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The Life and Lies of Charles Dickens
by Helena KellyA radical reassessment of the famed Victorian author, revealing the true story behind the creator of some of literature's best-known novels.This dynamic new study of Charles Dickens will make readers re-examine his life and work in a completely different light. First, partly due to the massive digitalization of papers and letters in recent years, Helena Kelly has unearthed new material about Dickens that simply wasn't available to his earlier biographers. Second, in an astonishing piece of archival detective work, she has traced and then joined the dots on revelatory new details about his mental and physical health that, as the reader will discover, had a strong bearing on both his writing and his life and eventual death. Together these have allowed her to come up with a striking hypothesis that the version of his life that Dickens chose to share with his public—both during his lifetime and from beyond the grave in the authorized biography published shortly after his death—was an elaborate exercise in reputation management. Many of the supposed formative events in his life—such as the twelve-year-old Dickens going to work in a blacking factory—may not have been quite as honestly-related as we have been led to believe. And, in many respects, who can blame him? Dickens's celebrity was on a scale almost unimaginable to any author writing today, with the possible exception of J. K. Rowling, and, like many people who become suddenly famous, he soon realized what a mixed blessing it was.
The Life and Loves of a He Devil: A Memoir
by Graham Norton'I defy anyone not to snort, howl and recoil' The Sunday Times'Full of wicked asides, tart observations and sharp remarks that could only have originated in Graham Norton's witty brain.' Terry WoganLooking around the room I saw what life really was. It was made up of my passions. I saw my life reflected back at me. People I liked, people I loved, people I had shared half a century with. All the stories of my life were together in that one room and it made me very happy. Who wouldn't want a friend like Graham Norton? A little bit naughty, full of frank advice, bursting with gossip about the world's biggest stars - but most of all with an emphatic love of life and all its joys, big and small. Join him - glass of wine in hand, faithful doggy friend by your side - and delve in as he shares the loves of his life.
The Life and Loves of a He Devil: A Memoir
by Graham Norton'I defy anyone not to snort, howl and recoil' The Sunday Times'Full of wicked asides, tart observations and sharp remarks that could only have originated in Graham Norton's witty brain.' Terry WoganLooking around the room I saw what life really was. It was made up of my passions. I saw my life reflected back at me. People I liked, people I loved, people I had shared half a century with. All the stories of my life were together in that one room and it made me very happy. Who wouldn't want a friend like Graham Norton? A little bit naughty, full of frank advice, bursting with gossip about the world's biggest stars - but most of all with an emphatic love of life and all its joys, big and small. Join him - glass of wine in hand, faithful doggy friend by your side - and delve in as he shares the loves of his life.
The Life and Loves of a He Devil: A Memoir
by Graham NortonGraham Norton has been entertaining audiences and having fun with some of the world's biggest stars for nearly twenty years. He is loved across the nation for his delight in the peculiar and for his ability to find humour and a common ground in all that life brings. The Life and Loves of a He Devil is Graham's funny and honest memoir on the theme of love. As he shows, it's really the things you love that make you who you are and so Graham tells his story from his Irish childhood to the present day, describing just what and who he loved - and sometimes lost - as a young boy, and his new loves and obsessions - big and small - as he's grown older. It's been ten years since his last book and being a decade older Graham has come to realise that what makes a life interesting is less what happens to you and more what inspires and drives you, what you love.. From Dolly Parton and dogs to wine and Ireland, Graham tells of his life and loves with characteristic humour and outrageous candour.(P)2014 Hodder & Stoughton
The Life and Loves of E. Nesbit: Victorian Iconoclast, Children's Author, and Creator of The Railway Children
by Eleanor FitzsimonsA Sunday Times Best Book of the Year: The “informative and entertaining” first major biography of the trailblazing, controversial children’s author (The Washington Post).Born in 1858, Edith Nesbit is today considered the first modern writer for children and the inventor of the children’s adventure story. In The Life and Loves of E. Nesbit, award-winning biographer Eleanor Fitzsimons uncovers the little-known details of her life, introducing readers to the Fabian Society cofounder and fabulous socialite who hosted legendary parties and had admirers by the dozen, including George Bernard Shaw. Through Nesbit’s letters and archival research, Fitzsimons reveals “E.” to have been a prolific lecturer and writer on socialism and shows how Nesbit incorporated these ideas into her writing, thereby influencing a generation of children—an aspect of her literary legacy never before examined. Fitzsimons’s riveting biography brings new light to the life and works of this remarkable writer and woman. “Meticulous and invaluable…exceptionally illuminating and detailed.” —The Wall Street Journal“Fitzsimons handily reassembles the hundreds of intricate, idiosyncratic parts of the miraculous E. Nesbit machine.” —The New York Times Book Review“I’ve always loved the work of E. Nesbit—The Railway Children and Five Children and It are my favorites—but I knew nothing about the extraordinary, surprising life of this great figure in children’s literature . . . so gripping that I read [it] in two days.” —Gretchen Rubin, #1 New York Times-bestsellingauthor of The Happiness Project“A charming, lively, and old-fashioned biography . . . highly readable.” —Publishers Weekly“A terrific book.” —Neil Gaiman
The Life and Martyrdom of the Venerable Father Diego Luis de San Vitores of the Society of Jesus, First Apostle of the Mariana Islands, and Events of These Islands from the Year Sixteen Hundred & Sixty-Eight Through the Year Sixteen Hundred & Eighty-One
by Francisco García Margaret M. Higgins Felicia Plaza Juan M. H. LedesmaThe life of Diego Luis de San Vitores, S J., and a narrative of events in the Mariana Islands from the death of Fr. San Vitores in 1672, until the year 1681.
Life and Miracles of St. Benedict (Book Two of the Dialogues)
by Pope St. Gregory the GreatThere are four books in the Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great (540?-604). The first three contain accounts of the lives and miracles of various Italian saints, and the fourth an essay on the immortality of the soul. The entire second book is devoted to the Life and Miracles of St. Benedict--an emphasis readily understood in the light of the author's background and career.
The Life and Music of Graham Jackson
by David CasonA groundbreaking Black artist and his career in the Jim Crow South This book is the first biography of Graham Jackson (1903-1983), a virtuosic musician whose life story displays the complexities of being a Black professional in the segregated South. David Cason discusses how Jackson navigated a web of racial and social negotiations throughout his long career and highlights his little-known role in events of the twentieth century. Widely known for an iconic photo taken of him playing the accordion in tears at Franklin D. Roosevelt’s funeral, which became a Life magazine cover, Jackson is revealed here to have a much deeper story. He was a performer, composer, and high school music director known for his skills on the piano and organ. Jackson was among the first Black men to enlist in the Navy during World War II, helping recruit many other volunteers and raising over $2 million for the war effort. After the war he became a fixture at Atlanta music venues and in 1971, Governor Jimmy Carter proclaimed Jackson the State Musician of Georgia.Cason examines Jackson’s groundbreaking roles with a critical eye, taking into account how Jackson drew on his connections with white elites including Roosevelt, Coca-Cola magnate Robert Woodruff, and golfer Bobby Jones, and was censured by Black Power figures for playing songs associated with Confederate memory. Based on archival, newspaper, and interview materials, The Life and Music of Graham Jackson brings into view the previously unknown story of an ambitious and talented artist and his controversial approach to the politics and culture of his day. Publication of this work made possible by a Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe
by Andrew O'HaganMeet Maf: The hilariously opinionated, well-read, politically scrappy, and complex canine companion to Marilyn Monroe. In November 1960, Frank Sinatra gave Marilyn Monroe a dog. His name was Mafia Honey, or Maf for short. Born in the household of Vanessa Bell, brought to the United States by Natalie Wood's mother, and given as a Christmas present to Marilyn the winter after she separated from Arthur Miller, Maf was with Marilyn for the last two years of her life, first in New York and then in Los Angeles, and he had as much instinct for celebrity and psychoanalysis as he did for Liver Treat with a side order of National Biscuits. Marylin took him to meet President Kennedy and to Hollywood restaurants, to department stores, to interviews, and to Mexico for her divorce. Through Maf's eyes, we see an altogether original and wonderfully clever portrait of the woman behind the icon--and the dog behind the woman.
The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr (Penguin Classics)
by E. T. A. HoffmanTomcat Murr is a loveable, self-taught animal who has written his own autobiography. But a printer's error causes his story to be accidentally mixed and spliced with a book about the composer Johannes Kreisler. As the two versions break off and alternate at dramatic moments, two wildly different characters emerge from the confusion - Murr, the confident scholar, lover, carouser and brawler, and the moody, hypochondriac genius Kreisler. In his exuberant and bizarre novel, Hoffmann brilliantly evokes the fantastic, the ridiculous and the sublime within the humdrum bustle of daily life, making The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr (1820-22) one of the funniest and strangest novels of the nineteenth century.
The Life and Poetry of Ted Kooser
by Mary K. StillwellLike a flash of lightning it came to him—the unathletic high school student Ted Kooser saw a future as a famous poet that promised everything: glory, immortality, a bohemian lifestyle (no more doing dishes, no more cleaning his room), and, particularly important to the lonely teenager, girls! Unlike most kids with a sudden ambition, Kooser, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and thirteenth poet laureate of the United States, made good on his dream. But glory was a long time coming, and along the way Kooser lived the life that has made his poetry what it is, as deeply grounded in family, work, and the natural world as it is attuned to the nuances of language. Just as so much of Kooser&’s own writing weaves geography, history, and family stories into its measures, so does this first critical biography consider the poet&’s work and life together: his upbringing in Iowa, his studies in Nebraska with poet Karl Shapiro as mentor, his career in insurance, his family life, his bout with cancer, and, always, his poetry. Combining a fine appreciation of Kooser&’s work and life, this book finally provides a fuller and more complex picture of a writer who, perhaps more than any other, has brought the Great Plains and the Midwest, lived large and small, into the poetry of our day.
The Life and Political Economy of Lauchlin Currie: New Dealer, Presidential Advisor, and Development Economist
by Roger J. SandilandsLauchlin Currie's contribution to monetary theory and policies during the New Deal and in the postwar period when he became one of the most important economic advisors to several presidents of Colombia is the subject of this biography. Currie was a major economic advisor to president Franklin D. Roosevelt, and as his administrative assistant from 1939 until the president's death in 1945 helped shape Roosevelt's thinking on economic issues.His involvement in U.S. policymaking in China, where he directed Lend-Lease operations from 1941-1943, was one of the factors leading to his confrontation with Senator Joseph McCarthy. In 1949 he directed the first World Bank mission to Colombia.Roger Sandilands had access to Currie's own papers and to previously unpublished material. In this biography he provides the reader with a critical evaluation of Currie's contribution to the literature on the theory and practice of economic development in general, together with an analysis of how his concepts were shaped during the New Deal and in post-World War II Colombia.
The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah: The Autobiography
by Benjamin Zephaniah*BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week* Benjamin Zephaniah, who has travelled the world for his art and his humanitarianism, now tells the one story that encompasses it all: the story of his life. In the early 1980s when punks and Rastas were on the streets protesting about unemployment, homelessness and the National Front, Benjamin&’s poetry could be heard at demonstrations, outside police stations and on the dance floor. His mission was to take poetry everywhere, and to popularise it by reaching people who didn&’t read books. His poetry was political, musical, radical and relevant. By the early 1990s, Benjamin had performed on every continent in the world (a feat which he achieved in only one year) and he hasn&’t stopped performing and touring since. Nelson Mandela, after hearing Benjamin&’s tribute to him while he was in prison, requested an introduction to the poet that grew into a lifelong relationship, inspiring Benjamin&’s work with children in South Africa. Benjamin would also go on to be the first artist to record with The Wailers after the death of Bob Marley in a musical tribute to Nelson Mandela.The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah is a truly extraordinary life story which celebrates the power of poetry and the importance of pushing boundaries with the arts.
The Life and Riotous Times of H.L. Mencken
by William Manchester&“Written with verve, intellectual sophistication, and a prickly wit worthy of its eminent subject. . . . A first-class piece of literate entertainment&” (The New Yorker). Before he went on to become a celebrated biographer and historian, renowned for such works as A World Lit Only by Fire, American Caesar, and The Last Lion, William Manchester worked as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun in the 1940s—and it was there that he met fellow journalist H. L. Mencken. This book tells the story of conservative, anarchist H. L. Mencken&’s life in compelling, intimate detail—and offers a uniquely personal look at the influential cultural critic and satirist who cofounded the magazines the American Mercury and the Smart Set and became a legend for his sharp and highly quotable wit.
The Life and Selected Works of Rupert Brooke
by John Frayn TurnerRupert Brooke's short life was filled to brimming with drama and romance. Today he is the best known of that extraordinary collection of British Poets of the Great War. Tragically his life was cut short but not before he produced arguably the finest poetry of the 20th Century, the best examples of which are in this book.
The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson
by Adrienne Koch William PedenThis text contains a selection of Thomas Jefferson's writings which include his autobiography, the Declaration of Independence, entries from his travel journals, biographical sketches of his contemporaries, public and private letters, and 'Notes on Virginia.'
The Life and Ship Models of Norman Ough
by Alistar Roach&“Brings Ough&’s life and work beautifully to light in a volume rich in photographs, drawings, technical detail and personality.&”—Schopenhauer&’s Workshop Norman Ough is considered by many as simply the greatest ship modeler of the twentieth century and his exquisite drawings and meticulous models have come to be regarded as masterpieces of draughtsmanship, workmanship and realism; more than technically accomplished ship models, they are truly works of art. This new book is both a tribute to his lonely genius and a practical treatise for model shipwrights. Ough lived most of his adult life far from the sea in a flat high above the Charing Cross Road in London, where his frugal existence and total absorption in his work led to hospitalization on at least two occasions; he was an eccentric in the truest sense but he also became one of the most sought-after masters of his craft. Earl Mountbatten had him model the ships he had served on; his model of HMS Queen Elizabeth was presented to Earl Beatty; film production companies commissioned models for effects in several films. Incorporating many of his original articles from Model Maker Magazine, his detailed line drawings now kept in the Brunel Institute, and photographs of his models held in museums and at Mountbatten&’s house, this book presents an inspiring panorama of perhaps the most perfect warship models ever made. &“An amazing, almost intimidating view of the method, modelling, drawings, and a life of a builder so obsessed with his work that some may say he was a man who went down with his ships.&”—FineScale Modeler
Life and Soul: How to Live a Long and Healthy Life
by William RoacheWilliam Roache is known worldwide for his portrayal of Ken Barlow in Coronation Street. Now aged 86, he still appears regularly in the show and rebuffs any notion that age brings decline.In Life and Soul, William shares his strategy for keeping fit and healthy, for maintaining his youthful looks and for coping with life’s most challenging times. He talks openly about the life choices that form the basis for his well-being: from the meditation techniques that have kept him going through the darkest days, to lessons he has learned about the power of love, kindness and positive thinking.William speaks openly and honestly about how his lifestyle gave him the strength to live through recent events, including the deaths of his wife Sara, and close friend Anne Kirkbride, as well as a harrowing court case.William reveals his common-sense approach to diet and exercise that keeps him t, healthy and looking 10 years younger than his age. He talks about the support of his family and friends, and explains why he believes that we must accept and embrace hard times – and how we can become stronger as a result. He now shares his personal philosophy for living a rich and rewarding life, and the lessons he has learned along the way – lessons he hopes will help others to achieve a long, happy and healthy life too.
Life and Soul (New Edition): Secrets for Living a Long and Happy Life
by William RoacheA special edition of William Roache&’s inspiring guide, sharing his philosophy, practical tips, and life lessons for leading a happy, healthy life.THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER—NOW WITH BRAND-NEW CONTENT. Discover the secret to a balanced, happy life as William Roache shares the lessons, wisdom, and practices that have helped him overcome difficult times. &“I have nothing but respect for this man of peace and integrity.&”—Sir Cliff Richard &“An amazing man.&”—Lorraine Kelly &“A thoroughly good soul.&”—Gloria Hunniford William Roache is known worldwide for his portrayal of Ken Barlow in Coronation Street. Now aged 90, he still appears regularly in the show and rebuffs any notion that age brings decline. In this special edition of Life and Soul, William reveals his wisdom on achieving a healthy, happy mindset and looks back over his 90 years, sharing his philosophy for living a full, enriching life. In a brand-new chapter, he talks about his experience during the pandemic and how he maintained his positivity and resilience throughout. William speaks openly and honestly about how his lifestyle gave him the strength to live through the sudden deaths of his wife Sara, his oldest daughter, and his close friend Anne Kirkbride. He reveals the life choices that form the basis for his wellbeing: from the meditation techniques that have kept him going through the darkest days, to lessons he has learned about the power of love, kindness, and positive thinking.William's personal philosophy will inspire you to live a rich and rewarding life, and the lessons he has learned along the way will help you achieve happiness, health, and longevity.
The Life And Struggles Of Our Mother Walatta Petros: A Translation Of A Seventeenth-century African Biography Of An African Woman
by Wendy Laura Belcher Michael Kleiner Galawdewos StaffThe Life and Struggles of Our Mother Walatta Petros (1672) tells the story of an Ethiopian saint who led a successful nonviolent movement to preserve African Christian beliefs in the face of European protocolonialism. <P><P> When the Jesuits tried to convert the Ethiopians from their ancient form of Christianity, Walatta Petros (1592-1642), a noblewoman and the wife of one of the emperor's counselors, risked her life by leaving her husband, who supported the conversion effort, and leading the struggle against the Jesuits. <P><P>After her death, her disciples wrote this book, praising her as a friend of women, a devoted reader, a skilled preacher, and a radical leader. <P><P>One of the earliest stories of African resistance to European influence, this biography also provides a picture of domestic life, including Walatta Petros's life-long relationship with a female companion. <P><P> Richly illustrated with dozens of color illustrations from early manuscripts, this groundbreaking volume provides an authoritative and highly readable translation along with an extensive introduction. Other features include a chronology of Walatta Petros's life, maps, a comprehensive glossary, and detailed notes on textual variants.
The Life and Teaching of Karl Marx (Routledge Revivals)
by Max BeerFirst published in English in 1921, this work was originally written by renowned Marxist historian Max Beer to commemorate the centenary of Marx’s birth. It is a definitive biography, full of interesting personal details and a clear and comprehensive account of Marx’s economic and historical doctrines A special feature of this unique work is the new light thrown on Marx’s attitude to the "Dictatorship of the Proletariat" and Bolshevist methods generally.
Life and Terror in Stalin's Russia, 1934-1941
by Robert W. ThurstonTerror, in the sense of mass, unjust arrests, characterized the USSR during the late 1930s. But, argues Robert Thurston in this controversial book, Stalin did not intend to terrorize the country and did not need to rule by fear. Memoirs and interviews with Soviet people indicate that many more believed in Stalin's quest to eliminate internal enemies than were frightened by it.
The Life and the Adventures of a Haunted Convict
by David W. Blight Robert B. Stepto Caleb Smith Austin ReedThe earliest known prison memoir by an African American writer--recently discovered and authenticated by a team of Yale scholars--sheds light on the longstanding connection between race and incarceration in America. In 2009, scholars at Yale University came across a startling manuscript: the memoir of Austin Reed, a free black man born in the 1820s who spent most of his early life ricocheting between forced labor in prison and forced labor as an indentured servant. Lost for more than one hundred and fifty years, the handwritten document is the first known prison memoir written by an African American. Corroborated by prison records and other documentary sources, Reed's text gives a gripping first-person account of an antebellum Northern life lived outside slavery that nonetheless bore, in its day-to-day details, unsettling resemblances to that very institution. Now, for the first time, we can hear Austin Reed's story as he meant to tell it. He was born to a middle-class black family in the boomtown of Rochester, New York, but when his father died, his mother struggled to make ends meet. Still a child, Reed was placed as an indentured servant to a nearby family of white farmers near Rochester. He was caught attempting to set fire to a building and sentenced to ten years at Manhattan's brutal House of Refuge, an early juvenile reformatory that would soon become known for beatings and forced labor. Seven years later, Reed found himself at New York's infamous Auburn State Prison. It was there that he finished writing this memoir, which explores America's first reformatory and first industrial prison from an inmate's point of view, recalling the great cruelties and kindnesses he experienced in those places and excavating patterns of racial segregation, exploitation, and bondage that extended beyond the boundaries of the slaveholding South, into free New York. Accompanied by fascinating historical documents (including a series of poignant letters written by Reed near the end of his life), The Life and the Adventures of a Haunted Convict is a work of uncommon beauty that tells a story of nineteenth-century racism, violence, labor, and captivity in a proud, defiant voice. Reed's memoir illuminates his own life and times--as well as ours today.Advance praise for The Life and the Adventures of a Haunted Convict "This extraordinary first-person account, from New York's House of Refuge to the Auburn State Prison, exposes the roots of a prison culture that continues to haunt far too many black families today. We owe a great debt to Austin Reed for writing it and to Caleb Smith for unraveling the mysteries of identity and authentication after its discovery a century-and-a-half later."--Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, Harvard University "The discovery story behind this memoir by a black prisoner--written 150 years ago and hidden for generations--is a modern gumshoe plot, and the tale it tells of perennial jail for the crime of blackness reads like a case study from today's age of mass incarceration."--Edward Ball, author of the National Book Award winner Slaves in the Family"The voice of Austin Reed, a black man in early nineteenth-century America who was incarcerated at the tender age of ten, rises up and speaks to us now, in artful, picaresque tones, to tell of his own unbelievable suffering. He's a riveting figure."--Rachel Kushner, author of The Flamethrowers"A moving, significant narrative that affords both an elegantly produced glimpse of nineteenth-century prison life and a new chapter in African-American history."--Kirkus ReviewsFrom the Hardcover edition.
The Life and Times of Aristotle
by Jim WhitingHighlights the life and philosophies of the great scientist who tutored Alexander the Great.
The Life and Times of Baba Ramdev
by Ashok RajThe continuing saga of a contemporary mass leader who sought out a vision and a method to amalgamate yoga and health care into the mainstream consciousness Baba Ramdev’s emergence as the new ideologue of a national and global spiritual resurgence is considered by many as a curious phenomenon. This work is a study on the making of the Ramdev spectacle with all its inescapable assertiveness, mass enthusiasm and, of course, controversies. It seeks to locate his philosophy in today’s socio-cultural milieu, while tracing its origins in Indian spiritual history, and the past landmark reformist movements that have been initiated in the country by earlier path-breakers including Sri Aurobindo, Swami Dayananda, Paramhansa Yogananda, Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, Bhagwan Nityananda, J. N. Krishnamurty and Sri Ramana Rishi. Indeed, Ramdev represents a renewed continuity to the great revival of the ancient Indian spiritual traditions and yoga that took place in the twentieth century and received recognition worldwide. With his own version of holistic yoga as a ploy for instituting the universal right to health, Baba Ramdev has proposed two distinct ideological alternatives to the current established order of the world – pranayama and the yogic way of life as the key to health restoration and well-being; and manifestation of an enabling spiritual environment for personal and social transformation. Ramdev’s arrival once again underlines the continuing significance of Oriental spiritualism the world over as it offers perhaps the most promising insights for the creation of a ‘new spiritually-awakened man’ – a man at ease with himself and with the world around him.