Biographies & Memoirs - Books

Diane de Poitiers

Biographies & Memoirs

Sur Diane enfant nous ne possédons qu’un renseignement précis : son père l’emmenait à la chasse quand elle avait six ans. Dès le premier âge, le futur modèle du Primatice suivit les traces de la déesse, sa patronne, et soumit son corps aux saines disciplines dont elle devait être si bien récompensée. Pendant son existence entière, Diane se lèvera avec le jour, prendra des bains d’eau froide, chevauchera fougueusement à travers bois. Les nobles animaux qui contribueront à immortaliser ses images, elle ne perdra jamais le goût de les forcer.

Carmen. La révoltée

Biographies & Memoirs

Jean Lacouture, biographe des plus grands noms de notre histoire politique et culturelle, met son talent au service d'un mythe, Carmen, personnage de femme sombre et solaire, écrasée et révoltée, au double destin littéraire et musical. Incarnant, sous la plume de Mérimée, la fatalité, celle de la gitane enfermée dans sa condition ethnique, sexuelle, professionnelle, Carmen devient, sur scène et par la musique de Bizet, une diablesse qui lance ses appels à la liberté " à travers la montagne " et court librement à une mort qu'elle semble avoir choisie. Jean Lacouture peint ce double portrait en le resituant, avec la rigueur et le brio qui sont sa marque, dans ses lieux et dans son histoire, au coeur d'un siècle où la France regarde l'Espagne, l'aime et la bouscule – de la révolte madrilène de 1808 contre l'intervention napoléonienne à la gloire de l'impératrice Eugénie de Montijo. Un cahier photo retraçant en images l'évolution du mythe de Carmen accompagne cet essai captivant. Jean Lacouture est l'auteur de plus de quarante livres dont de nombreuses biographies : outre De Gaulle, citons Malraux, Mauriac, Champollion, ou Montaigne. Il est aussi passionné d'opéra et président de la société des amis de Georges Bizet.

Pour se raconter II

Biographies & Memoirs

Parfois, un vieux costume traditionnel peut raviver des origines depuis longtemps oubliées. Parfois, c'est la lecture d'un poème qui déclenche un trouble inattendu. Parfois encore, c'est une rencontre. D'un récit à l'autre, des voix se croisent, des luttes se font écho, des émotions se répondent. Entre drames personnels et déracinements, entre identité féminine et défense de la francophonie, les quarante-et-un textes de ce recueil racontent des parcours identitaires propres à chacun, qui nous font voyager d'une culture à l'autre. À travers ces histoires aussi colorées que touchantes, c'est l'occasion de se pencher sur sa propre identité et, peut-être, d'y faire des découvertes sur soi-même.

Il mondo è un teatro

Biographies & Memoirs

«Chiunque ami Londra e Shakespeare non può assolutamente perdersi questo brillante libro.»Il Sole 24 Ore - Laura LepriLA VITA E L’EPOCA DI WILLIAM SHAKESPEAREDel sommo poeta inglese, forse il più grande autore di ogni tempo e luogo, ci restano 884.647 parole (ma solo quattordici scritte di suo pugno). Molte meno sono le informazioni che abbiamo sulla sua vita, quasi nulla possiamo affermare con certezza riguardo alla sua personalità, forse non possediamo nemmeno un suo ritratto autentico e quindi, in teoria, non sappiamo che faccia avesse. Alcuni studiosi hanno persino dubitato della sua esistenza: «È una sorta di equivalente letterario dell’elettrone: è lì ma non è lì». Eppure su William Shakespeare, sulla sua vita e sul suo tempo, sono stati versati fiumi di inchiostro che hanno alimentato innumerevoli polemiche e strabilianti congetture. Bill Bryson, attingendo al guazzabuglio di curiosità che ruotano intorno alla figura del bardo, ci offre oggi uno Shakespeare mai raccontato e un delizioso affresco della vita londinese nel periodo elisabettiano, in cui i teatri, sempre affollati, aprivano alle due del pomeriggio, il biglietto d’ingresso costava un penny e per gli spettatori più golosi erano in vendita birra, pan di zenzero, noci, mele e pere «che potevano trasformarsi in missili nei momenti di delusione». E, con la consueta abilità di scrittura, ricostruisce non solo la biografia di un uomo, ma anche un’epoca di intensa temperie culturale e grande libertà di pensiero: il racconto, rigoroso e divertente a un tempo, della vita di persone che «sei giorni alla settimana si riunivano, si travestivano, si truccavano per donare al mondo alcune delle più sublimi e irripetibili ore di piacere mai sperimentato».

Tudo o que eu sei sobre o amor

Biographies & Memoirs

Descrito como um “Sex and the City para millennials”, primeiro livro de autora britânica traz relatos divertidíssimos sobre o drama e a comédia da vida adultaDolly Alderton sabe bem do que está falando. Ela sobreviveu aos seus vinte anos com dignidade (mais ou menos), e todo mundo que já passou (ou está passando) por essa década decisiva da vida sabe que chegar inteiro aos trinta é um feito e tanto. São muitas descobertas, experimentações, romances intensos, roubadas, porres homéricos, empregos estranhos, autossabotagem, foras destruidores, mágoas, humilhações e, o mais importante, amigos imprescindíveis que estão sempre ali para te ajudar a passar por todas essas coisas sem grandes traumas (ou quase isso).Estreia da autora na literatura, Tudo o que eu sei sobre o amor acompanha a trajetória de Dolly da juventude à vida adulta. Uma espécie de O Diário de Bridget Jones da vida real, o livro traz um misto de sessão de terapia e muita fofoca. Dolly sabe navegar como poucos entre o trágico e o incrivelmente cômico de suas memórias sem dar chance para a nossa indiferença, com histórias impossíveis de não se identificar — por vezes tão insanas que poderiam ser ficção — e que traduzem de forma brilhante o verdadeiro caos que é amadurecer.

Ragazzi, che giornata!

Biographies & Memoirs

Per quarant'anni David Sedaris ha tenuto un diario in cui ha registrato qualsiasi cosa catturasse la sua attenzione: i commenti fatti alle spalle, i gossip più salaci, i colpi di scena delle soap opera, i segreti confessati da totali sconosciuti. Tutte queste osservazioni sono la materia originaria, viva e pulsante, dei suoi lavori, il luogo dove ha perfezionato le sue frasi più ingegnose e audaci.Ora Sedaris condivide questa scrittura privata con i lettori. Ragazzi, che giornata! è la storia di come un dropout con problemi di droga, un debole per la Casa Internazionale del Pancake e un'incapacità cronica di tenersi un lavoro stabile sia diventato una delle persone più divertenti del pianeta. La scrittura di questo diario (non troppo privato) è quella che ha reso David Sedaris un autore di culto nel mondo: graffiante e ironica, con un orecchio assoluto per tutto ciò che è fuori dal comune e una generosità che nemmeno il suo senso dell'umorismo da misantropo riesce a nascondere. Questo libro dimostra quanto il suo autore abbia un occhio chirurgico per penetrare a fondo la nostra realtà. E al contempo ricorda che, se siete perspicaci e curiosi come Sedaris, la vostra vita non conoscerà nemmeno un giorno di noia.Se volete sapere come funziona la testa di un genio, questo è un buon modo per iniziare!

Tyrants

Biographies & Memoirs

Today more than ever, international headlines are dominated by dispatches from the many dictatorships that still dot the globe. Although Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has been deposed, North Korea's Kim Jong-il continues to attract attention on the world stage; at the same time, other dictatorships, led by royal families, military juntas, and single political parties, persist in repressing and brutalizing their citizens without ever attracting anything like Saddam's or Kim Jong-il's level of international attention.In this fascinating, eye-opening read, New York Times bestselling author David Wallechinsky offers in-depth portraits of each of the twenty worst dictators -- and the governments they head -- currently in power: exposing their crimes, and revealing their strange personalities and mysterious backgrounds. Tyrants also reveals the extent that foreign corporations and governments support these tyrants despite their policies.Timely and provocative, crafted with the popular touch that has made Wallechinsky a bestselling author, Tyrants will awaken you to the criminal regimes of the present -- and pose challenging questions about America's role in curbing (or promoting) their power in the future.The Tyrant Hall of Shame includes:Kim Jong-il/North KoreaHu Jintao/ChinaSeyed Ali Khamenei/IranKing Abdullah/Saudi Arabia Muammar al-Qaddafi/LibyaOmar al-Bashir/SudanIslam Karimov/UzbekistanSaparmurat Niyazov/Turkmenistan Fidel Castro/Cuba

Elon Musk

Biographies & Memoirs

Do autor de Steve Jobs e outras biografias de sucesso, chega-nos a história surpreendentemente íntima de um dos inovadores mais controversos e fascinantes da atualidade - um visionário avesso a regras que levou o mundo para a era dos carros elétricos, da exploração espacial de iniciativa privada e da inteligência artificial. Ah, e comprou o Twitter.Durante a sua infância, na África do Sul, Elon Musk foi vítima de bullying. Um dia, foi empurrado de umas escadas de cimento abaixo e pontapeado no rosto até este ficar uma massa ensanguentada e inchada. Ficou internado durante uma semana.Mas as mazelas físicas eram insignificantes quando comparadas com as feridas emocionais infligidas pelo seu pai, um carismático e engenhoso fantasista que agia por conta própria. Quando Elon teve alta do hospital, o pai repreendeu-o. «Tive de ficar de pé uma hora a ouvi-lo gritar comigo, a chamar-me idiota e a dizer-me que era um inútil», recorda.O impacto do pai na sua psique permaneceria. Transformou-se num homem-criança duro, apesar de vulnerável, com uma tolerância extraordinariamente alta ao risco, sedento de drama e com um sentido épico de missão e uma obstinação maníaca, tão insensível quanto, por vezes, destrutiva.No início de 2022, depois de um ano marcado pelo lançamento e colocação em órbita de 31 foguetes da SpaceX, pela marca de um milhão de carros vendidos pela Tesla e de se tornar o homem mais rico do mundo, Musk falou com pesar sobre a sua compulsão para criar dramas. «Preciso de mudar de mentalidade, sair do modo de crise, que é como tenho funcionado nos últimos catorze anos, pelo menos, se não a maior parte da minha vida», disse.Foi um comentário melancólico, não uma resolução de Ano Novo. Ao mesmo tempo que se comprometia a mudar, comprava, em segredo, ações do Twitter, o maior recreio do mundo.Ao longo dos anos, sempre que se encontrava num lugar mais sombrio, voltava a ser aquela criança agredida no recreio. Agora, tinha a oportunidade de ser o dono do recreio.Críticas a Steve Jobs, de Walter Isaacson«Fascinante.»The New York Times«Hipnotizante»LA Times«Vibrante.»Kirkus Reviews«Um retrato vasto e complexo - mas incrivelmente consistente - do homem que criou a Apple.»The Verge«Uma narrativa franca e cativante»Publishers Weekly

The Virgin of Bennington

Biographies & Memoirs

Shy and sheltered as a young woman, Kathleen Norris wasn't prepared for the sex, drugs, and bohemianism of Bennington College in the late 1960s—and when she moved to New York City after graduation, it was a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire. In this chronicle, Norris remembers the education she received, both formal and fortuitous; the influence of her mentor Betty Kray, who shunned the spotlight while serving as a guiding force in the poetry world of the late 20th century; her encounters with such figures as James Merrill, Jim Carroll, Denise Levertov, Stanley Kunitz, Patti Smith, and Erica Jong; and her eventual decision to leave Manhattan for the less-crowded landscape she described so memorably in Dakota. This account of the making of a young writer will resonate with anyone who has stumbled bravely into a bigger world and found the poetry that lurks on rooftops and in railroad apartments—and with anyone who has enjoyed the blessings of inspiring teachers and great friends.

Sean Lemass: The Enigmatic Patriot

Biographies & Memoirs

The definitive biography of Seán Lemass, the finest Taoiseach in the history of the Irish StateThere are few facets of Irish life which do not owe something to the genius, effectiveness or determination of Lemass. Horgan's biography explores that contribution quite brilliantly.Bertie Ahern, The Irish TimesAs a boy Seán Lemass fought in the 1916 rising. He was a member of de Valera's first cabinet, Minister for Industry and Commerce in every Fianna Fáil government between 1932 and 1959, and as Taoiseach from 1959 to 1966 was the pivotal figure in the modernisation of Ireland.The Lemass that emerges from this fine book is an enigma and a passionate patriot; a protectionist who later became an apostle of free trade; a moderniser in what was often a party of traditionalists.John Horgan's excellent biography is the work of a critical admirer who sees his subject as one of the most outstanding Irish political figures of the century. The only biographer to have had complete access to all the government papers for the full period of Lemass's political career, Horgan provides us with a rounded, sympathetic yet critical examination of the life of one of twentieth-century Ireland's most distinguished figures.… a comprehensive and thoughtful work worthy of the subject, [it] lives up to its billing as a major biography of the Fianna Fáil leader.Stephen Collins, The Sunday TribuneSeán Lemass was not only one of the most formidable, but, for all his apparently bluff straightforwardness, one of the most elusive personalities in the history of twentieth-century Ireland. John Horgan's study, skilfully crafted and elegantly expressed, is a major biography of a major figure, greatly enhancing our understanding of the making of modern Ireland.J.J. Lee, author of The Modernisation of Irish Society, 1848–19

Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant (Complete)

Biographies & Memoirs

"Man proposes and God disposes." There are but few important events in the affairs of men brought about by their own choice. Although frequently urged by friends to write my memoirs I had determined never to do so, nor to write anything for publication. At the age of nearly sixty-two I received an injury from a fall, which confined me closely to the house while it did not apparently affect my general health. This made study a pleasant pastime. Shortly after, the rascality of a business partner developed itself by the announcement of a failure. This was followed soon after by universal depression of all securities, which seemed to threaten the extinction of a good part of the income still retained, and for which I am indebted to the kindly act of friends.

A Gentleman of Limerick

Biographies & Memoirs

"A Gentleman of Limerick" offers a meticulously researched glimpse into 18th century Ireland through the life of Francis Arthur. As a wealthy Catholic merchant, Arthur used his privileged position to champion the cause of Catholic rights, making him a target for powerful members of the ascendency class. The book details his trial on concocted treason charges, his guilty verdict, and subsequent banishment from Ireland.Kelly's work paints a vivid picture of life for Catholics in Ireland during this tumultuous period, demonstrating how even the wealthiest could fall victim to religious discrimination. Based on historical fact, the book brings to life real people, conversations, and events from this pivotal time in Irish history.

Elon Musk

Biographies & Memoirs

Elon Musk, założyciel znanych firm technologicznych, kosmicznych i z branży sztucznej inteligencji, nie tylko należy do najbogatszych ludzi na świecie, lecz także jest jednym z przedsiębiorców odnoszących największe sukcesy. Dzięki barwnej osobowości i mistrzowskiemu wykorzystaniu mediów społecznościowych stał się też jedną z ikon popkultury naszych czasów, inspiracją dla wielu, a także… postacią kontrowersyjną.Książka Chrisa McNaba analizuje drogę Elona Muska od edukacji i pierwszych przedsięwzięć do stworzenia imperium biznesowego. To wnikliwe studium będzie fascynujące dla fanów Muska, ale zainteresuje też wszystkich tych, którzy śledzą aktualne wydarzenia i chcą poznać jedną z najważniejszych postaci współczesności. Pokazuje niezwykłego człowieka, który dzięki odwadze, pracowitości oraz unikalnym metodom myślenia i działania osiągnął niebywały sukces.

Luckiest Man

Biographies & Memoirs

The definitive account of the life and tragic death of baseball legend Lou Gehrig.Lou Gehrig was a baseball legend—the Iron Horse, the stoic New York Yankee who was the greatest first baseman in history, a man whose consecutive-games streak was ended by a horrible disease that now bears his name. But as this definitive new biography makes clear, Gehrig’s life was more complicated—and, perhaps, even more heroic—than anyone really knew. Drawing on new interviews and more than two hundred pages of previously unpublished letters to and from Gehrig, Luckiest Man gives us an intimate portrait of the man who became an American hero: his life as a shy and awkward youth growing up in New York City, his unlikely friendship with Babe Ruth (a friendship that allegedly ended over rumors that Ruth had had an affair with Gehrig’s wife), and his stellar career with the Yankees, where his consecutive-games streak stood for more than half a century. What was not previously known, however, is that symptoms of Gehrig’s affliction began appearing in 1938, earlier than is commonly acknowledged. Later, aware that he was dying, Gehrig exhibited a perseverance that was truly inspiring; he lived the last two years of his short life with the same grace and dignity with which he gave his now-famous “luckiest man” speech. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, Jonathan Eig’s Luckiest Man shows us one of the greatest baseball players of all time as we’ve never seen him before.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Biographies & Memoirs

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, which Franklin himself called his Memoirs, is the unfinished record of his life written between 1771 and 1790. It has become one of the most well-known and influential autobiographies in history, and has been praised both as a historical document and a piece of literature in its own right. William Dean Howells declared that "Franklin's is one of the greatest autobiographies in literature, and towers over other autobiographies as Franklin towered over other men."

Tra i castagni dell'Appennino. Conversazioni con Francesco Guccini

Biographies & Memoirs

Un viaggio in treno fino a Pàvana, lungo la ferrovia Porrettana, per avvicinarsi nel modo più autentico allo spirito delle canzoni e dei luoghi di Francesco Guccini. È il viaggio, metaforico e reale, che intraprende l’antropologo Marco Aime, e insieme a lui ogni lettore, che ha con questo libro l’occasione di scoprire, attraverso la viva voce di Guccini, i ricordi più personali, insoliti e inaspettati attinti da una vita intera tra musica e poesia. Un viaggio emozionante e suggestivo, ma al contempo molto concreto, fatto di paesaggi aspri come i boschi dell’Appennino che Guccini ci invita da sempre, attraverso i suoi versi, a scoprire. E popolato di personaggi curiosi come la vecchia signora di Pàvana che indica ad Aime – appena sbarcato nel borgo gucciniano per eccellenza – la casa del cantautore annunciando, con il tono fiero e rispettoso di chi segnala a un turista il museo del Louvre a Parigi, o il Colosseo a Roma: «Lì c’è Guccini». Tra i castagni dell’Appennino è, naturalmente, anche un viaggio nella memoria, che ripercorre l’evoluzione artistica ed esistenziale di una delle più grandi voci del panorama musicale italiano. Dai primissimi dischi ed esibizioni nelle osterie alle influenze letterarie che percorrono tutta la sua produzione, dagli anni delle contestazioni politiche ai piccoli vezzi privati che hanno accompagnato decenni di concerti, fino a diventare mitici rituali collettivi, ciò che emerge in queste pagine è soprattutto la volontà di Guccini di esprimere, con le parole e con i versi, la sua esperienza di vita e la sua personale visione del mondo. «Per me scrivere canzoni voleva dire raccontare la propria esistenza, le proprie vicende. Non convivo spesso con la malinconia. Non è una mia caratteristica, se non forse nel momento del ricordo, perché il ricordo a volte immalinconisce. Il fatto è che noi il futuro non lo conosciamo e il presente è fugace, quindi viviamo soprattutto nel passato, nel ricordo. Ma quando poi le racconto, queste cose, le vesto sempre di ironia.» «Guccini incanta ancora, e attraverso questa conversazione al presente, che riporta il lettore nella magia del passato, anche il testo è musica» - Caterina Minnucci, Il Fatto Quotidiano «Che siate suoi fan della prima ora o meno, una lettura consigliata» - Fabio Guastalla, Il Mucchio Selvaggio

Balzac et les femmes

Biographies & Memoirs

La trop brève existence de Balzac s’est déroulée sous le double signe de l’amour et d’une inlassable activité littéraire. Tandis qu’il réalise une œuvre grandiose, trois femmes vont jouer auprès de lui un rôle déterminant : Laure de Berny, la passion de sa jeunesse, puis Laure d’Abrantès, la maîtresse de son âge d’homme et enfin Evelyne Hanska « l’Etrangère », la bonne fée de son crépuscule qui traverse l’Europe pour le rejoindre. Les relations avec ces trois femmes tissent les fils de sa prodigieuse destinée ; non seulement on retrouve leur présence dans ses romans, mais encore elles interviennent dans ses péripéties financières. Car elle est mouvementée, la vie de cet écrivain qui se croit un homme d’affaires et se lance dans de chimériques entreprises. Après chaque déconvenue, il repart vers d’autres aventures, tout en poursuivant son œuvre, véritable monument littéraire. Il faut un mot de passe pour entrer chez lui et ses maisons ont au moins deux issues. Avec cela, il aime le luxe, la bonne vie, les beaux objets, ce qui allonge encore la liste de ses dettes… C’est donc une existence passionnante et passionnée que l’auteur se propose de raconter, dans le style vivant qui convient à cet homme d’exception. Un portrait singulier qui dévoile les pensées intimes de Balzac en même temps qu’il explore les secrètes alchimies de son inspiration. Claude Dufresne, homme de radio, est l’auteur de nombreux ouvrages d’histoire où dominent l’élégance du style et le goût du récit. Il est l’auteur avec Danielle Dufresne du Mystère du Masque de fer (Tallandier, 1998).

Remember Me to Harlem

Biographies & Memoirs

Langston Hughes is widely remembered as a celebrated star of the Harlem Renaissance -- a writer whose bluesy, lyrical poems and novels still have broad appeal. What's less well known about Hughes is that for much of his life he maintained a friendship with Carl Van Vechten, a flamboyant white critic, writer, and photographer whose ardent support of black artists was peerless.Despite their differences — Van Vechten was forty-four to Hughes twenty-two when they met–Hughes’ and Van Vechten’s shared interest in black culture lead to a deeply-felt, if unconventional friendship that would span some forty years. Between them they knew everyone — from Zora Neale Hurston to Richard Wright, and their letters, lovingly and expertly collected here for the first time, are filled with gossip about the antics of the great and the forgotten, as well as with talk that ranged from race relations to blues lyrics to the nightspots of Harlem, which they both loved to prowl. It’s a correspondence that, as Emily Bernard notes in her introduction, provides “an unusual record of entertainment, politics, and culture as seen through the eyes of two fascinating and irreverent men.

Personal Memoirs Of U.s. Grant

Biographies & Memoirs

Completed a short time before his death in 1885, the Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant is recognized today as one of the most significant American military memoirs of all time. In an honest and intelligent voice, the celebrated Civil War general and former President offers a detailed and intimate telling of the events of the Mexican-American war, and the American Civil War and his role within it as a Union General.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.

Just Sayin'

Biographies & Memoirs

The long-awaited autobiography of one of the world's greatest children's writers, and an empowering and inspiring account of a life in books.Malorie Blackman OBE is one of Britain's best loved and most widely-read writers. For over thirty years, her books have helped to shape British culture, and inspired generations of younger readers and writers. The Noughts and Crosses series, started in 2000, sparked a new and necessary conversation about race and identity in the UK, and are already undisputed classics of twenty-first-century children's literature.She is also a writer whose own life has been shaped by books, from her childhood in south London, the daughter of parents who moved to Britain from Barbados as part of the Windrush Generation, and who experienced a childhood that was both wonderful and marred by the everyday racism and bigotry of the era. She was told she could not apply to study her first love, literature, at university, in spite of her academic potential, but found a way to books and to a life in writing against a number of obstacles.This book is an account of that journey, from a childhood surrounded by words, to the 83 rejection letters she received in response to sending out her first project, to the children's laureateship. It explores the books who have made her who she is, and the background to some the most beloved and powerful children's stories of today. It is an illuminating, inspiring and empowering account of the power of words to change lives, and the extraordinary life story of one of the world's greatest writers.

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