Art & Literature

Alexandra Fuller tells the idiosyncratic story of her life growing up white in rural Rhodesia as it was becoming Zimbabwe....

An inspiring, honest and intimate memoir about family, love and rising from the ashes.

Never before has a member of the Packer family co-operated with a writer to tell their story. In his biography The Price of Fortune, one of the nation's richest and most psychoanalyzed men opens up in an attempt to make sense of his roller-coaster life....

The comprehensive collection of letters spanning the adult life of one of the world’s greatest storytellers, now revised and expanded to include more than 150 previously unseen letters, with revealing new insights into The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.....

In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley....

Prisoner FF8282 gazes out from confinement on what he deems must be a glorious summer’s day, rays of sunlight bursting through the barred...

A quarter of a century after the plane crash that claimed the lives of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn, and her sister Lauren, the magnitude of this tragedy remains fresh. Yet, Carolyn is still an enigmatic figure, a woman whose life in the spotlight was besieged with misogyny and cruelty.

Britain's national icon, Michael Parkinson reads his long-awaited autobiography....

Deliberate Cruelty explores the intertwined fates of literary icon Truman Capote and infamous socialite Ann Woodward—sweeping us to the upper echelons of Manhattan’s high society, where falls from grace are all the more shocking.

In the 200 years since Blake's death, the visionary artist, poet, and writer has become a household name, often beloved. Yet many struggle to comprehend his kaleidoscopic ideas; how they speak to human longings and the challenges of living in anxious times.

A memoir of a life spent immersed in the comfort and joy of books, from Sunday Times best-selling author Cathy Rentzenbrink, a moving, funny and joyous exploration of how books can change the course of your life, packed with recommendations from one reader to another....

Lord Byron’s very name conjures up visions of the Romantic movement and outlandishly dressed bohemians, for if Alfred, Lord Tennyson was the poetic darling of the masses, Byron was the hero of the hedonists....

In the World is the second instalment of Maxim Gorky’s autobiographical trilogy. Published in 1916, the book depicts Gorky’s experiences as a young adult, portraying his encounters with an array of characters from different social classes and conveying his observations of society at large.

Catherine Gray took a whole year off dating to find single satisfaction. She lifted the lid on the reasons behind the global single revolution....

Jane Birkin was synonymous with chic. Her effortless style and artistic legacy have been immortalized through her music and film career. And, of course, she was the inspiration behind one of the world’s most coveted bags, the Hermès Birkin. But who was the real woman behind the it girl?

Stefan Zweig's memoir, The World of Yesterday, recalls the golden age of prewar Europe - its seeming permanence, its promise and its devastating fall with the onset of two world wars....

To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, Lucy Worsley has written an Introduction to her Sunday Times Bestselling biography - the book that leads us into the rooms from which our best-loved novelist quietly changed the world.

Paddy Gower has spent decades telling New Zealanders' stories. Now, he's telling his.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of C. S. Lewis' death, celebrated Oxford don Dr. Alister McGrath presents us with a compelling and definitive portrait of the life of C. S. Lewis....

CBS radio broadcaster William L. Shirer was virtually unknown in 1940 when he decided there might be a book in the diary he had kept in Europe during the 1930s...

Well-known journalist and presenter Mike McRoberts opens up about his experiences of reconnection to te ao Māori and learning te reo, and encourages others to do the same.

A new investigation from Dr Mark Aldridge, exploring a lifetime of Agatha Christie’s Miss Jane Marple.

Anchor of the number-one news show on cable, The Kelly File, Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly writes her much anticipated book, a revealing and surprising memoir....

At six years old, Terry was told by his headteacher that he would never amount to anything. He spent the rest of his life proving that teacher wrong....

Starting with the publication of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, in 1902, Beatrix Potter went on to become one of the world’s most successful children’s authors....

In the six lectures of Who Was Jane Austen? Sorting Fact from Fiction, you’ll join literary scholar Stephanie Insley Hershinow to explore some of the most enduring myths surrounding Austen and her work. As you dive into the Regency period and the details of Austen’s life, you’ll hear her debunk many longstanding assumptions and misrepresentations that have shaped her image in the popular imagination.

Jane Birkin was synonymous with chic. Her effortless style and artistic legacy have been immortalized through her music and film career. And, of course, she was the inspiration behind one of the world’s most coveted bags, the Hermès Birkin. But who was the real woman behind the it girl? Now, New York Times bestselling author Marisa Meltzer sheds new light on Birkin’s enigmatic life and explores her profound influence on generations in a rigorously reported biography unlike any other.

When Greg James was eight years old, his nylon shell suit-clad idols the Chuckle Brothers ('to me, to you') signed an autograph with the message 'All the best for the future': a mad thing to say to a kid, oddly formal, like the kind of thing you write in the leaving card of a colleague you don't know very well. Eight-year-old Greg had no idea what the future held, no clue what was in store for him as he carried on through life.

Initially published in 1775, A Journey to the Western Isles recounts a three-month trip to upper Scotland that Samuel Johnson undertook with James Boswell a couple of years previously. During their adventure, they discover a novel culture, stunning landscapes and welcoming locals – all described in Johnson's captivating prose.

In sports, not all the long shots who succeed are athletes. In 1984, Tom Hammond, a forty-year-old sportscaster who had primarily worked in Kentucky and the Southeast, got an unlikely opportunity to appear on the NBC Sports telecast of the inaugural Breeders' Cup. Assigned to report from the stall area on what was supposed to be a single broadcast, Hammond performed so well that an NBC executive offered him a chance to call NFL games on the spot.

The short-lived Blitz club in London's Covent Garden was more than somewhere to hang out or be seen: it was a catalyst for cultural explosion, a counter-culture blast against everything Thatcher's leadership had ushered in by the dawn of the 80s. In Blitz, Elms reflects on a club night founded by working-class kids, one whose impact reverberated beyond its doors, through the worlds of Art, Literature, Fashion and Music, and into the present day.

Die tief reichende Freundschaft, in welcher die zwei bekanntesten Dichterfürsten aus deutschsprachigen Landen miteinander verbunden waren, begann laut einigen Quellen alles andere als günstig, da beim ersten Treffen der beiden Goethe Schiller weder erkannte noch diesem irgendwelche Beachtung schenkte. Das änderte sich mit der Zeit, nachdem sich Goethe näher über Schillers Werk informierte und beide in regen Gedankenaustausch traten, besonders in vorliegender Briefwechsel-Reihe.

On frosty nights, as he sits by a flickering fire, Michael Harding withdraws into the stillness of winter and begins to reckon with age and death. As stories emerge from the shadows, we meet a young boy whose arrival brings hope, but whose journey will know winter's path. In writing of shadowed beauty, Midwinter is a poignant exploration of a season of loss, and the glimpses of hope that can follow even the longest nights.

Once upon a time, there was a tower on a hill, beyond the dark trees, somewhere north. An octagonal tower on two levels: glass upstairs and stone below, beneath a steep slate roof – a folly, it was said. According to locals, a young woman named Annie who fell ill was confined to the tower by her father for three years and died there, alone. Fascinated by Annie's story, Thea Lenarduzzi attempts to piece the past together in a formidable act of imagination, which, tugging at the strings of the how, why and who of stories, begins to unravel the very idea of storytelling itself.

Discover the tumultuous life of Edgar Allan Poe, the legendary gothic author, marked by literary genius and personal tragedy, and explore the haunting themes that defined his timeless creations. From excerpts of his chilling tales like The Tell-Tale Heart and The Raven to insightful commentary and unforgettable quotes about and from Poe himself, this book paints a vivid portrait of the man behind the pen.

In 1940, with the Nazis sweeping through France, Henri Matisse found himself at a personal and artistic crossroads. His marriage had ended, he was gravely ill, and after decades at the forefront of modern art, he was beset by doubt. As scores of famous figures escaped the country, Matisse took refuge in Nice, with his companion, Lydia. By defiantly remaining, Matisse was a source of inspiration for his nation.

Discover the extraordinary life of Frida Kahlo, one of the most iconic and influential artists of the 20th century. This captivating biography explores her turbulent childhood, her battle with lifelong pain after a devastating accident, and her rise as a trailblazing painter whose deeply personal self-portraits redefined art and identity. From her passionate relationship with Diego Rivera to her fearless political activism, Frida’s story is one of resilience, creativity, and unyielding individuality.

Si è sparsa, ieri, fulmineamente in città una notizia che ha portato in tutti una vera desolazione: Giovanni Verga, l’illustre letterato, era in condizioni gravissime. Ci siamo subito recati a casa dell’illustre scrittore, dove ci venne riferito dai famigliari che il maestro, dopo la consueta visita al Circolo Unione, rincasò senza che nessuno si accorgesse di un qualsiasi suo malore, nè egli lo accusò. Si ritirò in camera, rinchiudendovisi come il solito.

Niemand steht so sehr für eine unerschrockene Berichterstattung aus dem Nahen und Mittleren Osten wie Natalie Amiri. Für ihr neues Hörbuch hat die preisgekrönte Autorin die gesamte Region bereist. Sie gibt den notleidenden Kindern aus Gaza eine Stimme, spricht mit israelischen Angehörigen getöteter Geiseln, trifft kurdische Frauen, die in Kobane die Stellung gegen den IS halten – und im israelischen Gefängnis Marwan Barghuthi, dessen Bedeutung für die Palästinenser mit der Nelson Mandelas für Südafrika verglichen wird.

Una certera radiografía de la cultura europa del siglo XX por Stefan Zweig, uno de los escritores más traducidos de los años 20 y 30 del siglo pasado. El mundo de ayer es el valioso testimonio y el testamento vital de uno de los intelectuales más importantes del siglo XX. Poco antes de morir, desde la desolación del exilio, Stefan Zweig describe, con una prosa magistral, el periodo de entreguerras, el auge del nazismo y el estallido de la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

Voltaire n’a pas été l’homme d’un système. Il a été le trouble-fête d’un siècle brillant et faux. Ce qu’il reste de lui n’est pas un modèle à imiter, mais une tension à reprendre : penser sans plaire, contredire sans cesse, et surtout ne jamais devenir ce que l’on dénonce.

In 1939, when John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath was published, it became an instant bestseller and a prevailing narrative in the nation's collective imagination of the era. But it also stopped the publication of another important novel, silencing a gifted writer who was more intimately connected to the true experiences of Dust Bowl migrants. In Riding Like the Wind, renowned biographer Iris Jamahl Dunkle revives the groundbreaking voice of Sanora Babb.

Pocket Portraits: Jane Austen takes you through the moments of Jane Austen’s life—some well-known and some which may be unexpected. These are the moments that shaped her six published novels, which draw deeply on themes of family, agency, philosophy, and love. From excerpts of her swoon-worthy tales like Pride and Prejudice and Emma to insight into Austen’s social commentary and why her works still leave their mark on contemporary pop culture, this book paints a vivid portrait of the complicated woman behind the quill.

Jack Kerouac was one of America's great writers of the latter half of the twentieth century, yet he endured a life characterized by persistent hardship and disillusion. Leading Kerouac scholar Paul Maher Jr. targets the writer's embattled insight of self as central to his life and work. He reveals how Kerouac's troubled interactions with alcohol, drugs, and spirituality stamped its importance on his autobiographical prose and poetry and created a singular language that united thoughts on the human condition and spiritual liberation.

Granny Takes A Trip was more than just a shop and a fashion brand; it was the original rock and roll clothes boutique, the template for all that followed. What started as an odd retail venture/art installation in a depressed part of London known as World's End became an international byword for glam decadence in Manhattan and Hollywood, combining flamboyant style and all manner of countercultural activity to attract everyone from Pattie Boyd, Marianne Faithfull and Anita Pallenberg to Elton John, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, the Beatles, and Lou Reed.

В XI веке придворная дама Мурасаки Сикибу написала первый в мире сюжетный роман «Гэндзи моногатари» , ставший самым популярным произведением в истории японской литературы. Тысячу лет спустя, на рубеже XXI века, американка Лиза Дэлби придумала этой удивительной писательнице и поэтессе личную биографию. По сюжету романа госпожа Мурасаки получает приглашение на службу к императорскому двору благодаря таланту рассказчицы.

This is the story of how John Madden and Pat Summerall got to CBS and, although very different, how they became the greatest broadcast team of all time. It is told by Rich Podolsky, who worked alongside them both at CBS. Separately, they were great. Together, they were the greatest ever. Madden & Summerall is about two stalwarts of the game, but their story is not without controversy.

L'ultimo erede di una delle dinastie più prestigiose dell'aristocrazia italiana è oggi il piccolo Maffeo. Suo padre, il principe Urbano Riario Sforza Barberini Colonna di Sciarra, rievoca per lui in questo libro le avvincenti vicende famigliari attraverso quattro secoli di sfide, passioni, trionfi e cadute. Dal primo Maffeo destinato a diventare Papa Urbano VIII, uomo di potere e di cultura, che fece della bellezza una missione, a Cornelia Costanza che nel Settecento fu la promotrice del primo rococò italiano.

Love Death + Explosives: Thomas Pynchon’s Polipsychology is an essay that addresses the postmodern angle in the reclusive titular author’s writing, challenging listeners to decontextualize the interpretive lens for the literal.

As one of the top fashion photographers in the industry, Sante D’Orazio played a seminal role in shaping how we define what it is to be beautiful, cool, glamorous, and hot. The résumé of A-listers he has shot includes top supermodels—Helena Christensen, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Kate Moss, Christy Turlington, and Naomi Campbell, among others—as well as a myriad of actors, artists, and athletes including Pamela Anderson, Prince, Keith Richards, Axl Rose, Sophia Loren, Mickey Rourke, and Mike Tyson.