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The Gift
By Zoe Maeve. 2021
The Shining meets Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette in this gripping debut from an award-winning talent.The Gift opens on the snow-blanketed…
grounds of the Alexander Palace in Western Russia where a moth has come to attend the birth of the fourth Romanov princess, Anastasia. She and her siblings grow up in a gilded world, isolated from the society beyond the palace walls despite their dominion over it. After mysteriously receiving a camera on her fifteenth birthday, she begins to document her world, but the gift carries with it a weight she can't yet see. A creature moves on the edge of her vision and stalks her dreams. As the revolution unfolds, the confines of Anastasia's world keep closing in. Something is following her, and it might not be human.Ameera, Unveiled
By Kathleen Varn. 2013
At the age of forty-eight, happily remarried and retired from her legal assistant, gerbil wheel, Kat decides to break out…
of her shell and try her hand at belly dancing. What begins as a hobby leads her to filling a coveted spot in Palmetto Oasis Middle Eastern Dance Troupe. With less than eight weeks to prepare, Kat's thrown into a world of performing she is terrified to face, all leading to a week of giving lessons and performing in Jamaica. Traveling with eight glittery strangers, she forges deep bonds under outrageous circumstances at what they'd soon all discover was a clothing-optional resort. Struggling with paralyzing stage fright and searching for the deeper root of her fears, Kat feverishly seeks a way to release Ameera, her inner dance queen. By the end of the week, the audience is mesmerized by the powerful presence and synchronicity of women joined at the hip by scares and some glitter. Kat soon knows, with the help of eight sisters in dance, that she is finally part of a tribe, discovering an oasis to refresh her thirst to be a part of a circle of womeAmazing Artists - A Short eBook
By Charles Margerison. 2011
In this unique collection of audio stories about some of the world's most amazing artists, meet Michelangelo in 1485, when…
he was born in a small village in Tuscany. You'll travel with him to Rome at the age of 21 and understand how he came to complete some of the world's most influential pieces of art, including the Statue of David and the awe-inspiring ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which took him four years to complete. Meet also another Italian - the fascinating Rosalba Carriera, who from lowly beginnings went on to become an influential Rococo painter. Samuel Morse is of course known for developing Morse code however, few people realize that he was actually an artist. He painted influential figures including President John Adams and was the artist of pieces including Dying Hercules. Finally you'll get a unique insight to the amazing life of Leonardo da Vinci, who many believe to be the most diversely talented man to have lived. Understand his major works, including The Last Supper and Virgin of the Rocks within the context of his real life. Each story comes to life through BioViews®. These are short biographical narratives, similar to interviews. They provide an easy way of learning about amazing people who made major contributions and changed our world.The Good Inn
By Josh Frank, Black Francis. 2014
From legendary Pixies front man, Black Francis, in collaboration with writer Josh Frank and renowned illustrator Steven Appleby, comes The…
Good Inn, a bold and visually arresting novel about art, conflict, and the origins of a certain type of cinemaIn 1907, the French battleship Iéna was destroyed when a nitrocellulose-based weapon propellant it was carrying became unstable with age and self-ignited, killing 120 people. A year later, La Bonne Auberge became the earliest-known pornographic film, depicting an intimate encounter between a French soldier and an innkeeper's daughter. Like all films at the time, and for decades afterward, it was made with a highly combustible nitrocellulose-based film stock.Loosely based on historical events, The Good Inn follows the lone survivor of the Iéna explosion as he makes his way through the French countryside. He falls into a strange love affair with an innkeeper's daughter and, even more deeply, into a volatile counteruniverse where war and art exist side by side.But The Good Inn is also the very real story of the people who made the world's first stag film, and Francis weaves together real historical facts to re-create this lost piece of history, as seen through the eyes of a shell-shocked soldier who finds himself that film's subject and star. Through his journey we explore the power of memory, the simultaneously destructive and restorative power of light, and how the early pioneers of pornography helped shape the film industry for generations to come.A Child Upon the Throne: A Medieval Romance (The Knights of England Series #4)
By Mary Ellen Johnson. 2018
As a Kingdom Trembles With Revolt a Knight and His Lady Must Choose Between Duty and Love in the…
Medieval Historical Romance A Child Upon the Throne by Mary Ellen Johnson--Medieval England following the death of Edward III in 1377 through the Peasants Revolt of 1381--With a child king upon the throne and England s lucrative martial victories a faded memory Knight Matthew Hart wants only to reunite with his long-time lover Margery Watson and their son to live out his days far away from the royal court But Margery s loyalties are torn To settle down with the knight she s loved since childhood or commit treason and side with the commoners overburdened with servitude and taxes When revolt sparks among the masses thousands march on London vowing to overthrow all those in power Now Margery must choose between her place in society with a knight she loves and her true beliefs about freedom justice and equality From the Publisher Readers with a passion for history will appreciate the author s penchant for detail and accuracy In keeping with being authentic to the era this story contains scenes of brutality which are true to the time and man s inhumanity There are a limited number of sexual scenes and NO use of modern vulgarity Fans of Elizabeth Chadwick Bernard Cornwell and Philippa Gregory as well as Tamara Leigh and Suzan Tisdale will not want to miss this series Author Mary Ellen Johnson strides through history with the reader in the front seat Karen Lausa it challenged my intellect as well as my heart Margaret Watkins eBook Discovery ReviewerFrom the Author When crafting a story I am ever mindful of the parallels between the past and present Endless wars indifferent rulers rising taxes and corruption all of which inevitably resulted in a bloody insurrection An insurrection that while unsuccessful in the short term was even referenced by our Founding Fathers during their struggle for freedom As William Faulkner said The past isn t dead it s not even past so a knowledge of history is imperative THE KNIGHTS OF ENGLAND in series orderThe Lion and the LeopardA Knight There WasWithin A Forest DarkA Child Upon The ThroneLords Among the RuinsMarvelous Stories from the Life of Muhammad
By Mardijah Aldrich Tarantino. 1982
This book is a collection of eighteen lively, well-loved stories from the life of the Prophet Muhammad. They highlight the…
main stations of his life--from orphaned child to Prophet of God and beloved leader of all Muslims. The book includes twenty-three charming illustrations that offer a glimpse of the world in which the stories are set. Mardijah Aldrich Tarantino is of American and French heritage. She has traveled widely and enjoys painting, languages, and writing for children. She lives in Cathedral City, California.Struwwelpeter
By Heinrich Hoffmann. 1999
Midkemia: The Chronicles of Pug
By Raymond E. Feist. 2013
The world of Raymond E. Feist is brought to stunning life in this illustrated deluxe compendium, complete with maps, character…
drawings, and first-person narrative text by the master of fantasy fiction. Part travel log/journal and part atlas, Midkemia: The Chronicles of Pug brings the fictional world of Midkemia to vivid, illustrative life, and gives readers a completely new look at the creative genius of Raymond E. Feist. Written in first-person--a first for veteran bestseller Raymond Feist--the book details the life and times of Pug of Stardock, the hero of Feist's The Chaoswar Trilogy. Beautiful hand-drawn maps illustrate the changes in Midkemia's geography as war ravages the land and physically alters the landscape; dedicated readers and fans can literally trace the changes made by each battle. Complete with thirty pieces of specially commissioned artwork, this book is a totally immersive look into the world of Midkemia as never experienced before.Writing the Okanagan
By George Bowering. 2015
George Bowering was born in Penticton, where his great-grandfather Willis Brinson lived, and Bowering has never been all that far…
from the Okanagan Valley in his heart and imagination. Early in the twenty-first century, he was made a permanent citizen of Oliver. Bowering has family up and down the Valley, and he goes there as often as he can. He has been asked during his many visits to Okanagan bookstores over the years to publish a collection of his writing about the Valley.Writing the Okanagan draws on forty books Bowering has published since 1960 - poetry, fiction, history, and some forms he may have invented. Selections from Delsing (1961) and Sticks & Stones (1962) are here, as is "Driving to Kelowna" from The Silver Wire (1966). Other Okanagan towns, among them Rock Creek, Peachland, Vernon, Kamloops, Princeton, and Osoyoos, inspire selections from work published through the 1970s and on to 2013. Fairview, the old mining site near Oliver, is the focus of an excerpt from Caprice (1987, 2010), one volume in Bowering's trilogy of historical novels. "Desert Elm" takes as its two main subjects the Okanagan Valley and his father, who, as Bowering did, grew up there. With the addition of some previously unpublished works, the reader will find the wonder of the Okanagan here, in both prose and poetry.The Knights of England Boxed Set, Books 1-3: Three Complete Historical Medieval Romance
By Mary Ellen Johnson. 2018
"I was captivated by the beautiful covers from the start and that captivation just carried straight through from page one…
to the end of each book." ~Jeannette R HolthamA Breathtaking Medieval Saga of Love, Duty, Loyalty, Failure and Triumph in the First Three Volumes of The Knights of England by Mary Ellen Johnson BOOK 1: The Lion and the Leopard - Maria Rendell wants to be a dutiful wife to husband Phillip, but can't deny her attraction to their liege lord, Richard of Sussex. Loving Philip should be easy. She has married the knight of whom minstrels sing; the knight who saved Richard's life. But when Phillip abandons Maria to indulge his wanderlust, she turns to Richard, sparking a passionate affair amidst the crumbling kingdom of Edward II. Meanwhile, Edward II's barons are rebelling, executing his favorites, and across the channel in France, Isabella, Edward II's wife—the She-Wolf of France—plans to invade England. Then King Edward is captured as Richard and Maria prepare to flee to safety, and Phillip returns. Now the day of reckoning is at hand—not only for Maria, Richard, and Phillip, but for that most unfortunate of Plantagenet kings, Edward II.BOOK 2: A Knight There Was - Following his return from battle with a life-threatening sickness, Margery Watson nurses Golden Knight Matthew Hart back to health. A bond deepening between them, Matthew--who refuses to marry so his younger brother may inherit all--begs Margery to openly live with him. Margery agrees. Like her grandmother before her, she will risk all for love. But a scheming adversary concocts a deception in Matthew's absence that leaves Margery the unwitting wife of a wealthy goldsmith--who seeks only to trade on her family name--while believing she was betrayed by Matthew. When Matthew returns from London to find Margery wedded and bedded, he accuses her of betraying HIM. Now, both Margery and Matthew foolishly believe that time, distance and heartbreak will be enough to keep them forever apart.BOOK 3: Within A Forest Dark - With his belief in the Perfection of Knighthood challenged by battlefield atrocities, Matthew Hart returns to London, wishing to reunite with his first love, Margery Watson. Margery's cruel husband is now dead. As a wealthy widow, she has no intention of returning to the bonds of marriage. But she cannot turn away her handsome knight, no matter the depth of innocent blood he spilled in the name of honor and duty. As Matthew forces himself to fulfill feudal obligations, and Margery's unrest turns treasonous, the forces of king and kingdom may prove the lovers' ultimate undoing or their best hope.Publisher Note: Readers with a passion for history will appreciate the author's penchant for detail and accuracy. This story contains scenes of brutality which are true to the time and man's inhumanity. There are a limited number of sexual scenes and NO use of modern vulgarity. Fans of Elizabeth Chadwick, Bernard Cornwell and Philippa Gregory as well as Tamara Leigh and Suzan Tisdale will not want to miss this historically accurate series."Author Mary Ellen Johnson strides through history with the reader in the front seat." ~Karen Lausa". . . it challenged my intellect as well as my heart." ~Margaret Watkins, eBook Discovery ReviewerTHE KNIGHTS OF ENGLAND, in series orderThe Lion and the LeopardA Knight There WasWithin A Forest DarkA Child Upon The ThroneLords Among the RuinsMEET MARY ELLEN JOHNSONMary Ellen Johnson's writing career began with her passion for Medieval England. Then she took a 20-year detour when she got involved in a local murder and ultimately became the Executive Director of The Pendulum Foundation, a non-profit serving kids serving life in prison. With Mary Ellen's goal of sentencing reform nearing successful completion, she is returning to her first love, novel writing.El Sendero Del Forajido (Nº 1 #1)
By Derek Stephen McPhail, Yubisnay Sanchez. 2018
INTRODUCCIÓN Las Guerras Tejano-Indias fueron una serie de conflictos del siglo XIX originalmente entre colonos en el estado español de…
Texas y los indios de las Planicies del Sur, principalmente la Nación Comanche. La Declaración de Independencia de Texas de México se promulgó en 1836. Más tarde, Texas se unió a la Unión en 1845. El gobierno de la Unión en Washington estaba ansioso por absorber a Texas, pero no estaba contento con que este Estado tuviera su propio ejército privado, los Rangers de Texas. Posteriormente, Washington exigió que Texas desmantelara los Rangers, para ser reemplazado por la Caballería de los EE. UU. Las cosas se complicaron cuando Washington retiró más tarde la 2da Caballería, necesaria para defender a los colonos contra los comanches, debido a la inminente Guerra Civil estadounidense (1861-1865). Este fue un momento frustrante para los Rangers, que nunca supieron cuándo se disolvieron. El Comanche tampoco podría ser culpado por su hostilidad continua. A pesar de que Washington le otorgó tierras en un tratado, "Comanchería", en lo que ahora se llama Oklahoma, todavía estaban bajo la presión de un desfile interminable de: Texas Rangers, Milicia, otras tribus indígenas que luchan por su propio territorio y colonos extranjeros interminables, motivados por el mito del "Destino Manifiesto". Este mito de la batalla virtuosa de los colonos europeos contra las tribus salvajes de los nativos americanos fue impulsado por la ambición política, económica y religiosa. Ideado por primera vez en 1845, el "Destino Manifiesto" perpetúa la noción hipócrita de que el destino legítimo y excepcional de los Estados Unidos justifica su avaricia y su implacable expansión imperialista en toda América del Norte y más tarde en el mundo. Muchos estadounidenses todavía están atrapados en esta mentalidad de mediados del siglo XIX. Los relatos de este período de la mayoría de los historiadoresThe City: A Vision in Woodcuts (Dover Fine Art, History Of Art Series)
By Frans Masereel. 2005
"An absolute song for an ongoing visit with timelessness." — The New York TimesThis graphic novel by an Expressionist master…
offers a stunning depiction of urban Europe between the world wars. First published in Germany in 1925, it presents unforgettable images from the tense and dynamic Weimar period, rendered in 100 woodcuts of remarkable force and beauty.A pacifist during World War I, Belgian-born Frans Masereel (1889-1972) sympathized with the struggles of the working classes and strived to make his art accessible to ordinary people. His evocative woodcuts convey scenes of work and leisure, wealth and deprivation, and joy and loneliness. Banned by the Nazis, Masereel's works were championed in Communist countries; however, the artist steered clear of political affiliations. His clarity of vision transcends any propagandist use of the images, which stand as timeless indictments of oppression and injustice.Thomas Mann described Masereel's works as "so strangely compelling, so deeply felt, so rich in ideas that one never tires of looking at them." Epic and unflinching in its scope, The City continues to influence modern fine and graphic art, while recapturing the mood of a vanished era. Advisory: Bookshare has learned that this book offers only partial accessibility. We have kept it in the collection because it is useful for some of our members. Benetech is actively working on projects to improve accessibility issues such as these.Where Is Hollywood? (Where Is?)
By Dina Anastasio, Tim Foley, Who Hq. 2019
Who HQ rolls out the red carpet for Where Is Hollywood?--the film capital of the world.Developed in the 1880s by…
Midwesterners looking for a sunny winter getaway, Hollywood was a small housing development outside still-small Los Angeles. But everything changed in the early 1900s when filmmakers from New York flocked to the area, where they could make movies without having to pay Thomas Edison's patent fee. It didn't hurt that the weather was perfect, too. Readers will take a journey from the Golden Age of Hollywood to the present-day film industry, learning all about what turned lush farmland into Tinseltown.Lords Among the Ruins: A Medieval Romance (The Knights of England Series #5)
By Mary Ellen Johnson. 2020
As the Fourteenth-Century Closes, So Does the Rule of England's Most Tyrannical Monarch in the Medieval Historical, LORDS AMONG THE…
RUINS, by Mary Ellen JohnsonMedieval England from the Aftermath of 1381 Peasants’ Revolt to the Deposition and Murder of Richard II on 14 Feb 1400As the former boy king, Richard II, approaches his third decade, Matthew Hart and England’s other great lords struggle to deflect his more destructive impulses, which increasingly threaten the kingdom.Amidst attempted assassinations, growing civil war and political intrigue, Matthew Hart, his beloved wife, Margery Watson, and their offspring live and love and war their way through the last years of the fourteenth century, seeing the deposition and murder of England’s most tyrannical monarch.Publisher's Note: Readers with a passion for history will appreciate the author's penchant for detail and accuracy. In keeping with the era, this story contains scenes of brutality which are true to the time and man's timeless inhumanity. There are a limited number of sexual scenes and NO use of modern vulgarity.From the Author: There is nothing new under the sun. If we seek to understand today’s events, history will always provide the answer. By 1398 the megalomaniacal Richard II had consolidated his power, executed or banished all his enemies and destroyed all those who might speak out in opposition to him. Two years later Richard was deposed, thrown into a dungeon in Pontefract Castle and starved to death. Lessons: We can never predict the future; actions always have unintended consequences; we sow the seeds of our own destruction and payback’s a bitch!THE KNIGHTS OF ENGLAND, in series orderThe Lion and the LeopardA Knight There WasWithin A Forest DarkA Child Upon The ThroneLords Among the RuinsThey called her the She-Wolf From Provence. She'd shape the destiny of England ...Fans of Alison Weir, Anne O'Brien and…
Philippa Gregory, will devour this compelling new novel, starring one of English history's most fierce and courageous forgotten heroines!'Powerful, gripping and beautifully told' - Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation'A feast for the senses and highly recommended' - Deborah Swift, author of Pleasing Mr Pepys'Well-researched . . . Fascinating' - Joanna CourtneyREADERS LOVE THE SILKEN ROSE!***** 'Stunning start to a new series of She-Wolf Queens'***** 'Spectacular . . . I will recommend this first part of her new trilogy to everyone'***** 'Fabulous . . . A lovely, highly researched tale'***** 'Exceptionally well-written . . . From the first page I was totally caught up in the story'1236. Ailenor of Provence, cultured and intelligent, is only thirteen when she meets her new husband, Henry III of England. A foreign and friendless princess in a strange land she is determined to please him. And she knows that when the times comes she must provide an heir, to secure the throne against those who would snatch it away. Rosalind, a commoner skilled in the arts of needlework and embroidery, catches the young queen's attention and a friendship blossoms. But she is unprepared for the dangerous ramifications of winning the queen's favour ... As closeness, and soon love, develops between Ailenor and Henry, so too does her influence on her husband and her power at court. As France and Wales provide constant threat, and England's barons increasingly resent her influence, Ailenor must learn to be ruthless. Who should she encourage her husband to favour? Who can she trust? Caught in a web of treachery and deceit, her choices will define the fate of England. To protect her close friends, and her beloved children, Ailenor, the She-Wolf from Provence, would do, and endure, anything ... AND DISCOVER THE DAMASK ROSE: THE SUMPTUOUS AND GRIPPING NEW NOVEL FROM CAROL MCGRATHCOMING APRIL 2021: AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER NOW!The Museum of Modern Love
By Heather Rose. 2018
'One of my stand-out Australian reads from 2016 . . . A glorious novel, meditative and special' Hannah Kent, author…
of BURIAL RITESArky Levin, a film composer in New York, has promised his wife that he will not visit her in hospital, where she is suffering in the final stages of a terminal illness. She wants to spare him a burden that would curtail his creativity, but the promise is tearing him apart. One day he finds his way to MOMA and sees Mariana Abramovic in The Artist is Present. The performance continues for seventy-five days and, as it unfolds, so does Arky. As he watches and meets other people drawn to the exhibit, he slowly starts to understand what might be missing in his life and what he must do.From the #1 bestselling author of The Secret Wife, Another Woman's Husband will be adored by all fans of The…
Crown. Wallis Simpson is brought enticingly to life in this gripping, moving novel about two women thrust into the spotlight, followed by scandal, touched by loss.'One of my favourite books of this year. Fascinating, glamorous and utterly compelling... historical fiction at its best' Tracy Rees, author of The Hourglass.'Another Woman's Husband is a marvellous, perfect read' The SunTwo women who challenged the Crown.Divided by time. Bound by a secret...1911At the age of fifteen, carefree Mary Kirk and indomitable Wallis Warfield meet at summer camp. Their friendship will survive heartbreaks, separation and the demands of the British Crown until it is shattered by one unforgivable betrayal...1997Rachel's romantic break in Paris with her fiancé ends in tragedy when the car ahead crashes. Inside was Princess Diana. Back in Brighton, Rachel is haunted by the accident, and intrigued to learn the princess had visited the last home of Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, only hours before the crash. Soon, the discovery of a long-forgotten link to Wallis Simpson leads Rachel to the truth behind a scandal that shook the world...Readers love ANOTHER WOMAN'S HUSBAND:'Riveting! I thoroughly enjoyed this intriguing tale of friendship and betrayal' Rosanna Ley'With superb story-telling and a lush backdrop of period detail...a novel that is impossible to put down, about two women who are impossible to forget. I loved it!' Hazel Gaynor'I devoured Another Woman's Husband in a few days. This has bestseller written all over it.' Louise Beech'With seamless ease Gill evokes the events and characters of two eras...with great verve and a smattering of delicious fictional licence. Delightful' Liz Trenow'Gill Paul has taken two of the twentieth century's most enigmatic women, one revered, the other reviled, and woven them into a deft story of friendship and betrayal' Kate Riordan'Compelling and full of surprises ****' The Lady'Sheds light on a scandal and a love story which deserves to be read by many. A fascinating read which made me lose several hours to this story. I have no hesitation in recommending it and am keen to see what time in history Gill Paul will turn her hand to next' Shaz's Book BlogFlames of Rebellion: A Medieval Romance (The Knights of England Series #6)
By Mary Ellen Johnson. 2021
Civil War Once Again Threatens England in the Medieval Historical, THE FLAMES OF REBELLION, by Mary Ellen Johnson1397 to 1403.…
England, Tintagel, London, Shrewsbury, Conway Castle, Tower of London, Cumbria, Westminster Abbey, Wales and ScotlandIn the fourteenth century’s waning days, the tyrannical Richard II is knocked from his throne, and Henry IV is crowned, despite a shaky claim to the throne.Knight Matthew Hart, now in his sixties, believes he can retire to a quiet life in the wilds of Cumbria while Lancelot and Janey’s love remains more the stuff of Romances than reality.Yet, all too soon, England’s lords grow restless, betrayal is in the air, and Matthew and his family must again ride into battle on behalf of their endangered king.The fates of all the characters who grace the Knights of England series, spanning a century—including some of the most vivid battles, events and historical characters in medieval history—are resolved.Publisher’s Note: Readers with a passion for history will appreciate the author’s penchant for detail and accuracy. In keeping with the era, this story contains scenes of brutality which are true to the time and man’s timeless inhumanity. There are a limited number of sexual scenes and NO use of modern vulgarity.From the Author: There is nothing new under the sun. If we seek to understand today’s events, history will always provide the answer. By 1398 the megalomaniacal Richard II had consolidated his power, executed or banished all his enemies and destroyed all those who might speak out in opposition to him. Two years later Richard was deposed, thrown into a dungeon in Pontefract Castle and starved to death. Lessons: We can never predict the future; actions always have unintended consequences; we sow the seeds of our own destruction and payback’s a bitch!THE KNIGHTS OF ENGLAND, in series orderThe Lion and the LeopardA Knight There WasWithin A Forest DarkA Child Upon The ThroneLords Among the RuinsThe Flames of RebellionA Woman Loved
By Andreï Makine. 2013
Catherine the Great's life seems to have been made for the cinema. Countless love affairs and wild sexual escapades, betrayal,…
revenge, murder - there is no shortage of historical drama. But Oleg Erdmann, a young Russian filmmaker, seeks to discover and portray the real Catherine, her essential, emotional truth.When he is dropped from the film he initially scripted - his name summarily excised from the credits - Erdmann is cast adrift in a changing world. A second chance beckons when an old friend enriched by the capitalist new dawn invites him to refashion his opus for a television serial. But Erdmann is made acutely aware that the market exerts its own forms of censorship. While he comes to accept that each age must cast Catherine in its own image, one question continues to nag at him. Was the empress, whose sexual appetites were sated with favours bought with titles and coin, ever truly loved? In his search for an answer, Erdmann will find a love of his own that brings the fulfilment that filmmaking once promised him.The Wandering Pine: Life as a Novel
By Per Olov Enquist. 2008
When everything began so well, how could it turn out so badly? A blisteringly frank autobiographical novel by Sweden's great…
man of letters - for readers of K. O. Knausgaard's My Struggle."Some life. Some novel . . . Wonderful, brave, evocative . . . It is a remarkable story, and Enquist is remarkably frank in narrating every last detail" HeraldWhat was it about Hjoggböle, a farming village in the northernmost part of Sweden, that created so many idiots - and writers? There was nothing to indicate that P.O. Enquist would be stricken by an addiction to writing. Nothing in his family - honest, hardworking people. Not a trace of poetry. And yet he worked his way, via journalism, novels and plays, to the centre of Swedish politics and cultural life. His books garnered prize after prize. His plays ran for decades and premiered on Broadway. Why then, living with a new wife in Paris, does he hole up in their palatial Champes-Élysées apartment, talking only to his cat? How is it that he wakes to find himself in an uncoupled carriage on a railway siding in Hamburg, two - or was it three? - days after the first-night party finished? And what is it that drives him to run shoeless through the deep January snow of an Icelandic plain, leaving the lights of the drying out clinic far behind? Narrating in the third person, as if he were merely a character in the eventful, perplexing and ultimately triumphantly redemptive drama of his own life, P.O. Enquist is as elliptical as Karl Ove Knausgaard is exhaustive. Clear-eyed, rueful, written with elegance and humour, this is the singular story of a remarkable man.