Search results for ""author stefano massini""

The internationally acclaimed author harnesses his brilliant imagination and masterful storytelling ability to create a catalog of new words inspired by stories of real people in this wondrous book reminiscent of Italo Calvino's mesmerizing Invisible Cities.How many times have words not been enoughHow many complex feelings don’t have a corresponding noun that properly describes themHow many times has language left us like an archer without arrows in the labyrinth of our emotionsAward-winning author Stefano Massini, a master of expression,, made a discovery that shot new life into his writing practice. To his surprise he found that the ancient rules of language were not quite as restrictive as he had long envisioned them to be. With so many emotions and states of mind missing modern descriptors and definitions, Massini stumbled across a simple but artistry-altering idea. Instead of compromising honest expression through perfunctory verbiage, he decided language was, if anything, a flowing palette of colors he could use to paint all things. Words are meant to be invented. To reconfirm his belief in the magic of words, Massini returned to the wondrous mechanism that has fed dictionaries from time immemorial. If he could not find the precise word he wanted, he created one. In this delightful compendium, he introduces his personal vocabulary; every chapter mentions a new word that comes from a story about a real person, from Louis XIV to an American gangster.The Book of Nonexistent Words is a beautifully illustrated collection of linguistic origin stories wrought from the mind of an internationally renowned storytelling icon. Massini effectively liberates our human capacity for using language creatively and shows how we can embrace storytelling to fine tune our way of being in the world. Massini encourages us to be imaginative; if the language in the dictionary cannot adequately match the reality of the here and now, we must create new words that ring true.Translated from the Italian by Richard Dixon

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The novel in verse that inspired the sensational West End and Off-Broadway play, The Lehman Trilogy is the story of a family and a company that changed the world. On a cold September morning in 1844 a young man from Bavaria stands on a New York dockside, dreaming of a new life in the new world. Sensing opportunity in the Deep South, he opens a textile shop in Alabama, and then he and his two brothers begin investing in anything and everything that will turn a profit, from cotton to coal to railroads to oil to airplanes.163 years later, the Lehman Brothers firm spectacularly collapses into bankruptcy, and triggers the largest financial crisis in history. Spanning three generations and 150 years, The Lehman Trilogy is a moving epic that tells the story of modern capitalism through the saga of the Lehman brothers and their descendants. Surprising and exciting, brilliant and inventive, Stefano Massini’s masterpiece – like Hamilton – is a story of immigration, ambition, and success. It is the story of America itself, from a daring and original perspective.

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The novel in verse that inspired the sensational West End and Off-Broadway play, The Lehman Trilogy is the story of a family and a company that changed the world. On a cold September morning in 1844 a young man from Bavaria stands on a New York dockside, dreaming of a new life in the new world. Sensing opportunity in the Deep South, he opens a textile shop in Alabama, and then he and his two brothers begin investing in anything and everything that will turn a profit, from cotton to coal to railroads to oil to airplanes.163 years later, the Lehman Brothers firm spectacularly collapses into bankruptcy, and triggers the largest financial crisis in history. Spanning three generations and 150 years, The Lehman Trilogy is a moving epic that tells the story of modern capitalism through the saga of the Lehman brothers and their descendants. Surprising and exciting, brilliant and inventive, Stefano Massini’s masterpiece – like Hamilton – is a story of immigration, ambition, and success. It is the story of America itself, from a daring and original perspective.

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