Biographies & Memoirs - Books

L'Américain

Biographies & Memoirs

"On l'appelait l'Américain. Après le Débarquement, il avait rencontré ma mère lors d'un bal donné à Rouen, en l'honneur des libérateurs. Et il s'était fixé en Normandie. Il me battait beaucoup. Il battait, surtout, beaucoup maman. C'est pourquoi j'ai passé mon enfance à vouloir le tuer. Ma haine contre lui ravagea tout en moi, ma lucidité et mon humanité. Jusqu'à sa mort. Mais jamais je n'oublierai le sourire souffrant qu'il traînait partout et qui, aujourd'hui encore, me fend le cœur." Franz-Olivier Giesbert.

Victor Hugo (édition intégrale)

Biographies & Memoirs

Victor Hugo est un grand, un immense écrivain. Tout le monde le reconnaît. Mais que sait-on de l’homme, de l’époux, de l’amant ? Et d’abord de l’enfant, écartelé entre son père soldat et sa mère vendéenne, tous deux se déchirant sur la garde de leurs trois fils. À douze ans, Victor écrit ses premiers poèmes, à quatorze il veut « être Chateaubriand ou rien », à dix-huit ans l’Académie française le célèbre, déjà, et déjà ses colères politiques présagent de son avenir ! Car il sera de tous les combats, dénonçant la misère du peuple, luttant contre la peine de mort, contre les injustices, visitant les prisons, les bagnes… Lors du coup d’état du 2 décembre 1851, il monte sur les barricades. Menacé de mort, il devra fuir, d’abord en Belgique, puis à Jersey et à Guernesey où la vie se réorganise en famille avec, à ses côtés, sa fidèle maîtresse, Juliette, qui recopie inlassablement ses manuscrits. Un portrait fascinant qui éclaire de l’intérieur ce siècle passionnant que fut le XIXe siècle, naissant de la Révolution pour mettre au monde la République. Avec Napoléon, De Gaulle et Révolution française, Victor Hugo est l’une des œuvres majeures de Max Gallo. Année après année, ce Victor Hugo déroule la vie intime du poète, si étroitement mêlée à la vie de la France, avec de larges extraits d’une œuvre qui deviendra géante, et que nous découvrons pas à pas, au rythme impressionnant d’un génie en marche. « À travers le récit de la vie de Hugo, le grand roman de la liberté » François Busnel, L'Express

The Life of Amerigo Vespucci

Biographies & Memoirs

'The Life of Amerigo Vespucci' is a compelling anthology that showcases a rich tapestry of narratives surrounding the life and times of its titular explorer. Through an impressive array of styles, from firsthand diary entries to reflective essays, this collection offers a panoramic view of the Age of Discovery. The anthology enriches our understanding of this pivotal era, revealing the complex interactions between European explorers and the New World. Highlighting the diversity of experiences, the work oscillates between the personal trials of exploration and the broader geopolitical ramifications, providing an in-depth look at a transformative period in history. The contributors—Amerigo Vespucci, Bartolomé de las Casas, and Christopher Columbus—are seminal figures whose writings have significantly shaped the historical narrative of the Americas. Each author brings a unique perspective, from Vespucci's meticulous accounts of new lands to de las Casas' advocacy for the rights of indigenous peoples and Columbus' controversial legacies. Together, these perspectives engage with themes of discovery, conquest, and the ethical dilemmas they spawned, offering a multifaceted exploration of European colonial enterprises. 'The Life of Amerigo Vespucci' is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the narratives that have defined the New World. This anthology not only educates but also invites readers into a dialogue with the past, encouraging a critical evaluation of the narratives and ideologies that shaped the modern world. For scholars, historians, and enthusiasts of historical exploration, this collection promises a unique confluence of perspectives that illuminate the complexities of history through the voices of those who lived it.

Hons and Rebels

Biographies & Memoirs

Jessica Mitford, the great muckraking journalist, was part of a legendary English aristocratic family. Her sisters included Nancy, doyenne of the 1920s London smart set and a noted novelist and biographer; Diana, wife to the English fascist chief Sir Oswald Mosley; Unity, who fell head over in heels in love with Hitler; and Deborah, later the Duchess of Devonshire. Jessica swung left and moved to America, where she took part in the civil rights movement and wrote her classic exposé of the undertaking business, The American Way of Death.Hons and Rebels is the hugely entertaining tale of Mitford's upbringing, which was, as she dryly remarks, “not exactly conventional. . . Debo spent silent hours in the chicken house learning to do an exact imitation of the look of pained concentration that comes over a hen's face when it is laying an egg. . . . Unity and I made up a complete language called Boudledidge, unintelligible to any but ourselves, in which we translated various dirty songs (for safe singing in front of the grown-ups).” But Mitford found her family's world as smothering as it was singular and, determined to escape it, she eloped with Esmond Romilly, Churchill's nephew, to go fight in the Spanish Civil War. The ensuing scandal, in which a British destroyer was dispatched to recover the two truants, inspires some of Mitford's funniest, and most pointed, pages.A family portrait, a tale of youthful folly and high-spirited adventure, a study in social history, a love story, Hons and Rebels is a delightful contribution to the autobiographer's art.

Memoirs of Casanova — Volume 29: Florence to Trieste

Biographies & Memoirs

In these pages the great Venetian traveller recalls how, at the dawn of old age, he witnessed the public humiliation of a corrupt midwife, assisted the Venetian government, and made his way to Trieste.

Seneca's Letters from a Stoic

Biographies & Memoirs

As chief advisor to the emperor Nero, Lucius Annaeus Seneca was most influential in ancient Rome as a power behind the throne. His lasting fame derives from his writings on Stoic ideology, in which philosophy is a practical form of self-improvement rather than a matter of argument or wordplay. Seneca's letters to a young friend advise action rather than reflection, addressing the issues that confront every generation: how to achieve a good life; how to avoid corruption and self-indulgence; and how to live without fear of death. Written in an intimate, conversational style, the letters reflect the traditional Stoic focus on living in accordance with nature and accepting the world on its own terms. The philosopher emphasizes the Roman values of courage, self-control, and rationality, yet he remains remarkably modern in his tolerant and cosmopolitan attitude. Rich in epigrammatic wit, Seneca's interpretation of Stoicism constitutes a timeless and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind.

Playing Hurt

Biographies & Memoirs

For the first time ever, the popular late host of ESPN's The Sports Reporters and ABC's college football openly discusses a lifelong battle with depression. During his three decades on ESPN and ABC, John Saunders became one of the nation's most respected and beloved sportscasters. In this moving, jarring, and ultimately inspiring memoir, Saunders discusses his troubled childhood, the traumatic brain injury he suffered in 2011, and the severe depression that nearly cost him his life. As Saunders writes, Playing Hurt is not an autobiography of a sports celebrity but a memoir of a man facing his own mental illness, and emerging better off for the effort. I will take you into the heart of my struggle with depression, including insights into some of its causes, its consequences, and its treatments. I invite you behind the facade of my apparently "perfect" life as a sportscaster, with a wonderful wife and two healthy, happy adult daughters. I have a lot to be thankful for, and I am truly grateful. But none of these things can protect me or anyone else from the disease of depression and its potentially lethal effects. Mine is a rare story: that of a black man in the sports industry openly grappling with depression. I will share the good, the bad, and the ugly, including the lengths I've gone to to conceal my private life from the public. So why write a book? Because I want to end the pain and heartache that comes from leading a double life. I also want to reach out to the millions of people, especially men, who think they're alone and can't ask for help. John Saunders died suddenly on August 10, 2016, from an enlarged heart, diabetes, and other complications. This book is his ultimate act of generosity to help those who suffer from mental illness, and those who love them.

Wings on My Sleeve

Biographies & Memoirs

The autobiography of one of the greatest pilots in history.In 1939 Eric Brown was on a University of Edinburgh exchange course in Germany, and the first he knew of the war was when the Gestapo came to arrest him. They released him, not realising he was a pilot in the RAF volunteer reserve: and the rest is history. Eric Brown joined the Fleet Air Arm and went on to be the greatest test pilot in history, flying more different aircraft types than anyone else. During his lifetime he made a record-breaking 2,407 aircraft carrier landings and survived eleven plane crashes. One of Britain's few German-speaking airmen, he went to Germany in 1945 to test the Nazi jets, interviewing (among others) Hermann Goering and Hanna Reitsch. He flew the suicidally dangerous Me 163 rocket plane, and tested the first British jets. WINGS ON MY SLEEVE is 'Winkle' Brown's incredible story.

War of the Classes

Biographies & Memoirs

Jack London grew up in abject poverty, scraping by through a combination of both legal and under-the-table ways of making money since he was a boy. He was a sailor and at one point became swept up in the Klondike gold rush. 'The Call of the Wild', the timeless story of sled-dog Buck, brought him overnight fame throughout the literary world, and set him on the path to worldwide readership. London, entirely self-educated, cited Darwin, Marx, and Nietzsche among his main philosophical influences. This, he argues, caused him to lean towards socialism. His writings took place prior to the rise of Communism in the Soviet Union.Nonetheless, 'War of the Classes', first published in 1904, is not merely an account of London's sociopolitical musings, but also an overview of his impoverished, yet excited and hopeful generation.If you enjoyed Roman Polanski's 2005 movie 'Oliver Twist', this book will prove an endless source of fascination for you. -

Where Men Win Glory

Biographies & Memoirs

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A "gripping book about this extraordinary man who lived passionately and died unnecessarily" (USA Today) in post-9/11 Afghanistan, from the bestselling author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air.In 2002, Pat Tillman walked away from a multimillion-dollar NFL contract to join the Army and became an icon of American patriotism. When he was killed in Afghanistan two years later, a legend was born. But the real Pat Tillman was much more remarkable, and considerably more complicated than the public knew. Sent first to Iraq—a war he would openly declare was “illegal as hell” —and eventually to Afghanistan, Tillman was driven by emotionally charged, sometimes contradictory notions of duty, honor, justice, and masculine pride, and he was determined to serve his entire three-year commitment. But on April 22, 2004, his life would end in a barrage of bullets fired by his fellow soldiers. Though obvious to most of the two dozen soldiers on the scene that a ranger in Tillman’s own platoon had fired the fatal shots, the Army aggressively maneuvered to keep this information from Tillman’s family and the American public for five weeks following his death. During this time, President Bush used Tillman’s name to promote his administration’ s foreign policy. Long after Tillman’s nationally televised memorial service, the Army grudgingly notified his closest relatives that he had “probably” been killed by friendly fire while it continued to dissemble about the details of his death and who was responsible. Drawing on Tillman’s journals and letters and countless interviews with those who knew him and extensive research in Afghanistan, Jon Krakauer chronicles Tillman’s riveting, tragic odyssey in engrossing detail highlighting his remarkable character and personality while closely examining the murky, heartbreaking circumstances of his death. Infused with the power and authenticity readers have come to expect from Krakauer’s storytelling, Where Men Win Glory exposes shattering truths about men and war. This edition has been updated to reflect new developments and includes new material obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

The Story of My Life (The Complete Memoirs of Giacomo Casanova, Volume 4 of 12)

Biographies & Memoirs

A Venetian adventurer, author, and lifelong womanizer, the name of Casanova has become interchangeable with the art of seduction since the 18th century. In his most notable book, "Story of My Life," Casanova narrates countless tales of the people with whom he interacted: lovers, European royalty, clergymen, and artists such as Goethe, Voltaire, and Mozart. His writing demonstrates his talent for dialogue, while his life seems an inadvertent testament to skill in plot development. Casanova gambled, spied, translated, dueled, schemed, traveled, and observed people of all levels of society, having been born of two actors and becoming a self-made gentleman. He writes of his life without regret, recalling his adventures, from necromancy to imprisonment, with general honesty and the occasional embellishment, and always with a good humor. In this remarkable celebration of the senses, Casanova proves his talent for storytelling by revealing a refreshingly authentic view of the customs and everyday life of social 18th century Europeans, ultimately proving his claim that "I can say I have lived." In this edition you will find the fourth of twelve volumes of "The Complete Memoirs."

Born in Chains - Collected Slave Narratives

Biographies & Memoirs

E-artnow present the anthology of the most impactful slave narratives. The collection includes the memoirs, letters and biographies of former slaves, with the thousands of recorded interviews made in the South until 1970s: Frederick Douglass: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave Life and Times of Frederick Douglass My Bondage and My Freedom Harriet Jacobs: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Harriet: The Moses of Her People Booker T. Washington: Up From Slavery The Story of My Life and Work The Story of Slavery The Underground Railroad 12 Years a Slave (Solomon Northup) Life of William Grimes, the Runaway Slave Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave The History of Mary Prince The Blind African Slave (Boyrereau Brinch) The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano The Life and Adventures of Zamba, an African King (Zamba Zembola) A Narrative of Some Remarkable Incidents in the Life of Solomon Bayley Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom (William and Ellen Craft) Narrative of the Adventures and Escape of Moses Roper Narrative of Henry Watson - A Fugitive Slave Slave Life in Georgia: A Narrative of the Life Sufferingsand Escape of John Brown The Rev. J. W. Loguen, as a Slave and as a Freeman, a Narrative of Real Life The Experience of a Slave in South Carolina (John Andrew Jackson) The Willie Lynch Letter: The Making of Slave! (Willie Lynch) The Confessions of Nat Turner (Nat Turner) Thirty Years a Slave: From Bondage to Freedom (Louis Hughes) Narrative of the Life of J. D. Green, a Runaway Slave (Jacob D. Green) Behind The Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave & Four Years in the White House (Elizabeth Keckley) Father Henson's Story of His Own Life (Josiah Henson) Fifty Years in Chains; or, the Life of an American Slave (Charles Ball) Twenty-Two Years a Slave and Forty Years a Freeman (Austin Steward) Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, An American Slave, Written by Himself (Henry Bibb) The Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave The House of Bondage (Octavia Albert) The Story of Mattie J. Jackson The Fugitive Blacksmith (James W. C. Pennington) A Slave Girl's Story (Kate Drumgoold) From the Darkness Cometh the Light, or Struggles for Freedom (Lucy A. Delaney) Narrative of the Life of Moses Grandy, a Slave in the United States of America The Life and Sufferings of Leonard Black, a Fugitive from Slavery Narrative of Joanna; An Emancipated Slave, of Surinam (John Gabriel Stedman) Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown, Who Escaped in a 3x2 Feet Box, Written by Himself (Henry Box Brown) Memoir and Poems of Phillis Wheatley (Margaretta Matilda Odell) Buried Alive (Behind Prison Walls) For a Quarter of a Century. Life of William Walker (Thomas S. Gaines) Autobiography of James L. Smith Sketches of the Life of Joseph Mountain, a Negro The Kidnapped and the Ransomed (Peter Still) Twice Sold, Twice Ransomed (Emma and Lloyd Ray) Memories of Childhood's Slavery Days (Annie L. Burton) Aunt Dice: The Story of a Faithful Slave (by Nina Hill Robinson) The Autobiography of Nicholas Said Life of George Henry Slavery in the United States: A Narrative of Charles Ball Josiah: The Maimed Fugitive Bond and Free (Israel Campbell) Narrative of the Sufferings of Lewis Clarke My Slave Life – In Virginia and Kentucky (Francis Fedric) Buried Alive: Behind Prison Walls For a Quarter of a Century (William Walker) Sunshine and Shadow of Slave Life (Isaac D. Williams) A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture Smith The Life History and Unparalleled Sufferings of John Jea A Narrative of the Life and Laborsof the Rev. Greensbury Washington Offley Narrative of the Adventures and Escape of Moses Roper The Life of John Thompson, a Fugitive Slave From Slavery to Wealth: The Life of Scott Bond Out of the Ditch: A True Story of an Ex-Slave (Joseph Vance Lewis)

The Hitch

Biographies & Memoirs

The Hitch: das bewegte Leben eines der einflussreichsten und streitbarsten DenkerIkonen von ihrem Sockel zu stürzen ist ein Anliegen, das Christopher Hitchens mit der Nonchalance eines Salonlöwen und der Unerbittlichkeit eines Rottweilers verfolgt – wie seine Biografien über Mutter Teresa, Henry Kissinger und Bill Clinton beweisen. Jetzt hinterfragt der Bestsellerautor, Journalist, Bonvivant und Provokateur seinen eigenen, fast schon ikonenhaften Status als „wahrscheinlich klügster Kopf seiner Generation“ (DIE WELT). In seiner Autobiografie tritt „The Hitch” selbst ungeschminkt vor den Spiegel. Wie ein britischer Trotzkist, in der ersten Reihe der Vietnamkriegsgegner, nach dem 11. September die amerikanische Staatsbürgerschaft annimmt und bis heute zu den prominentesten und umstrittensten Befürwortern des Irakkriegs zählt. Wie der zum christlichen Glauben erzogene Sohn einer freigeistigen Mutter, die bis zu ihrem Selbstmord ihre jüdische Herkunft geheim hielt, seine atheistischen Ansichten zum Weltbestseller macht. Wie ein auf Kuba kaffeepflückender junger Linksintellektueller gegen das Establishment anstürmt und sich beim Cocktail mit Margaret Thatcher wiederfindet. „The Hitch” ist die Roadmap für ein Leben, das nichts, wirklich nichts ausgelassen hat.

The Letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford — Volume 1

Biographies & Memoirs

This is a biographical book. It was in 1823, whilst I was residing in India, that Lord Holland's edition of Walpole's Memoires of the Last Ten Years of the Reign of George the Second suggested to me this notion; and it was shortly afterwards communicated to several of my friends. The edition of Junius which I had with me, was that of Mr. Woodfall the younger, in three volumes; and I am not at present by any means satisfied that all the letters which the editor assigns to Junius were written by him: but in this hasty notice I must proceed upon the supposition that they were.

Desde aquí a lo desconocido: Memorias

Biographies & Memoirs

Hija de uno de los mayores mitos de Estados Unidos y criada en el territorio salvaje de Graceland, Lisa Marie Presley cuenta por primera vez su historia en estas memorias sinceras, conmovedoras y totalmente únicas, fielmente completadas por su hija, Riley Keough.En 2022, Lisa Marie Presley le pidió a su hija que la ayudase a terminar las memorias que tanto tiempo llevaba preparando.Un mes después, Lisa Marie fallecía, dejando al mundo sin la posibilidad de escuchar su historia en sus propias palabras. Nunca llegarían a descubrir a la mujer apasionada, alegre, cariñosa y complicada que Riley tanto quería y añoraba.Riley recogió las cintas que su madre había grabado para el libro, se tumbó en su cama, y escuchó a Lisa Marie contar historia tras historia sobre cómo solían estrellar coches de golf en los jardines de Graceland, sobre el amor incondicional que le profesaba su padre, sobre el tiempo que pasaban en la planta de arriba, solos los dos. Y sobre cómo tuvieron que sacarla a la fuerza del cuarto de baño mientras corría chillando hacia su cuerpo, inerte en el suelo. Sobre su vida con su madre en Los Ángeles, donde pasaba de un colegio a otro, acumulando expulsiones, siempre metida en líos. Sobre la especial relación con Danny Keough, que se prolongó durante toda su vida, sobre su matrimonio con Michael Jackson y todo lo que tenían en común. Sobre la maternidad. Sobre los abismos de la adicción. Sobre la tristeza que la acechaba constantemente. Riley supo que tenía que cumplir el deseo de su madre y compartir esos recuerdos, incandescentes y dolorosos, con el mundo.Para permitir que la conozcamos por fin.Este libro extraordinario está compuesto tanto de la voz de Lisa Marie como de la de Riley, una madre y una hija comunicándose incluso después de la muerte para intentar curarse la una a la otra. Profundamente conmovedora e intensamente reveladora, Desde aquí a lo desconocido es una obra inigualable: las últimas palabras de la única hija de una auténtica leyenda.

The Memoirs of Casanova

Biographies & Memoirs

The autobiography of a fascinating figure—as well as a rich, detailed portrait of eighteenth-century European society.The Venetian son of a dancer and an actress, Giacomo Casanova is best known today for his legendary womanizing. But he also lived a remarkable life of adventure. A well-educated man and a gambler, Casanova worked in the church, joined the military, and became a musician, but he ultimately chose to live as a debauched nobleman, seeking pleasure wherever and whenever he could. Casanova’s travels brought him into contact with the wealthy and powerful of his day—from the pope to Mozart and Voltaire—and to numerous locations across Europe, often one step ahead of scandal, at one point even making a daring escape from prison. In these memoirs he shares his stories, providing unique insight into a singular figure in history.

Struggles & Triumphs: A Memoir

Biographies & Memoirs

Struggles and Triumphs is the autobiography of P. T. Barnum, famous American businessman and showman. Covering the period of around half a century, the autobiography tells about how he found success selling sights to the American and European public. He was successful because he watched for an opportunity to sell things, and then used the power of marketing and advertising to make sure that everybody wanted to see his attractions. Barnum shares many fascinating episodes in the process of making money and building great fortune, by arranging circus shows, concerts, theatrical performances and similar events, then losing it all through frauds and hoaxes, only to start again and succeeds even more.

My Boring-Ass Life (Revised Edition)

Biographies & Memoirs

NOW UPDATED WITH THE ‘INS AND OUTS’ OF MAKING ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO, AND MUCH, MUCH MORE! Anything but boring, Kevin Smith shares his x-rated thoughts in his diary, telling all in his usual candid, heartfelt and irreverent way!Kevin Smith pulls no punches in this hard-hitting, in-your-face exposé of, er, his rather dull and uneventful life… well, not always dull. In between watching his TiVo, he manages to make and release Clerks II, relate the story of his partner-in-crime Jason Mewes’ heroin addiction... and get caught stealing donuts from Burt Reynolds.Thrown in are his views on the perils of strip clubs, the drawback of threesomes, the pain of anal fissures, his love-affair with Star Wars and so much more! Adults Only!

The Souls of Black Folk

Biographies & Memoirs

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time"The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line." Thus speaks W.E.B. Du Bois in The Souls Of Black Folk, one of the most prophetic and influental works in American literature. In this eloquent collection of essays, first published in 1903, Du Bois dares as no one has before to describe the magnitude of American racism and demand an end to it. He draws on his own life for illustration, from his early experiences teaching in the hills of Tennessee to the death of his infant son and his historic break with the conciliatory position of Booker T. Washington.Far ahead of its time, The Souls Of Black Folk both anticipated and inspired much of the black conciousness and activism of the 1960's and is a classic in the literature of civil rights. The elegance of DuBois's prose and the passion of his message are as crucial today as they were upon the book's first publication.

The Confessions of St. Augustine

Biographies & Memoirs

"Augustine never thought of God without thinking of his sin, nor of his sin without thinking of Christ."St. Augustine grates hard against "the anatomy of evil" while dealing succinctly and honestly with his own proneness toward sin. From his infatuation with its initial beauty to the discounting of his previously wasted life, Augustine leaves little to the imagination regarding his need to be saved from himself.Most of Augustine's Confessions are spent in a nearly catastrophe tug of war. From insult and injury to passion, lost love, and the arts--this work leads through and beyond a world where God's timing is absolutely perfect. Nothing has really changed since then. Sin is still sin--and God is still God.Moody ClassicsOf all the factors influencing our spiritual growth and development, pivotal books play a key role. Learning from those who have walked the path and fought the fight brings wisdom and strengthens resolve. And hearing the familiar chords of kingdom living sung by voices from other times can penetrate cultural barriers that limit our allegiance to the King. To this end, Moody Publishers is honored to introduce the first six volumes in what is to be an ongoing series of spiritual classics. Selected for their enduring influence and timeless perspective, these new editions promise to shape the lives of spiritual pilgrims for generations to come.

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