Biographies & Memoirs - Books

The Monarchy

Biographies & Memoirs

As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex bring renewed focus to the monarchy, now is the perfect time to re-examine Christopher Hitchens’s powerful polemic.In this scathing essay, Christopher Hitchens looks at the relationship of the press and the public to the royal family, unpacking the tautology and contradictory arguments that prop it up. In his inimitable style, Hitchens argues that our desire not to profane or disturb the monarchy is a failure of reason and a confusion of reality. Fealty to the magic of monarchy stops us looking objectively at our own history and hinders open-minded criticism of our present. It is time we outgrew it. With the recent birth of royal baby Archie, during a time of austerity and national inequality, Hitchens’s 10,000-word critique is even more relevant today than when it was first published in 1990. 'Christopher is one of the most terrifying rhetoricians that the world has yet seen' Martin Amis

Lincoln Letters

Biographies & Memoirs

This is the collection of letters which have written by the Americal president Abraham Lincon.

Up from Slavery

Biographies & Memoirs

Booker T. Washington, the most recognized national leader, orator and educator, emerged from slavery in the deep south, to work for the betterment of African Americans in the post Reconstruction period. "Up From Slavery" is an autobiography of Booker T. Washington's life and work, which has been the source of inspiration for all Americans. Washington reveals his inner most thoughts as he transitions from ex-slave to teacher and founder of one of the most important schools for African Americans in the south, The Tuskegee Industrial Institute.

Donde mejor canta un pájaro

Biographies & Memoirs

«La vida de Jodorowsky es una obra de arte esmaltada de situaciones maravillosas, vivencias surrealistas, prodigios y logros de la imaginación y la conciencia.»Víctor-M. Amela, La VanguardiaBasándose en una sugerente frase de Jean Cocteau, «un pájaro canta mejor en su árbol genealógico», Jodorowsky nos sumerge en un amenísimo relato, tan cómico y sorprendente como heroico y legendario, sobre la vida de sus antepasados, desde sus bisabuelos hasta sus padres. Esta reconstrucción narrativa de su árbol genealógico le sirve para bucear en el sentido de su propio ser y su propia vida, a través de una inmensa geografía: Ucrania, parís, Venecia, Chile o Argentina. «Todos los personajes, sitios y acontecimientos son reales», dice el autor. «Pero esta realidad es transformada y exaltada hasta llevarla al mito. Nuestro árbol genealógico por una parte es la trampa que limita nuestros pensamientos, emociones, deseos y nuestra vida material... y por otra parte es el tesoro que encierra la mayor parte de nuestros valores. Aparte de ser una novela, este libro es un trabajo que, si ha sido logrado, aspira a servir de ejemplo para que cada lector lo siga y transforme, a través del perdón, su memoria familiar en leyenda heroica.»

Memoirs of Casanova — Volume 24: London to Berlin

Biographies & Memoirs

Forced from London, the legendary Venetian ladies’ man travels to Germany, where he helps found an official lottery, meets Prussian soldiers, and finally departs for Berlin.

Total recall

Biographies & Memoirs

Les mémoires très attendus d’Arnold Schwarzenegger, le récit de son parcours étonnant : petit culturiste autrichien immigré aux Etats-Unis, il deviendra l’une des plus grandes vedettes du cinéma mondial, avant d’entamer une carrière politique qui l’a conduit à gouverner la Californie.Faut-il présenter celui que l’on a surnommé, à tour de rôle, le « Chêne autrichien » pendant ses années de culturisme, puis « Schwarzy » pendant sa carrière d'acteur et, plus récemment, « Gouvernator » pendant ses deux mandats à la tête de la Californie ? Né en Autriche en 1947, il est devenu l’un des plus grands culturistes de l'Histoire, avec notamment 5 titres de Monsieur Univers et 7 titres de Monsieur Olympia, et a immigré en 1968 aux Etats-Unis, où son physique hors normes lui a ouvert les portes d'Hollywood. Il y fera une carrière exceptionnelle, devenant l'une des plus grandes vedettes du cinéma mondial dans les années 1980-1990. Comment ne pas se souvenir de Total Recall, de la série des Terminator, mais aussi des comédies Un flic à la maternelle et Jumeaux ? Politiquement engagé dans le Parti républicain, il a étéélu gouverneur de l'Etat de Californie en 2003, puis réélu à ce poste en 2006. On a dit de lui que si la Constitution n’interdisait pas à un Américain naturalisé de briguer la présidence des Etats-Unis, il serait peut-être aujourd’hui à la Maison-Blanche…

Lion of Speech

Biographies & Memoirs

A traditional biography on the life of Mipham Rinpoche--one of the greatest 19th-century masters--from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, one of the greatest 20th-century masters.The first half of this volume comprises the first-ever English translation of the biography of Mipham Rinpoche written by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, a teacher to His Holiness the Dalai Lama as well as an entire generation of other teachers and students throughout the Himalayan region and the West. Composed in 1939, it was left behind in Tibet in 1959 when Khyentse Rinpoche went into exile and was lost for fifty-one years before its discovery in 2010 by an extraordinary stroke of good luck. Reverential in tone, it is informed by both oral accounts preserved in notes kept by Khyentse Rinpoche's elder brother and the recollections of Mipham's devoted personal attendant of thirty-seven years.In keeping with the identification of Mipham as an emanation of Manjushri, the lion of speech, the second half comprises a selection of Mipham's writings, designed to give the reader an experience of Mipham's eloquent speech and incisive thought. It includes both a new translation of The Lion's Roar: A Comprehensive Discourse on the Buddha-Nature and A Lamp to Dispel the Dark, a teaching of the Great Perfection, as well as excerpts from previously published translations of his works on Madhyamaka and tantra.

Arthur Machen A Novelist of Ecstasy and Sin With Two Uncollected Poems by Arthur Machen

Biographies & Memoirs

Excerpt: "With singular unanimity critics for thirty years have slighted the work of Arthur Machen. A line suffices for him in Holbrook Jackson's "The Eighteen Nineties," and Mr. Blaikie-Murdoch ignores him completely in "The Renaissance of the Nineties"; yet those are the standard works on the period to which, chronologically, at least, Machen belongs. Mr. Turquet-Milnes, with greater appreciation, gives him a half-chapter in his scholarly work, "The Influence of Baudelaire," but even that is made up largely of quotations from "The Hill of Dreams," to prove Machen a descendent of Baudelaire—an error to which I subscribed until Machen himself disillusioned me, although the assertion is still partially true."

Arthur Machen A Novelist of Ecstasy and Sin With Two Uncollected Poems by Arthur Machen

Biographies & Memoirs

Excerpt: ''With singular unanimity critics for thirty years have slighted the work of Arthur Machen. A line suffices for him in Holbrook Jackson''s ''The Eighteen Nineties,'' and Mr. Blaikie-Murdoch ignores him completely in ''The Renaissance of the Nineties''; yet those are the standard works on the period to which, chronologically, at least, Machen belongs. Mr. Turquet-Milnes, with greater appreciation, gives him a half-chapter in his scholarly work, ''The Influence of Baudelaire,'' but even that is made up largely of quotations from ''The Hill of Dreams,'' to prove Machen a descendent of Baudelaire—an error to which I subscribed until Machen himself disillusioned me, although the assertion is still partially true.''

Murder.com

Biographies & Memoirs

The internet has become an integral part of everyone's life - and that also goes for the worst criminals. Sex, drugs and terrorism have found new outlets. Organised gangs and sinister individuals are even now working their evil in the privacy of their own bedrooms.Come on a terrifying journey into cyberspace, where fragile personalities can become embroiled in a sickening spiral of destruction, where both victim and villain find themselves in the darkest and most extreme regions of human behaviour. An innocent contact on the internet can end in agony, misery and death. The revelations in this shocking book will help you protect yourself against the dangers of the world wide web.Meet the man who had a terrible obsession that ended in the death of a teacher. Learn about the online suicides. And make sure you don't end up like Anastasia Solovyova, the would-be Russian bride whose new life ended in her brutal death.This is the dark side of the web. Be careful where you click.'Shows how death can be only a click away' - The Sunday Times

Mortalidad

Biographies & Memoirs

Mortalidad es la historia ejemplar de la resistencia de un hombre a retroceder al enfrentarse a lo desconocido, así como una penetrante mirada a la condición humana.El 8 de junio de 2010, durante la gira de promoción de su libro de memorias, Hitch-22, un insoportable dolor en el pecho y el tórax dejó postrado a Christopher Hitchens en su habitación de hotel en Nueva York. Como escribiría más tarde en una de sus premiadascolumnas en Vanity Fair, se vio deportado de repente «del país de los sanos al otro lado de la dura frontera que rodea la tierra de la enfermedad». A lo largo de los siguientes dieciocho meses, hasta su muerte en Houston el 15 de diciembre de 2011, siguió escribiendo con la misma frecuencia y brillantez que siempre, asombrando a sus lectores con su capacidad de trabajo en las peores condiciones.Durante su enfermedad, un cáncer de esófago, Hitchens rechazó insistente y gallardamente el consuelo de la religión, y prefirió enfrentarse a la muerte mirándola de frente. En este emocionante relato de esos meses, Hitchens describe los tormentos de la enfermedad, discute sus tabúes y analiza cómo transforma la experiencia humana y cambia la relación del enfermo con el mundo que le rodea. Intenso y poderoso, atravesado de su característica inteligencia, el testamento de Hitchens es una obra literaria valiente y lúcida, una afirmación de la dignidad y el valor del ser humano.La crítica ha dicho:«Su soltura no le abandonó nunca, su compromiso fue apasionado y nunca descuidó su oficio. Era el escritor consumado, el amigo brillante. En la célebre frase de Walter Pater, ardía "con esa llama dura como una gema". Hasta el final.» Ian McEwan«Su voz sigue siendo civilizada, escrutadora y dispuesta a vencer a todos sus enemigos.» Colm Tóibín

Evita: The Life of Eva Perón

Biographies & Memoirs

*Includes pictures. *Comprehensively covers Evita's life and legacy, including the ways she has been depicted in media over the last 60 years. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. *Includes a Table of Contents. María Eva Duarte de Perón, known to the world as Evita, stands with Jesus Christ as a highly influential historical figure who lived only 33 years. The similarities do not end there: as Argentine novelist Tomás Eloy Martínez has observed, Evita came to “symbolize certain naïve, but effective, beliefs: the hope for a better world; a life sacrificed on the altar of the disinherited, the humiliated, the poor of the earth . . . myths which somehow reproduce the image of Christ.” During her life she was elevated to the status of “spiritual leader” of her country, Argentina, and after death she was regarded there as a martyr and a saint by her many followers. A visit to the museum dedicated to Evita’s legacy in the Botánico neighborhood of Buenos Aires reveals the spirit of quasi-religious devotion that surrounds her: more than simply a collection of historical displays, the museum stands as a shrine to her legacy and intends to imbue its viewers with the spirit and beliefs of the deceased First Lady. In one of the rooms, the visitor stands in the presence of one of her most famous dresses in a centrally placed glass case, with the scent of roses artificially pumped into the air. Like many of the other objects, the dress is presented much as were the relics of medieval saint. Evita’s tomb in the same city’s Recoleta cemetery, constantly garlanded with fresh bouquets and notes of gratitude from pilgrims who have come to pay their respects, provides further evidence of her revered presence in Argentine culture. At the same time, the presence of the major artifacts of Evita’s person in these particular locations is also ironic and revealing of the great social divisions over which she presided. Botánico is a prestigious and wealthy neighborhood, and the Recoleta is the burial place of Argentina’s oligarchy; Eva Perón prided herself on having antagonized and earned the hatred of precisely these social classes. Over 50 years after her death, Perónism, the political philosophy devised by her and her husband Juan Domingo Perón, remains a potent force in Argentine politics (the current president identifies herself closely with the Peróns and their legacy), but it also continues to inspire deep enmity. While a large portion of the country sees Evita as a symbol of national pride, there is also a significant sector that sees her as an impostor and a demagogue whose brilliant but irresponsible manipulation of mass politics helped sink the country into chaos. Whereas some controversial political figures tend to become more broadly and neutrally admired as the distance from their lifespan grows, within her own country Evita remains as much a lightning rod as ever. Since her death, the mythology and legend of Evita have grown monumentally. Though millions worshipped Eva, who nearly became the Vice-President of Argentina before her premature death, opinions of her still vary between two extremes. While some think of her as an angelic woman who sought to uplift women and the poor, others view her as a self-serving, egotistical, and embittered woman who used sex to rise up Argentina’s social and political ladder and seek vengeance on the upper classes. Evita: The Life of Eva Perón humanizes the youngest of 5 siblings who once had more modest ambitions as Eva Duarte, and it explores the mythology and legacy that have grown around Evita, examining her representations in literature, film, and theatre to uncover the truth behind her enigmatic existence.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

Biographies & Memoirs

From one of the world's most beloved writers and New York Times bestselling author of A Walk in the Woods and The Body, a vivid, nostalgic, and utterly hilarious memoir of growing up in the 1950s.Bill Bryson was born in the middle of the American century—1951—in the middle of the United States—Des Moines, Iowa—in the middle of the largest generation in American history—the baby boomers. As one of the best and funniest writers alive, he is perfectly positioned to mine his memories of a totally all-American childhood for 24-carat memoir gold. Like millions of his generational peers, Bill Bryson grew up with a rich fantasy life as a superhero. In his case, he ran around his house and neighborhood with an old football jersey with a thunderbolt on it and a towel about his neck that served as his cape, leaping tall buildings in a single bound and vanquishing awful evildoers (and morons)—in his head—as "The Thunderbolt Kid." Using this persona as a springboard, Bill Bryson re-creates the life of his family and his native city in the 1950s in all its transcendent normality—a life at once completely familiar to us all and as far away and unreachable as another galaxy. It was, he reminds us, a happy time, when automobiles and televisions and appliances (not to mention nuclear weapons) grew larger and more numerous with each passing year, and DDT, cigarettes, and the fallout from atmospheric testing were considered harmless or even good for you. He brings us into the life of his loving but eccentric family, including affectionate portraits of his father, a gifted sportswriter for the local paper and dedicated practitioner of isometric exercises, and of his mother, whose job as the home furnishing editor for the same paper left her little time for practicing the domestic arts at home. The many readers of Bill Bryson’s earlier classic, A Walk in the Woods, will greet the reappearance in these pages of the immortal Stephen Katz, seen hijacking literally boxcar loads of beer. He is joined in the Bryson gallery of immortal characters by the demonically clever Willoughby brothers, who apply their scientific skills and can-do attitude to gleefully destructive ends. Warm and laugh-out-loud funny, and full of his inimitable, pitch-perfect observations, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is as wondrous a book as Bill Bryson has ever written. It will enchant anyone who has ever been young.

All the Visions

Biographies & Memoirs

All the Visions is a short autobiographical novel that Rucker wrote In 1983. Wanting to emulate Jack Kerouac's composition of On the Road, he typed All the Visions on an 80-foot scroll of paper instead of using separate sheets. The book describes the adventures of Conrad Bunger: mathematician, writer, seeker, rebel, freak.

Minha breve história

Biographies & Memoirs

Stephen Hawking conquistou leitores de todo o mundo com best-sellers que explicam os mistérios do universo. Agora, pela primeira vez, um dos mais brilhantes cosmologistas de nossos tempos volta o olhar para sua própria história de vida e evolução intelectual.Minha breve história conta a improvável trajetória de Hawking, desde a infância na Londres do pós-guerra até o reconhecimento científico internacional. Com fotos pessoais, raramente publicadas, este relato conciso e divertido — o primeiro escrito inteiramente pelo autor, sem a ajuda de terceiros, desde Uma breve história do tempo — apresenta o leitor a um Hawking quase nunca vislumbrado nos livros anteriores: o estudante curioso que foi apelidado de Einstein; o brincalhão que já apostou com um colega sobre a existência de um buraco negro; e o jovem marido e pai lutando para alcançar prestígio no mundo da física e da cosmologia.Com simplicidade e bom humor, Hawking discorre sobre os desafios que precisou enfrentar após o diagnóstico de esclerose lateral amiotrófica aos 21 anos. Ao contar sobre o desenvolvimento de sua carreira, ele explica que a ideia de uma morte prematura o instou a se dedicar com mais afinco às descobertas intelectuais e fala sobre a origem de sua obra-prima, Uma breve história do tempo, um dos livros mais importantes do século XX.Perspicaz, íntimo e inteligente, Minha breve história abre uma janela para o universo pessoal de Hawking.“Stephen Hawking tem um cérebro invejável, que o permite ver e entender coisas inalcançáveis para a maioria de nós. E ainda possui uma modéstia admirável.” Daily Mail“Em um livro comovente, Hawking nos fala diretamente a partir do buraco negro de sua condição física, sem a ampliação e a elaboração fornecidas pelos coautores com os quais ele escreveu seus últimos livros.” Financial Times“As palavras de um homem que, diante da perspectiva de uma morte prematura, fez muito com a vida.” The Guardian

Up from Slavery

Biographies & Memoirs

Delve into the turbulent roots of race relations in the United States with this inspirational account from Booker T. Washington, a one-time slave who became an important advocate for African-American education and founded several well-known institutions of higher learning, including the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Up From Slavery details Washington's life and outlines his sometimes-controversial views on education, social justice, and racial equality.

The Underground Railroad

Biographies & Memoirs

While working for the Underground Railroad and helped escaped slaves to safety, William Still kept meticulous records. These notes originally were used to help reconnect families and document history, but Still later used these records to create The Underground Railroad, telling the stories of the disenfranchised. Said to have helped nearly eight-hundred slaves, Still depicts their stories of heartbreak, narrow escapes, and oppression.Not only was Still a conductor of the Underground Railroad, but also was the child of a woman who braved the unknown, fought for her own freedom, and escaped life as a slave. The Underground Railroad uses first-hand accounts of the harsh conditions of slavery, and the lengths slaves had to go to for freedom. The Underground Railroad by William Still is a work of historical nonfiction meant for all. The collection of vivid, personal stories serves as an excellent education of antebellum America directly from one of its witnesses. The underground railroad was among the most selfless acts of activism, fueled by the kindness and compassion by Americans who wanted the best for their peers. Still’s honest and raw Brought back into the light and revived with easy-to-read print, and an eye-catching design, William Still’sThe Underground Railroad is a reminder of both a heinous injustice of America’s past and the triumph of the activism and bravery that overcame it.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Biographies & Memoirs

Harriet Ann Jacobs (February 11, 1813 – March 7, 1897) was an American writer, who escaped from the horrors of slavery and became an abolitionist speaker and reformer. Jacobs' single work, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, published in 1861 under the pseudonym Linda Brent, was one of the first autobiographical narratives about the struggle for freedom by female slaves and an account of the sexual harassment and abuse they endured.

Wingspread

Biographies & Memoirs

Albert Benjamin Simpson was God's man. From inauspicious beginnings in Bayview, Prince Edward Island, Canada, he rose to prominence through Presbyterian pastorages in Hamilton, Ontario, Louisville, Kentucky, and New York City.But God had other plans for Simpson. He resigned from his comfortable pulpit to launch a ministry aimed at reaching the world's lost multitudes.Wingspread is Simpson's story--a story of one of God's chosen leaders, written by another man of God, A. W. Tozer. It will captivate and challenge you.

Essays

Biographies & Memoirs

Though perhaps most famous for Walden, Henry David Thoreau was also a prolific essayist. Many of his essays touch on subjects similar to his famous book: long walks through nature, things found in moonlight that are invisible and unheard during the day, his preference for wild apples over domestic ones. In many ways he prefigured environmentalism, expressing his love for untouched nature and lamenting what the encroachment of man and cities were doing to it.He also had strong opinions on many other subjects. One of his most famous essays, “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience,” was written as a result of his going to jail for refusing to pay several years’ worth of poll taxes. One of the primary reasons for his refusal was his holding the government in contempt for its support of slavery, and several of his other essays express support and admiration for John Brown, who thought to start a slave revolt when he attacked Harper’s Ferry in 1859.Whether discussing trees in a forest, slavery, or the works of Thomas Carlyle, Thoreau’s essays are deeply personal and full of keen observations, often in poetic language. They give a sense of the man expressing them as being much more than the views being expressed.

Biographies & Memoirs Books