Biographies & Memoirs - Books

Oppenheimer

Biographies & Memoirs

«L'avvincente racconto di una delle figure più decisive e contraddittorie della storia. »Christopher Nolan«Un racconto magistrale. »Los Angeles Times«Un'opera di grande erudizione e lucido approfondimento. »The New York Times «I fisici hanno conosciuto il peccato e da questa consapevolezza non potranno mai liberarsi.»Robert OppenheimerConsiderato uno dei più grandi scienziati di tutti i tempi e un autentico prodigio della fisica, Robert Oppenheimer coordinò il leggendario progetto Manhattan che nel 1945 produsse la prima bomba atomica, consacrando la sua carriera. Di fronte all’esito devastante dei bombardamenti su Hiroshima e Nagasaki, tuttavia, il «distruttore di mondi» avanzò una radicale proposta per il controllo internazionale dei materiali nucleari nonché a opporsi con fermezza alla realizzazione della bomba all’idrogeno. A questa figura tragica ed eroica Kai Bird e Martin J. Sherwin hanno dedicato una monumentale biografia che nel 2006 ha ricevuto il premio Pulitzer: Oppenheimer ripercorre la parabola di una vera icona dell’America degli anni Quaranta, dall’oscurità alla fama che lo portò a partecipare alle grandi sfide e ai grandi trionfi del XX secolo, fino all’umiliazione di trovarsi coinvolto, nel 1954, in una terribile inchiesta che avrebbe compromesso per sempre la sua reputazione. Riflessione profonda sul rapporto tra scienza e potere, questo magistrale racconto proietta, attraverso la vita di un uomo, nuove luci e nuove ombre sulla storia di tutti noi.

The Life of Amerigo Vespucci

Biographies & Memoirs

This eBook edition of "The Life of Amerigo Vespucci" has been formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian explorer, navigator and cartographer who first demonstrated that Brazil and the West Indies did not represent Asia's eastern outskirts as initially conjectured from Columbus' voyages, but instead constituted an entirely separate landmass hitherto unknown to Europeans. Colloquially named the New World, this second super continent came to be known as "Americas", deriving its name from Americus, the Latin transcription of Vespucci's first name. Learn more about the man who gave his name to the new continent, read his personal letters, diaries and what his contemporaries wrote about him. Table of Contents: Biography of Amerigo Vespucci by Frederick A. Ober Life of Vespucci by Clements R. Markham Letter of Amerigo Vespucci to a "Magnificent Lord" Letter of Amerigo Vespucci to Lorenzo Pietro F. di Medici Evidence of Alonso de Hojeda respecting his Voyage of 1499 Account of the Voyage of Hojeda, 1499-1500, by Navarrete Letter of the Admiral Christopher Columbus to his Son Letter of Vianelo to the Seigneury of Venice Letter of Naturalization in Favour of Vespucci Appointment of Amerigo Vespucci as Chief Pilot Chapters from Las Casas, which discuss the Statements of Vespucci: Evidence respecting the Voyage of Pinzon and Solis Las Casas on the Voyage of Pinzon and Solis

The Story of My Life (The Complete Memoirs of Giacomo Casanova, Volume 6 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 sixth of twelve volumes of "The Complete Memoirs."

A Writer's House in Wales

Biographies & Memoirs

Through an exploration of her country home in Wales, acclaimed travel writer Jan Morris discovers the heart of her fascinating country and what it means to be Welsh. Trefan Morys, Morris's home between the sea and mountains of the remote northwest corner of Wales, is the 18th-century stable block of her former family house nearby. Surrounding it are the fields and outbuildings, the mud, sheep, and cattle of a working Welsh farm.She regards this modest building not only as a reflection of herself and her life, but also as epitomizing the small and complex country of Wales, which has defied the world for centuries to preserve its own identity. Morris brilliantly meditates on the beams and stone walls of the house, its jumbled contents, its sounds and smells, its memories and inhabitants, and finally discovers the profoundest meanings of Welshness.

Victoire sur l'excision

Biographies & Memoirs

L'excision, ce « fléau » qui touche encore 130 millions de femmes dans le monde et dont on croyait les conséquences irréversibles, peut maintenant être « réparée ». Cette révolution vient de France. Le docteur Pierre Foldes, chirurgien urologue, qui a travaillé avec Mère Teresa, responsable pour l'Asie de Médecins du monde, a déjà rendu à plus de mille femmes mutilées leur intégrité corporelle : la technique chirurgicale qu'il a mise au point reconstitue leur clitoris et leur permet de connaître enfin le plaisir. Hubert Prolongeau brosse le parcours de Pierre Foldes, « french doctor » aussi énergique que généreux. Il nous explique le sens de son infatigable et dangereux combat - qui lui a valu des menaces de mort - et évoque la reconnaissance infinie des patientes qui vivent une véritable renaissance. Rappelant l'ampleur des mutilations sexuelles en Afrique, en Égypte... et en France, il dénonce une inhumanité qui, grâce à Pierre Foldes, n'est plus définitive.

Enigma

Biographies & Memoirs

«Equiparo el enigma a la idea de alma, de ser, y no lo concibo como un mero enigma sexual, sino como una búsqueda de unidad.»La gran escritora de viajes Jan Morris nació como James Morris. Con ese nombre se distinguió en el ejército británico y se convirtió en un audaz reportero de éxito: escaló montañas, cruzó desiertos y se ganó la reputación de historiador del Imperio británico. Estaba felizmente casado y con hijos.Pero las apariencias, como James Morris supo desde la niñez, pueden ser profundamente engañosas, pues durante toda la primera mitad de su vida sufrió la disonancia entre un cuerpo masculino y su alma de mujer.Enigma es uno de los primeros libros en plantear la transexualidad con honestidad y naturalidad. Jan Morris nos cuenta cómo decidió someterse a un tratamiento hormonal para luego enfrentarse a una arriesgada cirugía que la convertiría en la mujer que realmente era.No es la primera memoria trans moderna, pero quizá sí la primera con ambiciones literarias. Enigma contribuyó a establecer una forma de pensar sobre lo que significa ser trans y es un ejemplo literariamente impecable y temprano de la «narrativa del cuerpo equivocado».

The Underground Railroad (Complete Collection)

Biographies & Memoirs

This ebook collection has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. "The Underground Railroad" chronicles the stories and methods of some 649 slaves who escaped to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Author, William Still included his carefully compiled and detailed documentation about those that he had helped escape into the pages of The Underground Railroad Records. William Still (1821-1902) was an African-American abolitionist in Philadelphia, conductor on the Underground Railroad, businessman, writer, historian and civil rights activist.

Theodore Roosevelt

Biographies & Memoirs

Spanning his earliest remembrances as a child to his historic charge up San Juan Hill, and his years in the White House, Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography offers an intimate and telling portrait of one of the greatest statesmen in American history.As a militarist and politician, Theodore Roosevelt accomplished a remarkable list of achievements including forming the Rough Riders, trust-busting companies like Standard Oil, expanding the United States’ network of national parks, and negotiating the end of the Russo-Japanese War, for which he was awarded the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize.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 Spiritual Journey of Alejandro Jodorowsky

Biographies & Memoirs

Jodorowsky’s memoirs of his experiences with Master Takata and the group of wisewomen--magiciennes--who influenced his spiritual growth • Reveals Jodorowsky turning the same unsparing spiritual vision seen in El Topo to his own spiritual quest • Shows how the author’s spiritual insight and progress was catalyzed repeatedly by wisewoman shamans and healers In 1970, John Lennon introduced to the world Alejandro Jodorowsky and the movie, El Topo, that he wrote, starred in, and directed. The movie and its author instantly became a counterculture icon. The New York Times said the film “demands to be seen,” and Newsweek called it “An Extraordinary Movie!” But that was only the beginning of the story and the controversy of El Topo, and the journey of its brilliant creator. His spiritual quest began with the Japanese master Ejo Takata, the man who introduced him to the practice of meditation, Zen Buddhism, and the wisdom of the koans. Yet in this autobiographical account of his spiritual journey, Jodorowsky reveals that it was a small group of wisewomen, far removed from the world of Buddhism, who initiated him and taught him how to put the wisdom he had learned from his master into practice.At the direction of Takata, Jodorowsky became a student of the surrealist painter Leonora Carrington, thus beginning a journey in which vital spiritual lessons were transmitted to him by various women who were masters of their particular crafts. These women included Doña Magdalena, who taught him “initiatic” or spiritual massage; the powerful Mexican actress known as La Tigresa (the “tigress”); and Reyna D’Assia, daughter of the famed spiritual teacher G. I. Gurdjieff. Other important wisewomen on Jodorowsky’s spiritual path include María Sabina, the priestess of the sacred mushrooms; the healer Pachita; and the Chilean singer Violeta Parra. The teachings of these women enabled him to discard the emotional armor that was hindering his advancement on the path of spiritual awareness and enlightenment.

The glass castle

Biographies & Memoirs

Nessun bambino dovrebbe affrontare ciò che la mamma e il papà di Jeannette hanno fatto passare ai loro figli. Ma tutti i bambini dovrebbero avere una famiglia come quella. È il paradosso del vero amore. Anche se è imperfetto, ti salva. Seconda di quattro figli, Jeannette è cresciuta in una famiglia che oggi si chiamerebbe disfunzionale. Il padre, Rex, poliedrico, bizzarro e di grande intelligenza, non riesce a tenersi né lavoro né soldi per via dell'alcol. Perde al gioco e costringe tutti a una vita da nomadi per fuggire dai creditori. La madre, Rose Mary, artista e insegnante, è insofferente a qualsiasi responsabilità e sostiene che i bambini debbano cavarsela da soli, che si tratti di procurarsi il cibo, il necessario per scaldarsi o rammendarsi i vestiti per non andare in giro con i buchi. La quotidianità dei fratelli Walls è un bizzarro melange di meraviglia, funambolismo e tragedia: Rex si occupa dell'istruzione dei figli, insegnando loro geologia, astronomia e letteratura, con lezioni sotto le stelle, ma i fratelli devono imparare presto a proteggersi a vicenda e a tenere a bada l'incoscienza dei genitori. Eppure, nonostante Jeannette sin da giovanissima sapesse che solo volando via da quel nido poteva salvarsi, non ha mai smesso di pensare con affetto alla propria infanzia, ed è riconoscente nei confronti dei suoi imperfetti genitori perché le hanno fatto un dono prezioso: un amore incondizionato e la libertà.

Ann Dvorak

Biographies & Memoirs

The forgotten screen legend who made Hollywood history by challenging the all-powerful studio system is revealed in this first full-length biography.Seemingly destined for A-list fame, Ann Dvorak was touted as “Hollywood’s New Cinderella” after film mogul Howard Hughes cast her in the 1932 gangster film Scarface. But Dvorak’s journey to superstardom was derailed when she walked out on her contractual obligations to Warner Bros. for an extended honeymoon. Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel explores the life and career of one of the first individuals who dared to challenge the studio system.Dvorak reached her pinnacle during the early 1930s, when the film industry was relatively uncensored and free to produce movies with more daring storylines. She played several female leads in films including The Strange Love of Molly Louvain, Three on a Match, and Heat Lightning, but after her walk-out, Warner Bros retaliated by casting her in less significant roles.Following the casting conflicts and illness, Dvorak filed a lawsuit against the Warner Bros. studio, setting a precedent for other stars who eventually followed suit. In this insightful memoir, Christina Rice explores the spirited rebellion of a talented actress whose promising career fell victim to the studio empire.

KARLA

Biographies & Memoirs

Karla Weigand, geboren am 25. April 1944 in München, ist eine Autorin, die sich auf vielen literarischen Feldern tummelt und wohlfühlt: Angeregt durch ihren Mann Jörg, begann sie um die Jahrtausendwende mit kurzen Erzählungen, denen innerhalb kürzester Zeit zahlreiche Kurzromane folgten; ab 2006 veröffentlichte die gelernte Historikerin auch große historische Romane, die – sorgfältig recherchiert zu Papier gebracht – für Aufsehen sorgten. Gleich ihr erster historischer Roman »Die Kammerzofe«, (2006) im Frankreich der Revolution angesiedelt, wurde ein großer internationaler Erfolg. Es folgten akribisch dokumentierte Romane wie »Die Hexengräfin« (2007) oder die Trilogie um die »Friesenhexe« (2012 bis 2023), angesiedelt während der Walfängerzeit auf der Insel Föhr und in den Weiten des Atlantischen Ozeans. All diesen historischen Romanen ist eigen, dass die Autorin die Verwendung fantastischer Elemente konsequent durchzieht. Mit »Der Pontifex« (2021) lieferte Karla Weigand ein gelungenes Beispiel religiöser Science-Fiction, in dem sie auch Elemente historischer deutscher Kolonialpolitik meisterhaft einbaut. Mit »Kommissar Lavalle und der Seinemörder« begann sie 2022 eine Serie historischer Kriminalromane, die bis in kleinste Details kriminalpolizeiliche Arbeit im Paris der Revolution nachzeichnet. Neben diesen Romanen vergaß Karla Weigand nie die kurze Prosaform: Es entstanden weit über einhundert Erzählungen und Kurzgeschichten, vorwiegend fantastischer Natur, gesammelt in vier Sammlungen, zuletzt »Die böse Frau« (2024). Kollegen und Freunde feiern eine Erfolgsautorin zu ihrem 80. Geburtstag. Das Titelfoto wurde von Frank G. Gerigk geschossen.

The Life of Flavius Josephus: Autobiography

Biographies & Memoirs

The Life of Flavius Josephus, or simply Vita, is an autobiographical text written by Josephus in approximately 94-99 CE, where the author for the most part re-visits the events of the Jewish-Roman War, apparently in response to allegations made against him by Justus of Tiberias. Titus Flavius Josephus was a first-century Romano-Jewish scholar, historian and hagiographer, who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly descent and a mother who claimed royal ancestry. He initially fought against the Romans during the First Jewish–Roman War as head of Jewish forces in Galilee, until surrendering in 67 CE to Roman forces led by Vespasian after the six-week siege of Jotapata. After Vespasian became Emperor in 69 CE, he granted Josephus his freedom, at which time Josephus assumed the emperor's family name of Flavius. He fully defected to the Roman side and was granted Roman citizenship. Josephus recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the first century CE and the First Jewish–Roman War, including the Siege of Masada. His most important works were The Jewish War (c. 75) and Antiquities of the Jews (c. 94).

Sección fumadores (Flash Relatos)

Biographies & Memoirs

Un relato autobiográfico sobre dejar de fumar.Sedaris deja claro que jugar con cerillas puede provocar un incendio devastador y que él mismo, siguiendo la estela de Groucho Marx y Woody Allen, es el más talentoso de los jugadores.Fumar es una adicción terrible, y dejar de hacerlo es un esfuerzo y un verdadero quebradero de cabeza, pero Sedaris nos lo cuenta a través de un peculiar método viajando por Japón.

Total Recall

Biographies & Memoirs

Tu je Arnold a jeho Total Recall. Jeho príbeh je jedinečný a jedinečne zábavný. Arnold ho osobne brilantne rozpovie na stranách knihy Total Recall. Narodil sa v časoch hladomoru v malom rakúskom meste ako syn prísneho policajného náčelníka. Sníval o tom, ako odíde do Ameriky a stane sa šampiónom v kulturistike a filmovou hviezdou. Keď mal 21 rokov, žil v Los Angeles a získal titul Mr. Universe. Počas piatich rokov sa naučil anglicky a stal sa najlepším kulturistom na svete. Počas desiatich rokov získal vysokoškolský titul a stal sa milionárom vďaka podnikaniu s realitami, záhradnou architektúrou a kulturistikou. Taktiež sa stal víťazom Zlatého Glóbu za svoj debut ako herec vo filme Stay Hungry (Zostaň hladný). Počas dvadsiatich rokov sa stal najväčšou filmovou hviezdou, manželom Marie Shriver a objavujúcim sa lídrom Republikánov, pričom bol členom rodiny Kennedyovcov. Po tridsiatich šiestich rokoch po tom, čo prišiel do Ameriky, bol mužom, ktorého priatelia kulturisti prezývali ako “rakúsky dub”, bol zvolený za guvernéra Kalifornie, siedmej najväčšej ekonomiky sveta. Viedol tento štát počas rozpočtovej krízy, prírodných katastrof a politických nepokojov, bojoval za lepšie životné prostredie, volebné reformy a riešenia dvoch politických strán. S Mariou Shriver vychoval štyri úžasné deti. Po prepuknutí škandálu o nevere sa priznal a pokúšal sa udržať rodinu pohromade. Až doteraz nikdy nerozpovedal celý svoj životný príbeh svojimi vlastnými slovami.

Up from Slavery

Biographies & Memoirs

Booker Taliaferro Washington began life as a slave in Virginia shortly before emancipation, but rose to become one of the most celebrated leaders the African American community has ever had. His principal occupation was as president of the Tuskegee Institute, which he founded in 1881, but he earned national renown as an orator, writer and political advisor. His address at the Atlanta Exposition was a pivotal moment in race relations in America.Washington believed deeply in the dignity of physical labor, and that merit and talent are eventually rewarded regardless of race or class. The Tuskegee Institution was primarily a technical college, and aimed to teach industrial skills in addition to academic training. Students built many of the buildings on the campus, grew the food that was eaten there, and even made the furniture, tools and vehicles used by the school.Up from Slavery was originally published as a serialized work in The Outlook, a Christian magazine based in New York, before being collected in a single volume in 1901. This edition includes an introduction by Walter Page, a future U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom.

The Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave

Biographies & Memoirs

One morning, however, while the hands were at work in the field, he came into it, accompanied by three friends of his, Thompson, Woodbridge and Jones. They came up to where Randall was at work, and Cook ordered him to leave his work, and go with them to the barn. He refused to go; whereupon he was attacked by the overseer and his companions, when he turned upon them, and laid them, one after another, prostrate on the ground. Woodbridge drew out his pistol, and fired at him, and brought him to the ground by a pistol ball. The others rushed upon him with their clubs, and beat him over the head and face, until they succeeded in tying him. He was then taken to the barn, and tied to a beam. Cook gave him over one hundred lashes with a heavy cowhide, had him washed with salt and water, and left him tied during the day. The next day he was untied, and taken to a blacksmith's shop, and had a ball and chain attached to his leg.

The Confessions of J. J. Rousseau — Volume 08

Biographies & Memoirs

The book is begins the long chain of my misfortunes deduced from their origin. Having lived in the two most splendid houses in Paris, I had, notwithstanding my candor and modesty, made some acquaintance. Among others at Dupin's, that of the young hereditary prince of Saxe-Gotha, and of the Baron de Thun, his governor; at the house of M. de la Popliniere, that of M. Seguy, friend to the Baron de Thun, and known in the literary world by his beautiful edition of Rousseau. I have written. Were the remembrance of me to be lost at my dissolution, rather than expose any person alive, I would without a murmur suffer an unjust and momentary reproach. But since my name is to live, it is my duty to endeavor to transmit with it to posterity the remembrance of the unfortunate man by whom it was borne, such as he really was, and not such as his unjust enemies incessantly endeavored to describe him.

Chirac. Une vie

Biographies & Memoirs

« J'ai rencontré Jacques Chirac pour la première fois en 1972 et je l'ai ensuite suivi de près pendant quatre décennies, mais je ne suis pas sûr d'avoir percé sa vérité, tant elle a toujours couru vite. De Jacques Chirac, on a dit tout et son contraire. Qu'il était faible et autoritaire, populiste et technocrate, versatile et cabochard, ignare et cultivé ou encore qu'il y avait du bon Samaritain chez ce maître de l’assassinat politique. C'est beaucoup pour un seul homme, mais il aura été, tout au long de sa carrière, un personnage gigogne, gaulliste, bonapartiste, libéral, étatiste et radical-socialiste selon les ans. Jacques Chirac restera un cas dans l'Histoire de France. Une incongruité et un record de longévité. Membre du gouvernement sous de Gaulle puis Pompidou pendant sept ans, il fut ensuite Premier ministre sous Giscard et Mitterrand, soit quatre ans en tout, avant de présider le pays douze ans durant. À force de vivre en concubinage avec la République, Jacques Chirac a fini, dans une de ses dernières transfigurations, par se confondre avec elle, l’histoire de cet homme devenant l'Histoire de France, pour le meilleur et pour le pire. Dans ce livre où j'ai refondu et complété mes biographies précédentes, c’est ce destin que j’ai voulu raconter après avoir suivi pas à pas ce personnage noué et mystérieux qui, tout au long de sa vie, n'a jamais été celui que l’on croyait. » F.-O.G.

Renditi utile

Biographies & Memoirs

«Se mi conosci un poco, probabilmente sai già che non sono un tipo che si arrende. Anzi, apprezzo la sfida del dover risalire la china. È la lotta che rende il sapore del successo, quando lo raggiungi, così dolce.» Dietro una persona realizzata c’è un unico segreto ed è alla portata di tutti: una mentalità vincente. Lo sa bene Arnold Schwarzenegger, che nella vita ha raggiunto sempre il massimo livello in ogni campo in cui si è messo alla prova. Nato in un piccolo villaggio austriaco, a vent’anni vola in America, deciso a lasciarsi alle spalle la povertà e le magre prospettive che il paese natale poteva offrirgli. Ha solo duecento dollari in tasca, ma un piano dettagliato in testa. I suoi risultati straordinari sono il frutto di una visione chiara del futuro, duro lavoro e la capacità strategica di valorizzare i propri talenti. Per arrivare esattamente dove si era proposto, Schwarzenegger ha fatto sua la lezione numero uno del padre, un insegnamento miracoloso: renditi utile, a quante più persone possibile e a te stesso prima di tutto.Spaziando da Marco Aurelio a Epitteto, Arnold condivide in questo libro sette regole semplici e straordinariamente efficaci che hanno costituito per lui un faro in tutte le circostanze che si è trovato ad affrontare, con poche chiacchiere e molti fatti. I suoi consigli prendono vita grazie alle coinvolgenti storie personali a cui l’autore attinge con grande generosità, non limitandosi a raccontare i successi che hanno cambiato tutto ma esplorando anche i fallimenti brucianti che hanno minacciato di far crollare ogni cosa – alcuni già noti, molti altri svelati in queste pagine per la prima volta. Perché il successo si costruisce un pezzo alla volta e ogni tanto tocca mettersi a scalare a mani nude. Meglio allora se cominci a rimboccarti le maniche, perché nessuno verrà a salvarti: devi pensarci da te. La buona notizia è che hai già tutto ciò che ti serve per farlo. Parola di Arnold.

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