Literary Biography

Adrianne Geffel was a genius. Praised as the "Geyser of Grand Street" and the "Queen of Bleak Chic," she was a one-of-a-kind artist, a pianist and composer with a rare neurological condition that enabled her to make music that was nothing less than pure, unmediated emotional expression. She and her sensibility are now fully integrated into the cultural lexicon; her music has been portrayed, represented, and appropriated endlessly in popular culture. But what do we really know about her?

All his life, William Stanley searched for a wild place of his own. Growing up in the straightened-out city blocks of his childhood and finding some respite in summer trips to a cabin in the woods, he yearned for space, fragrant soil, tall trees, and the silence that surrounds them. In Hawaii, he learned of acres of land depleted from toxic agricultural practices, and he became determined to restore that land and create one of the most comprehensive palm gardens in the world.

Sylvia Plath: A Literary Life examines the way Plath made herself into a writer. Close analysis of Plath's reading and apprenticeship writing both in fiction and poetry sheds considerable light on Plath's work in the late 1960s. In this updated edition, there will be discussion of the aftermath of Plath's death including the publication of her Collected Poems edited by Ted Hughes which won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1982. Biographies of Plath will be examined along with the publication of Hughes's Birthday Letters.

Anshel Brusilow started playing violin in 1933 at age five, in a Russian Jewish neighborhood of Philadelphia where practicing your instrument was as ordinary as hanging out the laundry. His playing wasn’t ordinary, though. At 16, he was soloing with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Brusilow turned in his violin bow for the baton and created his own Philadelphia Chamber Symphony. Next he took on the then-troubled Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Brusilow played with or conducted many top-tier classical musicians and has something to say about each one. He also made many recordings.

This Very Short introduction explores the major themes of Austen criticism through close analysis of her major and minor works, with particular emphasis on the literary, social, and political backgrounds from which the novels emerge, and with which they engage. Thomas Keymer combines critical introductions to each of Austen's six major novels with an exploration of the key themes in her works.

Meet our fearless adventurers Cassandra, Otto and Missy AKA the smartest raven in the universe as they set out on their next action-packed Ladybird Audio Adventure! On this adventure, we're entering the world of performance, where we'll learn about different literary legends throughout history! We'll meet William Shakespeare at work at the Globe Theatre, and go behind the scenes of the amazing musical, Hamilton. Let's take to the stage!

In the last years of his life, the writer Amos Oz talked regularly with Shira Hadad, who worked closely with him as the editor of his final novel, Judas. These candid, uninhibited dialogues show a side of Oz that few ever saw. What Makes an Apple? presents the most revealing of these conversations in English for the first time, painting an illuminating and disarmingly intimate portrait of a towering literary figure.

Sie ist die Frau, der man nachsagt, dass sie kein Glück in der Liebe hat. Diejenige, die ihr Leben allein regelt: Die Frau ohne Begleitung. Als die Autorin feststellt, dass auch sie so eine geworden ist - ein weiblicher Langzeit-Single - ist die Erkenntnis ein Schock. Dann eine Befreiung. Und ein Ansporn, nicht nur für eine schonungslose Selbsterkundung, sondern auch für eine überfällige Spurensuche.

Selma Lagerlöf hade hunnit bli 33 år när hon debuterade med ”Gösta Berlings Saga”, och efter det levde hon sitt liv som en mycket produktiv författare som skrev flertalet välkända romaner och noveller. Idag räknas Lagerlöf som en av Sveriges främsta författare någonsin. Men vem var hon egentligen? Och vilka uppoffringar tvingades hon att göra för att tillslut bli den första kvinnliga ledamoten i Svenska Akademien? Litteraturvetaren och författaren Vivi Edström skildrar en av våra mest berömda och inflytelserika författares liv genom tiderna.

Comment Jean-Baptiste Poquelin est-il devenu le grand Molière ? Passionné depuis son plus jeune âge par le théâtre, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin abandonne les perspectives d'une vie confortable pour devenir acteur et fonder sa troupe de théâtre. Comédien unique, auteur satirique, Molière critique de manière féroce la société de son époque, s'attirant la haine et la jalousie de nombreuses personnes. Ses pièces aujourd'hui ne cessent de faire rire et d'éblouir le public.

En una hacienda a la falda de los volcanes, Juana Inés vive con su entrañable abuelo, su madre y su querida hermana Josefa, rodeada de libros y siempre acompañada por su perro xoloitzcuintle. Pronto Juana Inés se enamora del maravilloso mundo que se esconde detrás de las letras y, al pie de la pintura de la virreina, escribe los más hermosos poemas. Descubre cómo fue la niñez de sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, ¡la poeta más destacada que dejó Nueva España!

Moody and restless, teenage Louisa longed for freedom. Faced with the expectations of her loving but hapless family, the Alcotts, and of 19th-century New England society, she struggled to find her place. On long meandering runs through the woods behind Orchard House, she thought about a future where she could write and think and dream. Undaunted by periods of abject poverty and enriched by friendships with some of the greatest minds of her time and place, she was determined to have this future, no matter the cost.

Charles was stuck putting labels on bottles! He kept dreaming of going back to school. Everyone told him to forget his dreams. But instead of letting go of his dreams, Charles held on to them and turned his dreams into something that changed the world.

What happens when freedom of expression comes under threat? In frank and wide-ranging interviews, historian and critic Leonard S. Marcus probes the experience of thirteen leading authors of books for young people.

A collection of timeless fairytales for children from around the world. Now available in Hindi.

"We all need a hero or two to help us stand fast and think right," says William J. Bennett, author of The Book of Virtues, the #1 best seller that millions of American families turn to for moral inspiration. A new treasury chosen for young children, presents splendid tales of the valor and indomitable spirit.

Molière est notre plus grand homme de théâtre, celui dont nous connaissons tous une pièce, une phrase, un mot, que nous étudions en classe, et qui nous émeut, nous fait rire plus de trois siècles plus tard. Il a façonné notre manière de parler : nous nous exprimons dans la langue de Molière. Nous nous sommes emparés de lui comme d'un monument, d'un patrimoine, et pourtant sa vie fascinante, en grande partie, nous échappe. Un livre audio savoureux pour découvrir sa vie, s'immerger dans son siècle et vivre quelques minutes près de lui...

George Bernard Shaw has been called the second greatest playwright in English (after William Shakespeare) and one of the inventors of modern celebrity as the most famous public intellectual of his time. Beginning in the 1880s, as a critic and as a playwright, he transformed British drama, bringing to it intellectual substance, ethical imperatives, and modernity itself, setting the theatrical course for the subsequent century. That his legacy endures 70 years after his death is testament to the prescience of his thinking and his prolific creativity.

When Lydia was five years old, she and her family had to leave their home. They hopped from Grandma's house to Aunt Linda's house to Cousin Alice's house, but no place was permanent. Then one day, everything changed: Lydia's mom took her to a new place - not a house but a big building with stone columns and tall tall steps. The library. In the library, Lydia found her special spot across from the sunny window at a round desk. For behind that desk was her new friend, the librarian.

This glorious biography of Maya Angelou’s life - from her traumatic childhood through her work as a freedom fighter and her triumphant rise as a poet - is a powerful tribute to a phenomenal woman.