducing his illustrations alongside new poems in Scots by Hamish MacDonald, looking at the habits, habitats, and characteristics of birds.

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Book SynopsisA key resource for students and teachers of Arabic and world literature, as well as for readers interested in discovering an alternative narrative of modern Iraqi culture.

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Book SynopsisA funny, thrilling and provocative play exploring race, resentment and community politics, from a leading South African playwright.

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Book SynopsisSix Characters in Search of an Author (1921) is a metatheatrical drama by Luigi Pirandello. Viewed as an important work of absurdist literature, the play was a critical failure when it was first staged in Rome. Revised by its author and bolstered by successful performances in New York City, Six Characters in Search of an Author has been recognized as a pioneering examination of the nature of creativity, the relationship of the director and actors to the work of art, and the psychological stress associated with staging a theatrical production. While preparing to rehearse a new play by director Luigi Pirandello, a theatre company is interrupted with the arrival of six strangers on set. After a moment of frustration and confusion, the director is told that they are six unfinished characters whose story cannot be told without his intervention. The Father, Mother, Son, Stepdaughter, Boy, and Child refuse to leave, forcing the director to convince his actors to help them fulfill their wish. As the story begins to take shape, the characters exert more and more control over the set and the participation of the other actors, soon overtaking the director entirely. Strange and compelling, Six Characters in Search of an Author is a unique play which saw resistance from critics and theatergoers for one reason only: its methods forced them to question the nature of reality itself. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author is a classic work of Italian literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Book SynopsisPlaying with Matches is the ultimate collector’s edition by internationally best-selling poet, Michael Faudet. A beautiful hardcover gift book that has been personally curated by the author featuring a compilation of the best work from his five published books and thirty-five new pieces of poetry and prose for readers to discover. A wonderful addition to any bookshelf with a pretty ribbon marker and attractive cloth covered spine. To complement the exquisite and evocative poetry, prose, and short stories, this gorgeous book also gives readers a private glimpse into the author’s life. Comprising of black and white photographs taken by Michael Faudet that capture the inspiration behind the writing.Playing with Matches is a must-have for fans of Dirty Pretty Things, Bitter Sweet Love, Smoke & Mirrors, Winter of Summers, and Cult of Two. A poetry lover’s delight with an additional 35 new pieces never before published in any Michael Faudet collection. An intricate exploration of love, heartbreak, seduction, self-empowerment, and sex that will spark your imagination and ignite the flames of passion that burn inside all of us.

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Book SynopsisGathered from over thirty years of work, the poems in this generous selection strike a dynamic balance of honesty, emotion, intellectual depth and otherworldly resonance - in Gizzi's work, poetry itself becomes a primary ground of human experience. Haunted, vibrant and saturated with luminous detail, Gizzi enlists the American vernacular in a magical and complex music. Sky Burial is an immensely valuable introduction to his work.Trade Review'The marvelous concept of 'hopescape' is one of the many gifts of Peter Gizzi's Sky Burial, where life is a constant calling to art. Gizzi's songs float free of judgmentalism, in an unflinching appreciation of being. They seek, and they love. Gizzi uncouples poetic vision from the visual, provoking us ever further, into the luminous dark.' - Vahni Capildeo; 'Gizzi can move from the ghostly flickering edge of perceptibility to focused intensity at disorienting, Dickinsonian speed. His poetry is an example of how a poet's total tonal attention can disclose new orders of sensation and meaning. His beautiful lines are full of deft archival allusion; Gizzi is gathering from the air a live tradition.' - Ben Lerner

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Book SynopsisSweet reassurance and validation for anyone feeling adrift—this collection of verse, illustrations, and photography is a poetic refuge far away from loneliness.A delicate blend of melancholy reflections and absurd hopefulness, Small Ghost explores the exhausting reality of struggling with mental health. Mateer’s conversational style, infused with vulnerability and thoughtfulness, transforms mundane experiences into wistful musings. Panic attacks at the grocery store and days spent wasting away in bed are met with humor and care. Lauren Zaknoun’s evocative photography and the poet’s own illustrations add a whimsical, irreverent touch to the collection. With Small Ghost, Trista Mateer holds out a hand and offers solace to those who may feel otherwise isolated in their peculiarities.

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Book SynopsisUsher is a Black, queer writer, working a day job he hates while writing his original musical: a piece about a Black, queer writer, working a day job he hates while writing his original musical... Michael R. Jackson's blistering original musical follows a young artist at war with a host of demons – not least of which are the punishing thoughts in his own head – in an attempt to understand his own strange loop. A Strange Loop received its world premiere at Playwrights Horizons in New York in 2019. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical at the 2022 Tony Awards – and every other 'Best Musical' award on Broadway. It received its British premiere at the Barbican Theatre, London, in 2023, with Michael R. Jackson winning Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer at the 2023 Stage Debut Awards. 'A metafictional musical that tracks the creative process of an artist transforming issues of identity, race and sexuality that once pushed him to the margins of the cultural mainstream into a meditation on universal human fears and insecurities' Pulitzer Prize CommitteeTrade Review'Explosively imaginative. Dazzlingly one-of-a-kind' * Washington Post *'Audacious and uproarious... a meta masterpiece' * Guardian *'A dazzling ride. No measure of praise could be too much' * New York Times *'Screamingly funny. Unmissable. The musical we've been waiting for' * Time Out *'To watch this show is to enter, by some urgent, bawdy magic, an ecstatic and infinitely more colorful version of the famous surreal lithograph by M. C. Escher: the hand that lifts from the page, becoming almost real, then draws another hand, which returns the favor. Which came first? A Strange Loop is complex, teasing, thrilling' * New Yorker *'Brilliant… Harrowing… one-of-a-kind… Hyper-observant and hyper-verbal, Jackson lets his remorselessly satirical eye wander, to hilarious and devastating effect… What makes A Strange Loop so powerful, is not an attempt to find "our common humanity" but an insistence on speaking its own idiosyncratic truth' * Vogue *'An exhilarating cocktail of hilarious lyrical complexity… Michael R. Jackson is a musical talent with deep wells of invention' * Time Out New York *'Phenomenal... both a raw and unflinching interrogation of identity and the most furiously entertaining show on Broadway' * Variety *'Dazzling... spectacularly bold... a challenging, uncompromising show... irreverent and funny... Jackson's songs are slick, tuneful and accessible... An enormous number of musicals have opened in the West End in the last couple of months, but none of them have a tenth of the audacity and imagination of A Strange Loop' * Time Out *'Triumphant, emotionally lacerating... I sat with my mouth agape, astonished and grateful that something so brutally honest and rigorously constructed had finally broken through to a Broadway stage' * LA Times *'A blast and a revelation... an astonishing tour-de-force' * WhatsOnStage *'Magnificent... a strikingly original, highly entertaining tour of identity politics and the struggles of selfhood' * Guardian *'A thrillingly strange, playful and hilarious new musical, stuffed with catchy tunes... extraordinary... I'd watch it again in an instant' * Evening Standard *'A cleverly complex piece of drama, that's also incredibly uplifting and joyful... musical theatre heaven' * Theatre Weekly *'An experience you won't forget' * Independent *'Magnificent... dazzling... joyous, clever and alive. Don't miss it' * iNews *

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Book SynopsisKalidasa’s The Lineage of the Raghus, or Raghuvaṃśa, belongs to the literary tradition of mahākāvya, or court poem. It recounts the lives of ancient kings—such as Dilipa, Raghu, and Rama—who ruled from the capital city of Ayodhya. This volume presents a new edition of the Sanskrit text in the Devanagari script alongside a fresh English translation.Trade ReviewA fine edition that should appeal both to the serious Sanskrit reader and the more casually interested English-speaking one. -- M.A. Orthofer * Complete Review *

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Book Synopsis1964: Richard Burton, the firebrand Welsh actor, newly married to movie star Elizabeth Taylor, is to play the title role in an experimental new production of Hamlet under the exacting direction of John Gielgud. But as rehearsals progress, the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel. One of them is the most famous movie star in the world; the other, a patrician from an earlier age of theatre. The stage is set for two titans to collide. Jack Thorne's The Motive and the Cue is a fierce, funny play which offers a glimpse into the politics of a rehearsal room and the relationship between art and celebrity. This edition was published alongside the West End transfer in 2023, following its world premiere at the National Theatre, London, earlier that year. Originally commissioned and co-produced by Neal Street Productions, it was directed by Sam Mendes, and starred Johnny Flynn as Burton, Mark Gatiss as Gielgud and Tuppence Middleton as Taylor. It was named Best Play at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards in 2023.Trade Review'Marvellous... a quite wonderful new play... full of compassion, funny, witty and utterly compelling... This play is Thorne and Mendes's own love letter to the stage, full of both intellect and passion, clever and profoundly moving' * WhatsOnStage *'Enjoyable and hugely adroit' * Evening Standard *'Witty, deft, and touching... a palpable hit' * Telegraph *'Magical... deeply affecting... not just a heartfelt plea for the power of theatre, but a moving, often very funny, story about two generations teasing and provoking one another' * Independent *'Fascinating... a dual of egos in which not just the play, but the two men's sense of their selves is at stake' * The Stage *'A riotous peek behind the scenes... sensational' * Time Out *'Thrilling... an undeniably magnificent tour de force. Theatre should thank its lucky stars for Thorne. He has reminded us all why we went to the theatre and why we continue to go' * Broadway World *'Blazingly triumphant... a story about humanity, vulnerability, reconciliation' * TheatreCat *'Beautifully written... Jack Thorne's dramatisation of the events is powerful and entertaining in equal measure' * The Upcoming *'Stunning... Thorne's gloriously rich script subtly dissects the various relationships of the players, and it's magical to see it all unfold... a brilliant piece of theatre' * Theatre Weekly *'Part mischievous comedy and part docu-drama... a funny and affectionate love letter from theatre to itself' * Reviews Hub *'Magic... breathtaking in its simplicity and beauty' * LondonTheatre1 *

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Book Synopsis''What is honour? A word. What is in that word ''honour''? What is that ''honour''? Air.''A history play that combines a coming-of-age narrative with a tale of power, rebellion, friendship, and betrayal, Henry IV, Part I has been a perennial favourite from Shakespeare''s time to the present. What has ensured its popularity is above all the towering figure of Falstaff, Shakespeare''s greatest comic creation. The ebullient, unabashedly pleasure-seeking and brilliantly witty character has proved as irresistible for audiences as he was for his protégé, Prince Hal. This introduction discusses their relationship within the framework of the play''s historical, cultural, and performative setting. At the same time, it explores the question of why the play has proved so enduringly attractive to audiences today. The New Oxford Shakespeare offers authoritative editions of Shakespeare''s works with introductory materials designed to encourage new interpretations of the plays and poems. Using the te

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Book SynopsisThe Wandering Paddy, aka James Mooney, has more than 530,000 followers on social media, a following that's growing at the rate of 20,000 a month, with 6 million account interactions and views a month. His unique perspective on life has resonated with people both in his native Ireland and around the world, as The Wandering Paddy shares his thoughts and experiences, his challenges in overcoming cancer, his mental health struggles and the invaluable life lessons he has learned and can now pass on. The Book of Truths captures the essence of what The Wandering Paddy has learned about life, and this collection will inspire you towards new ways to appreciate the beauty and fragility of life, show you how to embrace your own unique journey and make the most of every precious moment. It's all about living and loving with gratitude and compassion and cherishing the time we have together rather than taking it for granted.With a hugely engaged following, including

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Book SynopsisA fully annotated critical edition of John Fletcher and Philip Massinger's ground-breaking comedy Love's Cure, or The Martial Maid (1615), a fascinating exploration of the journey of two transgender characters in an adverse heteronormative society. This Revels Plays edition offers a modernised text and a full critical commentary. -- .

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Book SynopsisAlmost 170 years on, Charlotte Brontë's story of the trailblazing Jane is as inspiring as ever. This bold and dynamic production uncovers one woman's fight for freedom and fulfilment on her own terms.From her beginnings as a destitute orphan, Jane Eyre's spirited heroine faces life's obstacles head-on, surviving poverty, injustice and the discovery of bitter betrayal before taking the ultimate decision to follow her heart.This inventive staging of Brontë''s masterpiece was first staged by Bristol Old Vic in 2014, when the story was performed over two evenings. Director Sally Cookson now brings her celebrated production to the National Theatre, presented as a single, exhilarating performance.Trade Review‘Even in what is fast becoming a very strong opening season from Rufus Norris at the National, Sally Cookson's staging of Jane Eyre still stands out.’ * British Theatre Guide *‘The book has been filleted cleverly… Inventive, moving and at times unexpectedly funny, this is an admirable piece of devised theatre.’ * The Express *‘clever, touching, minimalist yet expansive… makes you see entire new possibilities in theatre. I recommend it with a roar’ * Daily Mail ????? *‘Cookson and her company stripped Charlotte Brontë's novel down to its bones; what was left was plot and emotion… the magic, the passion, the raw pain is allowed to remain intact.’ * Culture Whisper *‘Newcomers and Brontë-holics alike will be gripped, amused and moved by a boldly theatrical show.’ * The Times *‘Sally Cookson’s production is full of wit, resource and invention.’ * Michael Billington, Guardian *'This is a production full of intelligent detail... Original, engaging and unexpectedly funny... an adaptation that Charlotte Bronte herself might have approved.' * Telegraph *‘A continually absorbing achievement.’ * Telegraph *‘A remarkable performance of startling modernity and unaffected honesty.’ * Guardian *‘A vivid two-part adaptation that combines powerful drama and unexpected humour.’ * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisThe Arabic poetic legacy is as vast as it is deep, spanning a period of fifteen centuries in regions from Morocco to Iraq. As a unifying principle, editor Marlé Hammond has selected eighty poems reflecting desire and longing of various kinds: for the beloved, for the divine, for the homeland, and for change and renewal. Poets include the legendary pre-Islamic warrior 'Antara Ibn Shaddad, medieval Andalusian poet Ibn Zaydun, the wandering poet Al-A’sha, and the influential Egyptian Romantic Ahmad Zaki Abu Shadi. Here too are literary giants of the past century: Khalil Jibran, author of the bestselling The Prophet; popular Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani; Palestinian feminist Fadwa Tuqan; Mahmoud Darwish, bard of occupation and exile; acclaimed iconoclast Adonis, and more. In their evocations of heroism, nostalgia, mysticism, grief, and passion, the poems gathered here transcend the limitations of time and place.

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Book SynopsisPoems of loneliness and late nights, liquor and loss.Trade ReviewFrom Library JournalTold in the cracked, smoky voice of someone who has loved and lost a lot and has come out the stronger for it these poems by the author of The Philosopher's Club and Jimmy & Rita crackle with energy yet do not betray the slightest slackening of craft. Addonizio moves from bars to caf?s to one-night stands and back to bars singing a sophisticated version of the blues. She may wonder "who has the time for anything/ but their own pleasures and sorrows," but her work never succumbs to melancholy.

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Book SynopsisFrom a poet and celebrated spoken-word performer comes a debut poetry collection that takes readers on an empowering, lyrical journey exploring truth, silence, wounds, healing, and the resilience we all share.Dear Girl is a journey from girlhood to womanhood through poetryIt is the search for truth in silenceThe freeing of the tongueIt is deep wounds and deep healingAnd the resilience that lies within usIt is a love letterTo the sisterhood

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Book Synopsis This authoritative, bilingual edition represents the first time the entirety of Cold Mountain''s poetry has been translated into English. These translations were originally published by Copper Canyon Press nearly twenty years ago. Now, significantly revised and expanded, the collection also includes a new preface by the translator, Red Pine, whose accompanying notes are at once scholarly, accessible, and entertaining. Also included for the first time are poems by two of Cold Mountain''s colleagues. Legendary for his clarity, directness, and lack of pretension, the eight-century hermit-poet Cold Mountain (Han Shan) is a major figure in the history of Chinese literature and has been a profound influence on writers and readers worldwide. Writers such as Charles Frazier and Gary Snyder studied his poetry, and Jack Kerouac''s Dharma Bums is dedicated "to Han Shan." 1.B storied cliffs were the fortune I castbird trails beyond human trackswhat surrounds my yardwhite clouds nesting dark rocksI''ve lived here quite a few yearsand always seen the spring-water changetell those people with tripods and bellsempty names are no damn good 71. someone sits in a mountain gorgecloud robe sunset tasselshandful of fragrances he''d sharethe road is long and hardregretful and doubtfulold and unaccomplishedthe crowd calls him crippledhe stands alone steadfast 205. my place is on Cold Mountainperched on a cliff beyond the circuit of afflictionimages leave no trace when they vanishI roam the whole galaxy from herelights and shadows flash across my mindnot one dharma comes before mesince I found the magic pearlI can go anywhere everywhere it''s perfect Cold Mountain A mountain man lives under thatchbefore his gate carts and horses are rarethe forest is quiet but partial to birdsthe streams are wide and home to fishwith his son he picks wild fruitwith his wife he hoes between rockswhat does he have at homea shelf full of nothing but books

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Book SynopsisThe poems of Nocturnal—newly revised and expanded—are constellations to guide those on a journey of healing and self-discovery, no matter how dark the night. From @wilderpoetry comes a heavily expanded revised edition of Nocturnal, a collection of poetry and beautifully illustrated black-and-white imagery inspired by darkened days and sleepless nights. Poetry meets presentation in each of the four sections ("Dusk," "Northern Lights," "Howl," "Lucid Dreams,"), which trace the author's continuing journey of self-discovery while illuminating a path for others along the way. Ink stains, landscapes, dreamlike animals, blackened pages, and textured spreads create a multifaceted reading experience. And true to the moniker, these poems are linked by a motif of "the wild." Celebrating the art of self-love poetry with both word and image, Nocturnal will leave readers comforted, curious, and inspired to explore the world around them.

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Book SynopsisCarmina Burana, the largest surviving collection of secular Medieval Latin verse, features poems on subjects ranging from sex and gambling to crusades and corruption. This new, two-volume presentation of the medieval classic makes the anthology accessible in its entirety to Latin lovers and English readers alike.Trade Review[Traill] brings to this ambitious project deep knowledge of medieval Latin poetry and the Carmina Burana manuscript…These are, indeed, translations worth having…The DOML Carmina Burana is a wonderful resource. -- Thomas C. Moser, Jr. * Speculum *

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Book SynopsisFind the magic in this collection—the moments and words that seem to glimmer and shine with their own inner light.Find deep magic in the pages of Beau Taplin's third book, Here at Dawn. The message is this: There is nothing ordinary about you or this remarkable world we inhabit, there is wild beauty, there is poetry, alive all around you. The secret is knowing where to look...and you can start right here.

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.When Paris falls in love with legendary beauty Helen of Troy, the devastating effects of their affair on their families and fellow citizens are unimaginable. Battle lines are drawn, alliances are forged, and as the Greeks and Trojans march into battle, the resilience and humanity of all will be tested.In his epic story of divine ego, human frailty, and the ravages of war, Homer created an unforgettable cast of characters, whose moral dilemmas and heroic deeds will stay with readers long past the final pages of this book. Samuel Butler's famous prose translation of Homer's original brings the epic to an entirely new generation of readers.

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Book SynopsisThe founding father of modern Russian literature, Alexander Pushkin has exerted - through his novel in verse Eugene Onegin, his plays, his short stories and his narrative poetry - a long-lasting influence well beyond the borders of his motherland. A slightly lesser-known, but by no mean less important aspect of his writing is his vast production of shorter verse, a genre at which he excelled and arguably still remains unsurpassed. This volume, part of Alma's series of the complete poetic works of Alexander Pushkin, collects the poems Pushkin wrote while still a young student at the mperial Lyceum in Tsarkoe Selo and includes such early gems as `The Tear', `The Singer' and `Note on a Hospital Wall', each presented in a verse translation opposite the original Russian text. Enriched with notes, pictures and an appendix on Pushkin's life and works, this will be essential reading for anyone wishing to delve deeper into the Russian bard's genius.Trade ReviewPushkin is an extraordinary phenomenon, perhaps the only phenomenon of the Russian spirit. -- Nikolai Gogol

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Book SynopsisA classicist best known for his translations of Homer, Sappho, Hesiod, and Callimachus returns to Roman poetry, offering a resonant new Aeneid.Trade ReviewAdapting words of the ancient critic Longinus, [Lombardo] refers to the intense light of noon of the Iliad, the magical glow of the setting sun in the Odyssey, and the chiaroscuro of the Aeneid, a darkness visible. This latter phrase is the title of a famous interpretation of the Aeneid by W. R. Johnson, who contributes a splendid essay to the translation. Whether recited or read, the present volume stands as another fine performance on Lombardo's part. Summing up: Highly recommended. --C. Fantazzi, CHOICELombardo . . . tends to let Virgil be Virgil, and so avoids imposing unwarranted interpretation on the unwary reader. . . . [W.R. Johnson's] introduction is masterful and illuminating. --Hayden Pelliccia, The New York Review of BooksCrisp, idiomatic, and precise, this is a translation for our era. The list of further reading, grounded in the writings of W.R. Johnson (who also wrote the Introduction) and Michael C. J. Putnam, suggests the context that informs the translation: here, as the translator says in the Preface, you will find an Aeneid that works more in the shadows than in the light. . . . This translation would be excellent for classroom use: not only would it incite fascinating discussions about issues of war and empire, but it also reads well aloud. . . . Together with Johnson's Introduction, this volume offers the Aeneid in terms that will resonate strongly with the general reader of today. --Sarah Spence, New England Classical Journal

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Book Synopsis‘I want the world to change shape.’ ‘I'm not sure theatre can do that.’ ‘Well then where am I meant to take that impulse because I'm very serious about the endeavour?’ A young writer challenges the status quo but discovers that creative gain comes at a personal cost. The Writer premiered in 2018 at the Almeida Theatre, London, in a production directed by Blanche McIntyre. The Writer was a finalist for the 2019 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. 'A playwright who grabs the zeitgeist' IndependentTrade Review'Wow. Here's a drama that channels all the righteous anger of the moment, the pent-up fury that women have found themselves at last allowed to express... [Ella Hickson] hits the jackpot once more with this coruscating examination of power structures both artistic and personal and how received ideas shaped by an inescapably patriarchal society infuse the two realms' * Evening Standard *'An eloquent, intellectually agile, vividly written and frequently furious play... a compelling theatrical experience' * The Stage *'Electrifying... very punk rock, a thrillingly uninhibited rally against the establishment' * Time Out *'Hickson strikes a nerve with her story of toxic masculinity and egocentrism... this momentous new play is a voice that needs to be heard' * Broadway World *'Funny, raw, unflaggingly inventive... a sophisticated play for the MeToo generation' * Telegraph *'It's sharp, savage stuff... it never for a second is anything less than engrossing and serious, raising issues that need to be raised... Hickson's writing can take the breath away' * WhatsOnStage *'A bold and vivid explosion of anger' * Radio Times *'This poetically messy, brilliantly clever piece of work has an epic beauty… fractures, stumbles over and twists literary and societal structures like a modern-day Orlando… Hickson's a genius' * Exeunt Magazine *'Riveting... Playful and impassioned... Above all, the play is asking a big question: do we need new theatrical forms to reflect a society in the midst of a sexual revolution? Hickson's approach is witty, clever and keeps the ground shifting under one's feet' * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Whitbread Book of the Year in 1985, these poems were written after the death of Douglas Dunn's first wife in March 1981.

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Book SynopsisCasting: 10 m / Scenery: InteriorThe greatest of all English war plays, Journey''s End shows the effect of war on a group of young officers. The play is a tragic and moving piece for advanced casts.

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Book SynopsisJackie Kay tells the story of a black girl's adoption by a white Scottish couple, from three different viewpoints: the mother, the birth mother, and the daughter. The Adoption Papers won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. In 2022 The Adoption Papers was selected as one of ten books representing the 1990s in The Big Jubilee Read, a celebration of great books from across the Commonwealth to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, one of only three poetry collections out of 70 books on the list.Trade ReviewJackie Kay tells the story of a black girl’s adoption by a white Scottish couple – from three different viewpoints: the mother, the birth mother and the daughter. This unique and honest volume of poems has been adapted for radio. Also included in the book are new poems reflecting issues of sexuality, Scottishness and being working-class. * Spare Rib *Jackie Kay has been gathering a reputation for a few years as an outstanding young talent in British poetry and playwriting… The Adoption Papers could well become a key work of feminism in action… a wonderfully spirited, tender and crafted contribution to Scottish writing, to black writing, and to the poetry of our time. It is a work of the utmost generosity and truth. -- Alastair Niven * Poetry Review *

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Book Synopsis'So you know how on the news these days there's just this endless stream of horrendous shit going down, like every single night? Suicide bombs, mass shootings, genocides, drone strikes, school massacres – it's like the end of the world or something... And you're kind of like – "Could I even cope if that stuff happened to me?"' Six young people are caught in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in the heart of London. By turns terrifying, inspiring, brutal, heartbreaking and hilarious, BU21 is verbatim theatre from the very near future. Stuart Slade's play comprises six interlinking monologues. It premiered at Theatre503, London, in 2016, in a co-production with Kuleshov, before transferring to the Trafalgar Studios, London, in January 2017.Trade Review'Brave, blackly comic… the stories here are gut-churningly vivid, compassionate, yet often wildly, horribly funny' * The Times *'Slade offers six close-up, compelling and often blackly comic stories and the result is a constantly sparky 90 minutes that delights in surprising and wrong-footing us' * Evening Standard *'Amongst the trauma and suffering lurks an awful lot of humour… gallingly graphic, desperately bleak, heartrendingly sad and quite, quite hilarious' * Exeunt Magazine *'The real star of this show is Stuart Slade's script. It's not just the pace that runs relentlessly across the 90 minutes all-through, but his ear for how people speak, their lexicons and their rhythms. An Alan Bennett for the Millennial Generation is a big label to put on a young playwright, but Slade is building a corpus of work to justify it... superb work' * BroadwayWorld.com *'Intelligent, questioning and very funny' * The Stage *'What a daring feat of writing this is… hauntingly credible, shudderingly so… captures the internal conflict of global terror: the sense that it was somehow deserved, the pull to be part of something, the impulse to laugh and to cry' * WhatsOnStage *'Strikingly real, shocking and even heartbreaking at times… the dialogue is snappy and at some points surprisingly funny despite the tragic subject matter… a haunting piece that in the light of current events, will stay with the audience' * The Upcoming *'Around two-thirds of the way through I realised I'd become so caught up that I'd forgotten BU21 has not actually happened… Slade's fresh, intelligent writing is full of life and action' * West End Wilma *

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Book SynopsisChase Twichell's poetry is marked by a strong identification with the natural world, one that exceeds any with other human beings. There's a dissociation born of a rough childhood, which only the later poems address head-on, though many earlier ones circle around it. Central early concerns are the heartbreak of love between men and women, the ecological decimation of our planet, and the nature of the human mind. Horses Where the Answers Should Have Been shows the evolution of a distinctive voice in American poetry through several collections written over 35 years. Beginning with "Perdido" (1991), each of her collections has had a distinct centre of gravity, with each poem contributing to a whole larger than the sum of its parts. Perdido probes the relationship between love and death. "The Ghost of Eden" (1995) grieves and rails against our poor stewardship of the earth. "The Snow Watcher" (1998) chronicles the early years of her study of Zen Buddhism - a crucial influence on all her later work - and begins to address a central fact of her childhood: early sexual abuse at the hands of a "family friend", and a lifelong battle with depression. "Dog Language" (2005) continues to explore these themes, and also the dementia and death of her father from alcoholism. In the background, questions regarding the human self continue to arise. The new poems of "Horses Where the Answers Should Have Been" are much more frontal in their treatment of these evolving, interlocked concerns, forthrightly taking on childhood sexual trauma, mental illness and substance abuse. But the heart of the book is the poems' focus on Twichell's continuing, deepening enquiry into the nature of the self as seen through the eyes of Zen. What is most interesting (and problematic) about these poems is that just as poetry goes where prose cannot, so Zen goes where language cannot. Thus the poems become sparer and sparer as they approach saying what cannot be said.Trade Review'Suppose you had Sappho's passion, the intelligence and perspicacity of Curie, and Dickinson's sweet wit, all mixed into a brilliantly shifting connectivity of ideas, scenes, creatures, phantoms, moods, and suspicions, and set her in the life we know we live. Then you would have the poems of Chase Twichell, which are so splendid and astonishing' - Hayden Carruth. 'They are full of sharp observation, both of the world and herself, unsentimental poems with a sinewy intellectual toughness - they open out into a stark, sometimes bewildered clarity' - Robert Hass, Washington Post.

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From the troubadours of the Middle Ages to the titans of modern poetry, from Rabelais and Ronsard to Jacques Réda and Yves Bonnefoy, French Poetry offers English-speaking readers a one-volume introduction to a rich and varied tradition. Here are today’s rising stars mingling with the great writers of past centuries: La Fontaine, Villon, du Bellay, Christine de Pisan, Marguerite de Navarre, Louise Labé, Hugo, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Verlaine, Mallarmé, Apollinaire, and many more. Here, too, are representatives of the modern francophone world, encompassing Lebanese, Tunisian, Senegalese and Belgian poets, including such notable writers as Léopold Senghor, Vénus Khoury-Ghata and Hédi Kaddour. Finally, this anthology showcases a wide range of the English language’s finest translators - including such renowned poet-translators as Ezra Pound, John Ashbery, Marianne Moore and Derek Mahon - in a dazzling tribute to the splendours of French poetry.

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Book SynopsisA new volume of the greatest revenge tragedies of the seventeenth-century stageThese four plays, written during the reigns of James I and Charles I, took revenge tragedy in dark and ambiguous new directions. In The Duchess of Malfi and The White Devil, John Webster explores power, sex, and corruption in the Italian court, creating two unforgettable anti-heroines. In The Broken Heart, John Ford questions the value of emotional repression as his characters attempt to subdue their desires and hatreds in ancient Greece. Finally, Ford's masterpiece 'Tis Pity She's a Whore explores the taboo themes of incest and forbidden love in a daring reworking of Romeo and Juliet.For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout historyTrade ReviewRevenge, hatred, villainy, incest, and murder upon murder are their constant themes . . . and they handle these horrors with little or no moral purpose, save that of exciting and amusing the audience . . . We should call him a madman who allowed his daughters or his servants to see such representations -- Charles Kingsley

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