Title search results
Showing 1 - 20 of 36 items
Diary of a Madman, The Government Inspector, & Selected Stories
By Nikolay Gogol. 2005
Author, dramatist and satirist, Nikolay Gogol (1809-1852) deeply influenced later Russian literature with his powerful depictions of a society dominated…
by petty beaurocracy and base corruption. This volume includes both his most admired short fiction and his most famous drama. A biting and frequently hilarious political satire, The Government Inspector has been popular since its first performance and was regarded by Nabokov as the greatest Russian play every written. The stories gathered here, meanwhile, range from comic to tragic and describe the isolated lives of low-ranking clerks, lunatics and swindlers. They include Diary of a Madman, an amusing but disturbing exploration of insanity; Nevsky Prospect, a depiction of an artist besotted with a prostitute; and The Overcoat, a moving consideration of poverty that powerfully influenced Dostoevsky and later Russian literature.The Diamond Eye: A Novel
By Kate Quinn. 2022
New York Times BestsellerThe bestselling author of The Rose Code returns with an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet bookworm…
who becomes history’s deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story.In 1937 in the snowbound city of Kyiv, wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son—but Hitler’s invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper—a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death. When news of her three hundredth kill makes her a national heroine, Mila finds herself torn from the bloody battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America on a goodwill tour.Still reeling from war wounds and devastated by loss, Mila finds herself isolated and lonely in the glittering world of Washington, DC—until an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and an even more unexpected connection with a silent fellow sniper offer the possibility of happiness. But when an old enemy from Mila’s past joins forces with a deadly new foe lurking in the shadows, Lady Death finds herself battling her own demons and enemy bullets in the deadliest duel of her life.Based on a true story, The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel of heroism born of desperation, of a mother who became a soldier, of a woman who found her place in the world and changed the course of history forever.Les justes: pièce en cinq actes (Folio Ser.)
By Albert Camus. 1988
Cette pièce retrace l'histoire des circonstances qui ont précédé et suivi l'attentat à la bombe contre le grand-duc, oncle du…
tsar, à Moscou en 1905, par un groupe de terroristes appartenant au Parti socialiste révolutionnaire. Les différentes sensibilités de ces révolutionnaires se croisent et se confrontent.Our Town: A Play in Three Acts (Perennial Classics Ser.)
By Thornton Wilder. 2013
“[Our Town] leaves us with a sense of blessing, and the unspoken but palpable command to achieve gratitude in what…
remains of our days on earth.” — The New YorkerThornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama of life in the mythical village of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire—an allegorical representation of all life—is an American classic. It is the simple story of a love affair that asks timeless questions about the meaning of love, life, and death.Our Town explores the relationship between two young neighbors, George Gibbs and Emily Webb, whose childhood friendship blossoms into romance, and then culminates in marriage. When Emily loses her life during childbirth, the circle of life portrayed in each of the three acts—childhood, adulthood, and death—is fully realized.Widely considered one of the greatest American plays of all time, Our Town debuted on Broadway in 1938 and continues to be performed daily on stages around the world. This special edition includes an afterword by Wilder's nephew, Tappan Wilder, with illuminating documentary material about the playwright and his most famous drama.La Poune ressuscitée: roman-théâtre (Étoiles variables)
By Jean Désy. 2007
"Au moment où débute ce récit, qui est simultanément un roman et une pièce de théâtre, les choses ne vont…
pas bien pour Paul. Il vient de perdre sa fille Rosalie, morte dans un accident de voiture. Paul en veut au monde entier, et en particulier à son voisin qui, au dire de Paul, a causé la mort de Rosalie. Il conduisait vite et il avait bu. La fureur de Paul est extrême. Heureusement, le voisin s'enfuit. Apparaît alors la mère de Paul, morte depuis un certain temps, grande admiratrice de la Poune et tout aussi vulgaire qu'elle. Elle aime enlever ses dentiers et faire des grimaces. Elle est surtout libre d'esprit et prête à tout pour sauver son fils. "On va guérir tous les deux", dit la mère. Et elle multiplie les facéties, apparaît dans la fenêtre au moment où son fils fait l'amour avec son amie Sonia, est toujours là au mauvais moment, mais en même temps elle plane au-dessus de son fils, maternelle, omniprésente, ricaneuse et bénéfique..." -- 4e de couvLes gens adorent les guerres: et autres inédits : textes dramatiques
By Denys Arcand. 2007
"Vers 1976, Denys Arcand a écrit, pour une série qui s'appellerait Empire Inc., un épisode qui se passait à l'époque…
de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Dix ans plus tôt, il s'était déjà intéressé au rôle qu'avaient joué les communistes canadiens et américains pendant la guerre. Dans bien des cas, les alliances objectives entre le grand capital et la hiérarchie communiste s'étaient faites sur le dos des gauchistes naïfs. Arcand avait aussi envie de parler de l'abîme infranchissable qui séparait à cette époque ces presbytériens richissimes anglophones et les masses laborieuses catholiques francophones. L'épisode n'a jamais été tourné, mais nous pouvons en lire le texte ici, accompagné de trois autres inédits. Chacun de ces textes peut se lire comme une nouvelle ou un court roman dialogué. Les personnages, les thèmes, la composition, la tonalité à la fois légère et grave, toute leur écriture, en somme, compose un univers qui annonce directement Jésus de Montréal, Les Invasions barbares et L'Âge des ténèbres et illustre à merveille ce style et ce regard si particuliers qui caractérisent toute l'œuvre de Denys Arcand". -- 4e de couvEven in Paradise
By Elizabeth Nunez. 2014
"An epic tale of family betrayal and manipulation couched in superbly engaging prose and peopled with deftly drawn characters. In…
a story structure as rhythmic as the ebb and flow of the water surrounding Trinidad and Barbados, this revisiting of the classic story of King Lear becomes a subtle, organic exploration of politics, class, race, and privilege. A dazzling, epic triumph. " --Kirkus Reviews, Starred review "[Narrator] Émile remarks on parallels to King Lear repeatedly, but there is much more to unpack here. The issue of racism is woven throughout, as are regional problems such as access to Barbados''s beaches and poverty in Jamaica''s Tivoli Gardens. This is also a celebration of the arts, culture, and natural beauty of the islands. Shakespeare''s work is a tragedy, but for Émile ''the future shimmers before [him] full of wondrous possibilities. '' Nunez treats her source material with a deft touch, making this story impressive in its own right. " --Publishers Weekly "Nunez''s textured and engaging novel explores familial discord, along with questions of kinship and self-identity. . . . With a nod to King Lear, Nunez crafts an introspective tale as her vividly drawn characters navigate complications of heritage, race, and loyalty. " --Booklist "In her latest novel, Even in Paradise, acclaimed author Elizabeth Nunez reimagines Shakespeare''s King Lear set in the Caribbean. She transforms the classic tragic tale of betrayal and manipulation within a family into a more political meditation on race, class, and privilege featuring a multiracial cast of characters. " --Hello Beautiful, #BlackWomenRead: 17 Books by Black Women You Need In Your Life This Spring "Another engaging novel by an accomplished author who retells the story of King Lear in a Caribbean landscape with racial tensions playing out alongside the classic narrative of greed and parent/child relations. . . . [The novel] is structured with interesting and layered plots, but what I like best is [Nunez''s] exquisite language detailing Caribbean landscapes and people. . . . I strongly recommend this book, especially to those who love Caribbean stories. " --Me, You, and Books "Even in Paradise is Caribbean drama as grand epic. Nunez, always a master of unexpected contrasts, does it here again. A story told on a huge scale that still manages to be achingly personal and intimate. " --Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings "The Caribbean is so blessed to have Elizabeth Nunez writing from and for us! This novel is pan-Caribbean and multiracial, crossing the West Indies with Caribbean characters ethnically originating in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Even in Paradise adds another dimension to how we read Shakespeare''s King Lear while celebrating the cultural institutions in the region that have made writers like Nunez possible. " --Tiphanie Yanique, author of Land of Love and Drowning Peter Ducksworth, a Trinidadian widower of English ancestry, retires to Barbados, believing he will find an earthly paradise there. He decides to divide his land among his three daughters while he is alive, his intention not unlike that of King Lear, who hoped "That future strife/May be prevented now. " But Lear made the fatal mistake of confusing flattery with love, and so does Ducksworth. Feeling snubbed by his youngest daughter, Ducksworth decides that only after he dies will she receive her portion of the land. In the meantime, he gives his two older daughters their portions, ironically setting in motion the very strife he hoped to prevent. Beautifully written in elegant prose, this is a novel about greed, resentment, jealousy, betrayal, and romantic love in the postcolonial world of the Caribbean, giving us a diverse cast of characters of African, Indian, Chinese, Syrian/Lebanese, and English ancestry.Prospero's Daughter: A Novel
By Elizabeth Nunez. 2016
Prospero's Daughter is a brilliantly conceived retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest set in a remote corner of the author's native…
Trinidad during the height of tensions between Trinidadians and British Colonial rule. Above all, it is the story of a boy and a girl who form an unlikely and forbidden alliance to uncover a terrible secret.East Village Tetralogy: Four Plays
By Arthur Nersesian. 2006
"Nersesian is this generation's Mark Twain and the East River is his Mississippi."--Jennifer Belle, author of High Maintenance"Award-winning playwright Arthur…
Nersesian has woven an effective dramatic form through four plays, each quite funny in its own way. Each yields very powerful human results while subtly investigating the major social issues of our time."--Evangelina Borges, Trying Time PressNersesian's cult status has grown from the success of his novels, and here for the first time his equal skills as a playwright are revealed to a hungry public. Three of the four plays in East Village Tetralogy have been staged off-Broadway in New York City. The four plays included in this volume are: Rent Control East Village Writer's Bloc Plea Bargains Spare ChangeThe pelican: a comedy
By Martin Michael Driessen, Jonathan Reeder. 2019
In a small town on the Adriatic coast, postman Andrej and funicular railway conductor Josip discover each other's secrets and…
begin blackmailing the other. A strange friendship develops, but war looms. Translated from the original 2017 Dutch edition. Some violence and some strong language. 2019Un conte de l'apocalypse (Théâtre)
By Robert Marinier. 2021
Dans un futur pas si lointain ravagé par les dérèglements climatiques, des villes sont submergées, des routes sont détruites et…
les flots de migrants convergent vers les dernières terres arables. Au Canada, une faction extrémiste du Parti vert organise un coup d’État et condamne à mort tous ceux qui ont nié le réchauffement de la planète. Une rébellion se lève.Persuadé d’être dans une pièce de théâtre, Guy Coudonc reste détaché de la catastrophe avant d’être catapulté au rang de personnage principal de cette fable écologique.Exploration théâtrale à l’humour grinçant, Un conte de l’apocalypse met en lumière les impacts qu’ont nos décisions sur notre histoire et notre environnement.The Book of Laughter and Forgetting: A Novel (Perennial Classics Ser.)
By Milan Kundera. 1996
"An absolutely dazzling entertainment. . . . Arousing on every level—political, erotic, intellectual, and above all, humorous." —Newsweek"The Book of…
Laughter and Forgetting calls itself a novel, although it is part fairy tale, part literary criticism, part political tract, part musicology, and part autobiography. It can call itself whatever it wants to, because the whole is genius." —New York TimesRich in its stories, characters, and imaginative range, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting is the novel that brought Milan Kundera his first big international success in the late 1970s. Like all his work, it is valuable for far more than its historical implications. In seven wonderfully integrated parts, different aspects of human existence are magnified and reduced, reordered and emphasized, newly examined, analyzed, and experienced.Réquiem por una mujer
By William Faulkner. 1951
Una de las novelas capitales de Faulkner sobre la culpa y el destino, inspiradora de la adaptación teatral de Albert…
Camus.En esta novela que retoma los personajes de Santuario, el matrimonio de Temple Drake y Gowan Stevens sufre una pérdida intolerable: su hija pequeña es asesinada por su niñera, a la que luego se condena a muerte. Sin embargo, poco antes de que se cumpla la sentencia Temple buscará interceder por la muchacha. Y es que no solo está en juego la administración de la justicia, sino también la culpa histórica de toda una sociedad fundada en tierra hostil y manchada por la violencia. Contada por turnos en una prosa desbordante y como obra de teatro, Réquiem por una mujer es una inquietante exploración del impacto del pasado en el presente.Boris Godunov, Little Tragedies, and Others: The Complete Plays (Vintage Classics)
By Alexander Pushkin. 2023
The award-winning translators bring us the complete plays of the most acclaimed Russian writer of the Romantic era.Known as the…
father of Russian literature, Alexander Pushkin was celebrated for his dramas as well as his poetry and stories. His most famous play is Boris Godunov (later adapted into a popular opera by Mussorgsky), a tale of ambition and murder centered on the sixteenth-century Tsar who preceded the Romanovs. Pushkin was inspired by the example of Shakespeare to create this panoramic drama, with its richly varied cast of characters and artful blend of comic and tragic scenes. Pushkin&’s shorter forays into verse drama include The Water Nymph, A Scene from Faust, and the four brief plays known as the Little Tragedies: The Miserly Knight, set in medieval France; Mozart and Salieri, which inspired the popular film Amadeus; The Stone Guest, a tale of Don Juan in Madrid; and A Feast in a Time of Plague, in which a group of revelers defy quarantine in plague-ridden London. These new translations of the complete plays, from the award-winning translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, freshly reveal the range of Pushkin&’s enduring artistry.The portable Chekhov (The Viking Portable library #No. 35)
By Anton Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, Avrahm Yarmolinsky. 1978
A collection of twenty-eight short stories including "The Man in a Shell," "Gooseberries," and "The Darling;" two plays, "The Boor,"…
and "The Cherry Orchard;" and selected letters of Chekhov. Includes a chronology of his life and a selected bibliography of his worksFirst published in 1930, this collection includes "The Picture of Dorian Gray," a novel about a beautiful youth whose portrait…
has supernatural qualities; "The Importance of Being Earnest," a comic, satirical play about a rakish nobleman; "Lady Windermere's Fan," a comedy of manners; "The Ballad of Reading Gaol," an autobiographical account of Wilde's imprisonment; and other short works of drama, prose, and poetryFreight Dogs
By Giles Foden. 2017
1996: in a Ugandan dive bar, the 'freight dogs' gather. An anarchic group of mercenary pilots from Texas, Russia, Kenya…
and Belgium who transport weapons between warring African nations, without allegiance. And tonight they have a new recruit - Manu, a 19-year-old cowherd fleeing Congo's bloody war.Taken in by this band of unlikely brothers, he's soon seeing his vast country from above and falling in love with flying. But no matter how fast he flies, trouble follows closely behind. And when the past erupts back into this new life, Manu is forced to leave behind African skies for the chilly embrace of northern Europe. Will Manu be able to reinvent himself yet again? And is Belgian volcanologist Anke Desseaux the answer to his problems - or simply another one of them?From the writer of The Last King of Scotland comes an unforgettable story of survival - about how to live and love after trauma, set against a backdrop of world-shaking conflict.The Performance: A Novel
By Claire Thomas. 2021
'Quietly transformational'The Times 'A tour de force... I can't recommend this too highly'Patrick Gale'Innovative... an original, at-a-sitting read'Daily Mail'A potent…
meditation on the intensity of women's lives'Charlotte Wood, author of The Weekend'A miracle... Engaging and evocative'Washington Post'I loved and admired The Performance... Unmissable'Emma Stonex, author of The Lamplighters'Lively and intimate... The way Thomas plays with the reader is a sort of genius'Guardian'Thomas writes these women with such wisdom and compassion, that by the end we are all transformed'Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground The false cold of the theatre makes it hard to imagine the heavy wind outside in the real world, the ash air pressing onto the city from the nearby hills where bushfires are taking hold.The house lights lower.The auditorium feels hopeful in the darkness.As bushfires rage outside the city, three women watch a performance of a Beckett play.Margot is a successful professor, preoccupied by her fraught relationship with her ailing husband. Ivy is a philanthropist with a troubled past, distracted by the snoring man beside her. Summer is a young theatre usher, anxious about the safety of her girlfriend in the fire zone.As the performance unfolds, so does each woman's story. By the time the curtain falls, they will all have a new understanding of the world beyond the stage.Shooting Martha
By David Thewlis. 2021
'A riotously good novel, witty and earnest, brimming with sharply drawn characters and creeping suspense. David Thewlis is a fabulous…
writer' Anna Bailey, Sunday Times bestselling author of Tall BonesCelebrated director Jack Drake can't get through his latest film (his most personal yet) without his wife Martha's support. The only problem is, she's dead...When Jack sees Betty Dean - actress, mother, trainwreck - playing the part of a crazed nun on stage in an indie production of The Devils, he is struck dumb by her resemblance to Martha. Desperate to find a way to complete his masterpiece, he hires her to go and stay in his house in France and resuscitate Martha in the role of 'loving spouse'.But as Betty spends her days roaming the large, sunlit rooms of Jack's mansion - filled to the brim with odd treasures and the occasional crucifix - and her evenings playing the part of Martha over scripted video calls with Jack, she finds her method acting taking her to increasingly dark places. And as Martha comes back to life, she carries with her the truth about her suicide - and the secret she guarded until the end.A darkly funny novel set between a London film set and a villa in the south of France.A mix of Vertigo and Jonathan Coe, written by a master storyteller.PRAISE FOR DAVID THEWLIS'S FICTION 'David Thewlis has written an extraordinarily good novel, which is not only brilliant in its own right, but stands proudly beside his work as an actor, no mean boast' Billy Connolly'Hilarious and horror-filled' Francesca Segal, Observer'A fine study in character disintegration... Very funny' David Baddiel, The Times'Exquisitely written with a warm heart and a wry wit... Stunning' Elle'Queasily entertaining' Financial Times'A sharp ear for dialogue and a scabrously satiric prose style' Daily Mail'Laugh-out-loud, darkly intelligent' Publishers Weekly'This is far more than an actor's vanity project: Thewlis has talent' KirkusThe Moon Is Down
By John Steinbeck.
In this masterful story set in Norway during World War II, Steinbeck explores the effects of invasion on both the…
conquered and the conquerors. As he delves into the emotions of the German commander and the Norwegian traitor, and depicts the spirited patriotism of the Norwegian underground, Steinbeck uncovers profound, often unsettling truths about war—and about human nature. The Moon is Down had an extraordinary impact as Allied propaganda in Nazi-occupied Europe, and despite efforts to suppress it, the book was secretly translated into French, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, German, Italian, and Russian, and hundreds of thousands of copies circulated Europe, making it by far one of the most popular pieces of propaganda during the war. Few literary works of our time have demonstrated so triumphantly the power of ideas in the face of cold steel and brute force. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.