Biographies & Memoirs - Books

Entre la vie et le rêve

Biographies & Memoirs

"Rêver c'est penser et c'est penser d'une façon beaucoup plus profonde, plus vraie, plus authentique parce que l'on est comme replié sur soi-même. Le rêve est une sorte de méditation, de recueillement. Il est une pensée en images. Quelquefois il est extrêmement révélateur, cruel. Il est d'une évidence lumineuse. Pour quelqu'un qui fait du théâtre, le rêve peut être considéré comme un événement essentiellement dramatique. Le rêve, c'est le drame même. En rêve, on est toujours en situation. Bref, je crois que le rêve est à la fois une pensée lucide, plus lucide qu'à l'état de veille, une pensée en images et qu'il est déjà du théâtre, qu'il est toujours un drame puisqu'on y est toujours en situation." "Vingt ans après", ou presque. C'est en 1977, en effet, qu'Eugène Ionesco accorda ces Entretiens à Claude Bonnefoy. Malgré l'écart temporel, se dessine un Ionesco très proche, vivant, contradictoire, s'expliquant et s'interrogeant sur l'écriture théâtrale et romanesque, sur les liens entre le rêve, la création et la vie. À la fois sceptique et plein d'espoir, un homme en questions sur le rôle de la littérature et du théâtre dans la vie d'un écrivain, dans la vie d'un homme.

Unorthodox

Biographies & Memoirs

"Unorthodox ist ein Enthüllungsbuch, das sich wie ein Roman liest." (Die Welt)Am Tag seines Erscheinens führte "Unorthodox" schlagartig die Bestsellerliste der New York Times an und war sofort ausverkauft. Wenige Monate später durchbrach die Auflage die Millionengrenze. In der chassidischen Satmar-Gemeinde in Williamsburg, New York, herrschen die strengsten Regeln einer ultraorthodoxen jüdischen Gruppe weltweit. Deborah Feldman führt uns bis an die Grenzen des Erträglichen, wenn sie von der strikten Unterwerfung unter die strengen Lebensgesetze erzählt, von Ausgrenzung, Armut, von der Unterdrückung der Frau, von ihrer Zwangsehe. Und von der alltäglichen Angst, bei Verbotenem entdeckt und bestraft zu werden. Sie erzählt, wie sie den beispiellosen Mut und die ungeheure Kraft zum Verlassen der Gemeinde findet – um ihrem Sohn ein Leben in Freiheit zu ermöglichen. Noch nie hat eine Autorin ihre Befreiung aus den Fesseln religiöser Extremisten so lebensnah, so ehrlich, so analytisch klug und dabei literarisch so anspruchsvoll erzählt.Die Buchvorlage zur erfolgreichen Netflix-Serie „Unorthodox“.

Memories of My Life

Biographies & Memoirs

Memories of My Life is the autobiography of the French actress Sarah Bernhardt, who was internationally famed during her lifetime and afterwards as one of the classical theater''s all-time greatest stars. Bernhardt''s memoirs are composed with a novelist''s (or actress''s) sense of artistry and suspense that leaves no doubt of the charisma for which she was famous for, both on- and offstage. Yet at the same time as this book very consciously contributes to the crafting of her image, it also illuminates a whole era: not only the world of theater, but also the worlds of women, politics, society, Europe and America, and, indeed, of history making itself. (Goodreads)

The Trip to Echo Spring

Biographies & Memoirs

A New York Times Notable Book of 2014A TimeMagazine Notable Book of 2014Olivia Laing's widely acclaimed account of how writers in the grip of alcoholism created some of the greatest works of American literatureIn The Trip to Echo Spring, Olivia Laing examines the link between creativity and alcohol through the work and lives of six extraordinary men: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, John Berryman, John Cheever, and Raymond Carver.All six of these writers were alcoholics, and the subject of drinking surfaces in some of their finest work, from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to A Moveable Feast. Often, they did their drinking together: Hemingway and Fitzgerald ricocheting through the cafés of Paris in the 1920s; Carver and Cheever speeding to the liquor store in Iowa in the icy winter of 1973.Olivia Laing grew up in an alcoholic family herself. One spring, wanting to make sense of this ferocious, entangling disease, she took a journey across America that plunged her into the heart of these overlapping lives. As she travels from Cheever's New York to Williams's New Orleans, and from Hemingway's Key West to Carver's Port Angeles, she pieces together a topographical map of alcoholism, from the horrors of addiction to the miraculous possibilities of recovery.Beautiful, captivating, and original, The Trip to Echo Spring strips away the myth of the alcoholic writer to reveal the terrible price creativity can exert.

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

Biographies & Memoirs

*A New York Times Bestseller*Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman reveal the full story behind their epic romance—presented in a series of intimate conversations between the couple, including photos, anecdotes, and the occasional puzzle.The year: 2000. The setting: Los Angeles. A gorgeous virtuoso of an actress agreed to star in a random play, and a basement-dwelling scenic carpenter said he would assay a supporting role in the selfsame pageant. At the first rehearsal she surveyed her fellow cast members, determining if any of the men might qualify to provide her with a satisfying fling. Her gaze fell upon the carpenter, and like a bolt of lightning the thought struck her: no dice. Moving on.Yet, unbeknownst to our protagonists, Cupid had merely set down his bow and picked up a rocket launcher...that fired a love rocket (not a euphemism). The players were Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, and the resulting romance, once ignited, was...epic. Beyond epic. It resulted in a coupling that has endured to this day; a sizzling, perpetual tryst that has captivated the world with its kindness, athleticism, astonishingly low-brow humor, and true (fire emoji) passion.How did they do it? They came from completely different families, ignored a significant age difference, and were separated by the gulf of several social strata. Megan loved books and art history; Nick loved hammers. But much more than these seemingly unsurpassable obstacles were the values they held in common: respect, decency, the ability to mention genitalia in almost any context, and an abiding obsession with the songs of Tom Waits.Eighteen years later, they're still very much in love and have finally decided to reveal the philosophical mountains they have conquered, the lessons they've learned, and the myriad jigsaw puzzles they've completed. Presented as an oral history in a series of conversations between the couple, the book features anecdotes, hijinks, photos, and a veritable grab bag of tomfoolery. This is not only the intoxicating book that Mullally's and Offerman's fans have been waiting for, it might just hold the solution to the greatest threat facing our modern world: the single life.

Breaking Free

Biographies & Memoirs

In this searing memoir of survival in the spirit of Stolen Innocence, the daughter of Warren Jeffs, the self-proclaimed Prophet of the FLDS Church, takes you deep inside the secretive polygamist Mormon fundamentalist cult run by her family and how she escaped it.Born into the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Rachel Jeffs was raised in a strict patriarchal culture defined by subordinate sister wives and men they must obey. No one in this radical splinter sect of the Mormon Church was more powerful or terrifying than its leader Warren Jeffs—Rachel’s father.Living outside mainstream Mormonism and federal law, Jeffs arranged marriages between under-age girls and middle-aged and elderly members of his congregation. In 2006, he gained international notoriety when the FBI placed him on its Ten Most Wanted List. Though he is serving a life sentence for child sexual assault, Jeffs’ iron grip on the church remains firm, and his edicts to his followers increasingly restrictive and bizarre.In Breaking Free, Rachel blows the lid off this taciturn community made famous by Jon Krakauer’s bestselling Under the Banner of Heaven to offer a harrowing look at her life with Warren Jeffs, and the years of physical and emotional abuse she suffered. Sexually assaulted, compelled into an arranged polygamous marriage, locked away in "houses of hiding" as punishment for perceived transgressions, and physically separated from her children, Rachel, Jeffs’ first plural daughter by his second of more than fifty wives, eventually found the courage to leave the church in 2015. But Breaking Free is not only her story—Rachel’s experiences illuminate those of her family and the countless others who remain trapped in the strange world she left behind.A shocking and mesmerizing memoir of faith, abuse, courage, and freedom, Breaking Free is an expose of religious extremism and a beacon of hope for anyone trying to overcome personal obstacles.

Be Still My Soul

Biographies & Memoirs

Lauren and Joseph Cummins entered an extraordinary new world when their son came out to them as gay. This is the story of their family's grappling with faith, convictions, and unconditional love."Mom and Dad, there's something I need to tell you." When Lauren and Joseph Cummins heard those words, they knew their lives were about to change. The day their son came out to them as gay, the Cummins family entered a season of deep questioning. As devout Catholics, they believed the Church and the Bible, and they had their own convictions about sexual morality. Through great personal growth and a considerable amount of searching, they have come to look back with gratitude that they were chosen for this path. Rather than come up with simplistic answers, Lauren and Joseph invite readers to confront the assumptions in themselves, in the Church, and in society at large, while maintaining a firm grounding in the truth that God is always faithful. This book is a formative read for teens who are questioning their sexuality, those who have friends who are questioning, and for parents of LGBTQ+ children. It reminds us to put our trust in God through every surprise life brings our way. Truly the greatest anchor in every storm, he is the source of peace, of hope, and of love, and he assures us, "Be still and know I am God.

Criada

Biographies & Memoirs

Criada, bestseller do The New York Times, foi o livro que inspirou a série com o mesmo nome, em exibição na Netflix. Quando Stephanie Land ficou grávida, como resultado de um romance de verão, os seus sonhos de estudar na universidade para se tornar escritora foram bruscamente interrompidos. Mãe solteira, sem estudos, sem dinheiro, sem ajudas que não as dos programas alimentares do governo dos EUA, sobreviveu e cuidou da filha a trabalhar como empregada doméstica para famílias de classes média e alta, saltando de abrigo em abrigo, de desalento em desalento. Nesta autobiografia, que transforma numa violenta crónica social, Land escreve sobre as desesperadas histórias dos cidadãos estado-unidenses sobrecarregados e sub-remunerados, sempre abaixo de um limiar de pobreza, por mais que trabalhem, por mais que se esforcem. Com uma escrita íntima e uma visão emotiva, Criada é também o exemplo da superação: os estudos feitos pela autora, à noite, até chegar à licenciatura e à oportunidade para reencontrar o caminho de uma vida própria.

Shockaholic

Biographies & Memoirs

This memoir from the bestselling author of Postcards from the Edge and Wishful Drinking gives you an intimate, gossip-filled look at what it’s like to be the daughter of Hollywood royalty.Told with the same intimate style, brutal honesty, and uproarious wisdom that locked Wishful Drinking on the New York Times bestseller list for months, Shockaholic is the juicy account of Carrie Fisher’s life. Covering a broad range of topics—from never-before-heard tales of Hollywood gossip to outrageous moments of celebrity desperation; from alcoholism to illegal drug use; from the familial relationships of Hollywood royalty to scandalous run-ins with noteworthy politicians; from shock therapy to talk therapy—Carrie Fisher gives an intimate portrait of herself, and she’s one of the most indelible and powerful forces in culture at large today. Just as she has said of playing Princess Leia—“It isn’t all sweetness and light sabers”—Fisher takes readers on a no-holds-barred narrative adventure, both laugh-out-loud funny and poignant.

Looking for Jimmy

Biographies & Memoirs

In this stunning work chronicling the author's exploration of his own past-and the lives of many hundreds of thousands of nameless immigrants who struggled alongside his own ancestors-Peter Quinn paints a brilliant new portrait of the Irish-American men and women whose evolving culture and values continue to play such a central role in all of our identities as Americans. In Quinn's hands, the Irish stereotype of "Paddy" gives way to an image of "Jimmy"-an archetypal Irish-American. From Irish immigration to modern politics, Quinn vibrantly weaves together the story of a remarkable people and their immeasurable contribution to American history and culture.

La mia rivoluzione

Biographies & Memoirs

Lungo tutta la sua carriera Johan Cruyff è stato sinonimo di calcio totale, profeta di una nuova religione calcistica che unisce ordine e creatività, forza fisica e cervello, tradizione e rivoluzione. Capelli lunghi modello beat generation, idee libere e temperamento ribelle, quella del Pelé bianco è una storia straordinaria che parte dalla periferia di Amsterdam e arriva dritta all'olimpo del calcio: Cruyff entra giovanissimo nell'Ajax e con la maglia della squadra olandese vincerà tre Coppe dei Campioni consecutive prima di passare al Barcellona nel 1973 per una cifra record. Grazie a lui in quella stagione i blaugrana tornano a vincere la Liga dopo quattordici anni. Tre volte Pallone d'Oro, nel 1974 guida la nazionale olandese alla finale dei mondiali contro la Germania Ovest. Dopo essersi ritirato nel 1984, porta la rivoluzione sulle panchine di Ajax e Barcellona e con la sua filosofia influenzerà generazioni di allenatori a venire. Nel 1997 ha dato vita alla Cruyff Foundation che promuove progetti sportivi per i più giovani.In La mia rivoluzione Cruyff si racconta con l'umorismo e l'onestà che l'hanno sempre contraddistinto e consegna alla sua autobiografia la storia di un'incredibile eredità.

George Sand

Biographies & Memoirs

The romantic and rebellious novelist George Sand, born in 1804 as Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, remains one of France’s most infamous and beloved literary figures. Thanks to a peerless translation by Gretchen van Slyke, Martine Reid’s acclaimed biography of Sand is now available in English.Drawing on recent French and English biographies of Sand as well as her novels, plays, autobiographical texts, and correspondence, Reid creates the most complete portrait possible of a writer who was both celebrated and vilified. Reid contextualizes Sand within the literature of the nineteenth century, unfolds the meaning and importance of her chosen pen name, and pays careful attention to Sand’s political, artistic, and scientific expressions and interests. The result is a candid, even-handed, and illuminating representation of a remarkable woman in remarkable times.With its clear, flowing language and impeccable scholarship, this Ernest Montusès Award–winning biography of the author of La Petite Fadette and A Winter in Majorca will be of great interest to those specializing in Sand and nineteenth-century literature—and to readers everywhere.

Memoir of Washington Irving

Biographies & Memoirs

This volume offers an 1870 memoir of Irving, with selections from his works and criticisms.

Ich habe einen Traum

Biographies & Memoirs

In jedem Sportlerleben gibt es Rückschläge. Aber als junger Mensch seine Arme und Beine, die so wichtig für den Sport sind, an eine Krankheit zu verlieren – einen solchen Rückschlag würden viele nicht verkraften.Bebe Vio hielt immer an ihrem Traum von einer Karriere als Fechterin fest. Auch dann, als ihr mit elf Jahren nach einer plötzlichen Hirnhautentzündung Arme und Beine amputiert wurden.Sie träumte unbeirrt weiter von der Olympiade und begann im Rollstuhl, für die Paralympics zu trainieren. Mit ihrem unerschütterlichen Kampfgeist schaffte sie es in die Weltklasse und holte Medaille um Medaille. Sie gründete auch eine Wohltätigkeitsorganisation, art4sport, um anderen zu zeigen, wie sie durch Sport ihre Lebensfreude wiedergewinnen können.Dieser Essay ist der siebte aus der Reihe "Big Ideas" der Europäischen Investitionsbank.

Diana, à la poursuite de l'amour

Biographies & Memoirs

Après sa biographie " officielle "Diana racontée par elle-même(l'Archipel, 2017), Andrew Morton poursuit le portrait de Lady Di, en explorant les amours tumultueuses de l'éternelle " princesse des cœurs ".Quand, en 1998, Andrew Morton publieDiana racontée par elle-même, la presse internationale s'emballe et la cour royale britannique se trouve ébranlée. En effet (on l'apprendra plus tard), Diana a collaboré activement à l'écriture de l'ouvrage, ce qui en fait de facto son autobiographie.Sept ans après la mort de Diana, le 31 août 1997, l'écrivain en qui elle avait le plus confiance publiait cette nouvelle enquête comportant nombre d'informations inédites. Y témoignent son amant James Hewitt, son majordome Paul Burrell ou encore Michael Fawcett, bras droit du prince Charles.Le récit des cinq dernières années de la vie de Diana, après sa séparation d'avec le prince Charles, offre le tableau d'un monde où règnent la mauvaise foi, le cynisme et la manipulation.C'est une femme hors du commun qui apparaît dans ces pages, avec ses espoirs et ses peurs, ses démons et ses joies. Décidée à ne plus être le jouet de la Couronne, à reprendre son entière liberté et à être aimée pour elle-même, afin de mener enfin l'existence dont elle a toujours rêvé.

Interesting Narrative of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano Or Gustavus Vassa, Th

Biographies & Memoirs

In The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, former slave Olaudah Equiano tells the story of his life, from the time he and his sister were kidnapped and enslaved, through his emancipation, and subsequent freedom. Equiano’s moving account delves into his experience as a sailor and explores the importance of his religious education.Published in 1789, Equiano’s narrative was the first widely-read and popularized account of slavery, and was notable for exploring the differences between enslavement throughout the Americas. It has also provided a foundation for future slave narratives.HarperTorch brings great works of non-fiction and the dramatic arts to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperTorch collection to build your digital library.

The Stationary Ark

Biographies & Memoirs

A famed zookeeper reflects on his lifelong love of animals—and his decision to build them a home—in this memoir by the author of the Corfu Trilogy. The first word Gerald Durrell could say with any clarity was “zoo.” Animals were his passion. His early years in India were full of routine visits to the local zoo, and if his nursemaid attempted to deviate from this routine, the result was usually a tantrum. Years later, when Durrell decided to set up the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust—which would later become the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust—he didn’t want it to be like other zoos. He didn’t want a place where animals were simply imprisoned, where parents reluctantly brought their children to get sick on ice cream. More than a place for entertainment, Durrell’s zoo needed to be a place for education, research, and conservation. But achieving his goal would force him to question if wild animals really did belong in the care of humans. The Stationary Ark is an entertaining and thoughtful look at a career in zookeeping from the man who inspired acclaimed Masterpiece production The Durrells in Corfu, which aired on public television. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

Hide Boy

Biographies & Memoirs

The autobiography of Michael Young following his life as he grew up in a small southern Colorado town and into his adulthood and retirement. The book is full of fun and adventure as he lived on a small farm and grew up with much adventure. It also tells of his finding God and walking with Him.

Tears of the Desert

Biographies & Memoirs

“[Halima Bashir’s] mesmerizing tale of against-all-odds endurance is a piercing lament—and a clear-eyed call to action.”—Vogue “This memoir helps keep the Darfur tragedy open as a wound not yet healed.”—Elie Wiesel, author of Night Born into the Zaghawa tribe in the Sudanese desert, Halima Bashir received a good education away from her rural surroundings (thanks to her doting, politically astute father) and at twenty-four became her village’s first formal doctor. Yet not even Bashir’s degree could protect her from the encroaching conflict that would consume her homeland. Janjaweed Arab militias savagely assaulted the Zaghawa, often with the backing of the Sudanese military. Then, in early 2004, the Janjaweed attacked Bashir’s village and surrounding areas, raping forty-two schoolgirls and their teachers. Bashir, who treated the traumatized victims, some as young as eight years old, could no longer remain quiet. But breaking her silence ignited a horrifying turn of events. Raw and riveting, Tears of the Desert is the first memoir ever written by a woman caught up in the war in Darfur. It is a survivor’s tale of a conflicted country, a resilient people, and an uncompromising spirit. Praise for Tears of the Desert “This is a brave book. And a valuable one. Halima’s story of the atrocities and immeasurable losses she has endured must be told.”—Mia Farrow, actor and advocate “Vivid, poignant and brutally candid . . . Tears of the Desert is that rarest of literary endeavors, not just a book you read but a book you experience.”—The Washington Post Book World “An extraordinary memoir . . . Halima Bashir’s bravery contrasts with the world’s fecklessness and failures.”—Nicholas D. Kristof, The New York Times “Searing . . . Tears of the Desert gives voice to the unspeakable.”—USA Today“Powerful, harrowing and brave.”—The Economist“A luminous tale of growing up in rural Darfur . . . a wonderful and moving African memoir.”—The New York Review of Books

Blue Windows

Biographies & Memoirs

From Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christian Science, to Deepak Chopra, Americans have struggled with the connection between health and happiness. Barbara Wilson was taught by her Christian Scientist family that there was no sickness or evil, and that by maintaining this belief she would be protected. But such beliefs were challenged when Wilson's own mother died of breast cancer after deciding not to seek medical attention, having been driven mad by the contradiction between her religion and her reality. In this perceptive and textured memoir Blue Windows, Wilson surveys the complex history of Christian Science and the role of women in religion and healing.

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