Biographies & Memoirs - Books

Six Men

Biographies & Memoirs

Drawing on a lifetime of journalistic encounters with the great and the famous, Alistair Cooke profiles the six extraordinary men who impressed him the most Over the course of his sixty-year career as a broadcaster, television host, and newspaper reporter, Alistair Cooke met many remarkable people of the twentieth century. This entertaining and insightful collection shares his unique, often startling personal vision of six key figures from the worlds of literature, entertainment, and politics. They are: Charlie Chaplin, whom Cooke befriended in Hollywood and who courted controversy in his politics and romances; the charming-yet-naive Edward VIII, whose love affair changed the course of World War II; Humphrey Bogart, the first antihero hero onscreen and a sensitive gentleman at home; H. L. Mencken, brilliant, inspirational, and deeply flawed; Adlai Stevenson, whom Cooke labeled the failed saint; and Bertrand Russell, who had the courage and the audacity to try to make the world a better place. The subjects of Six Men are united by the deep complexities of their characters. In balancing informed details of their lives with an objectivity set against the ever-changing landscape of their times, Six Men is a master course in the art of concise biography.

Ulysses S. Grant: Memoirs and Selected Letters

Biographies & Memoirs

Twenty years after Appomattox, stricken by cancer and facing financial ruin, Ulysses S. Grant wrote his Personal Memoirs to secure his family’s future. in doing so, the Civil War’s greatest general won himself a unique place in American letters. His character, intelligence, sense of purpose, and simple compassion are evident throughout this vivid and deeply moving account, which has been acclaimed by readers as diverse asMark Twain, Matthew Arnold, Gertrude Stein, and Edmund Wilson. Annotated and complete with detailed maps, battle plans, and facsimiles reproduced from the original edition, this volume offers an unparalleled vantage on the most terrible, moving, and inexhaustibly fascinating event in American history. included are 174 letters, many of them to his wife, Julia, which offer an intimate view of their affectionate and enduring marriage.

The Pirates Own Book

Biographies & Memoirs

Tired of books on pirate lore that rehash the same old stories and legends? This compendium of true tales was the result of a years-long research process spent culling mostly primary documents -- and the author's hard work is evidenced by the truly staggering variety of tales, anecdotes, and sketches collected in this book. It's a rollicking read for those craving stories about high-seas adventures.

Antony and Cleopatra

Biographies & Memoirs

The acclaimed historian reveals the truth behind the myths of antiquity’s legendary lovers in “this thoughtful, deeply satisfying” dual biography (Publishers Weekly, starred review). In Antony and Cleopatra, preeminent historian Adrian Goldsworthy goes beyond the romantic narratives of Shakespeare and Hollywood to create a nuanced and historically acute portrayal of his subjects. Set against the political backdrop of their time, he presents two lives lived at the center of profound social change. It is a narrative that crosses cultures and boundaries from ancient Greece and ancient Egypt to the Roman Empire. Drawing on his prodigious knowledge of the ancient world, and especially the period’s military and political history, Goldsworthy creates a singular portrait of two iconic lovers who were, in his words, “first and foremost political animals.” With a close analysis of ancient sources and archaeological evidence, Goldsworthy explains why Cleopatra was often portrayed as an Egyptian, even though she was Greek, and argues that Antony had far less military experience than popular legend suggests. At the same time, Goldsworthy makes a persuasive case that Antony was a powerful Roman senator and political force in his own right. A story of love, politics, and ambition, Goldsworthy’s Antony and Cleopatra delivers a compelling reassessment of a major episode in ancient history.

The World as I See It

Biographies & Memoirs

The most advanced and celebrated mind of the 20th Century, without a doubt, is attributed to Albert Einstein. This interesting book allows us to explore his beliefs, philosophical ideas, and opinions on many subjects. Subjects include politics, religion, education, the meaning of life, Jewish issues, the world economy, peace and pacifism.Einstein believed in the possibility of a peaceful world and in the high mission of science to serve human well-being. As we near the end of a century in which science has come to seem more and more remote from human values, Einstein's perspective is indispensable.Top 10 ebooks by General Press:● Civilization and Its Discontents, 9789387669529● Feeling is the Secret, 9789388760188● How to Attract Money, 9789388118415● My Inventions, 9789388118095● The Game of Life and How to Play It, 9789387669468● The Ladies' Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness, 9788180320378● The Magic of Believing, 9789388118101● The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, 9788180320958● The Richest Man in Babylon, 9789387669383● The Secret Teachings of All Ages, 9789389440362● The World as I See It, 9789388118088● Why I Killed Gandhi, 9789389440072

J'ai eu l'idée

Biographies & Memoirs

Thierry Crouzet a eu des idées, il les a collectionnées à la façon des « Je me souviens » de Perec. Comiques, politiques, philosophiques, intimistes..., elles racontent en filigrane notre époque.« Voici des idées qu’a eues Thierry Crouzet, et probablement pas une qui puisse nous laisser indemne, même si on rit, même si – vous verrez – il s’effectue après lire d’étranges contagions... » François Bon« Ce livre, bien que l’idée soit passée, est pourtant fait de dizaines de projections, de rêves et de fantasmes. Et c’est très jouissif. » Christophe Grossi« Du sérieux, du profond, du léger, du comique... » Henri AlbertiUne sorte de poésie de la vie.

In the Dream House

Biographies & Memoirs

A revolutionary memoir about domestic abuse by the award-winning author of Her Body and Other PartiesIn the Dream House is Carmen Maria Machado’s engrossing and wildly innovative account of a relationship gone bad, and a bold dissection of the mechanisms and cultural representations of psychological abuse. Tracing the full arc of a harrowing relationship with a charismatic but volatile woman, Machado struggles to make sense of how what happened to her shaped the person she was becoming.And it’s that struggle that gives the book its original structure: each chapter is driven by its own narrative trope—the haunted house, erotica, the bildungsroman—through which Machado holds the events up to the light and examines them from different angles. She looks back at her religious adolescence, unpacks the stereotype of lesbian relationships as safe and utopian, and widens the view with essayistic explorations of the history and reality of abuse in queer relationships.Machado’s dire narrative is leavened with her characteristic wit, playfulness, and openness to inquiry. She casts a critical eye over legal proceedings, fairy tales, Star Trek, and Disney villains, as well as iconic works of film and fiction. The result is a wrenching, riveting book that explodes our ideas about what a memoir can do and be.

The Letters of Amerigo Vespucci

Biographies & Memoirs

The account of the alleged voyage of Amerigo Vespucci in 1497-98 was written for that worthy's own countrymen, and for foreigners who lived at a distance from the Peninsula. When, after some years, the story reached Spain in print, men were still alive who would have known whether any such voyage had ever been made. Among them was the able and impartial historian Las Casas, who considered that the story was false, and disproved it from internal evidence. The authority of Las Casas is alone conclusive. Modern investigators, such as Robertson, Muñoz, Navarrete, Humboldt, Washington Irving, and D'Avezac examined the question, and they all came to the same conclusion as Las Casas. The matter appeared to be finally settled until 1865. In that year M. F. de Varnhagen, Baron of Porto Seguro in Brazil, published a book at Lima, where he was accredited as Brazilian Minister, with the object of rehabilitating the Florentine's character for honesty, by arguing that the story of the alleged voyage in 1497-98 was worthy of credit. This makes it desirable that the whole question should once more be discussed. Varnhagen at least deserves the thanks of all students of the history of American discovery for having published, in an accessible form, both the Latin and the Italian texts of the letters of Vespucci. It has been decided by the Council of the Hakluyt Society to supply a volume to the members containing translations of the letters of Vespucci, of the chapters in which they are discussed in the history of Las Casas, and other original documents relating to the subject. Readers will thus be enabled to form independent judgments on this vexed question; while the Introduction will furnish them with the events of the life of Vespucci, and with a review of the arguments in support of Varnhagen's theory, as well as of those which militate against it.

Los países de Einstein

Biographies & Memoirs

Albert Einstein aunaba la audacia intelectual con una frescura desconcertante, una imaginación ardiente sostenida por una obstinación imperturbable. Pero, ¿cómo acercarse a una forma de pensar y de creer que no tiene parangón? Étienne Klein recorre sus pasos y viaja a los pueblos y ciudades donde Einstein forjó su revolucionaria forma de pensar. Aarau, donde, a los dieciséis años, se preguntó qué experimentaría al cabalgar sobre un rayo de luz; Zúrich, donde se graduó en 1901 y se apasionó por la física experimental; Berna, donde, entre marzo y septiembre de 1905, publicó cinco artículos, entre ellos uno sobre la relatividad especial, que iban a revolucionar la relación entre el tiempo y el espacio; Praga, donde en 1912 tuvo la idea de que la luz es desviada por la gravedad, delineando así el futuro de la teoría de la relatividad general. A continuación, Bruselas, Amberes y, finalmente, Le Coq-sur-Mer, donde, en 1933, Einstein se refugió unos meses antes de abandonar definitivamente Europa por los Estados Unidos. La de Albert Einstein (1879-1955) es una vida de exilios sucesivos, vinculada a la física. Es un continuo replanteamiento, fiel al espíritu de la infancia. Es un misterio que Étienne Klein afronta con tanto cariño como admiración.

Kniha radosti

Biographies & Memoirs

„Pokud sám sebe vnímáte jako obyčejného člověka, jednoho ze sedmi miliard, není důvod mít pocit, že byste se měl chovat, jako byste byl někdo výjimečný. Ať už jsem s královnou nebo králem, prezidentem, premiérem či žebrákem, vždy mám na paměti, že jsme všichni stejní.“ Svět kolem nás se rychle proměňuje, jsme svědky tragédií celosvětového významu, katastrof, (nejen) osobních neštěstí, nemocí, smrti – lze vůbec v takovém světě, v takové době prožívat radostný život a nenechat strasti, aby nás pohltily? Ano, lze pracovat na tom, abychom i v tom špatném uměli najít něco, co nás posouvá dál. Lze cvičit náš přístup k sobě samým a k ostatním kolem nás. Kniha radosti zprostředkovává dlouholeté zkušenosti dvou neuvěřitelných mužů, kteří navzdory nepředstavitelně těžkým životním zkouškám zůstávají veselými, nezbednými, soucitnými, odpouštějícími a neztrácejí víru ve všechny lidské bytosti. Douglas Abrams mistrně propojil životní příběhy dvou blízkých přátel – Jeho Svatosti dalajlámy a arcibiskupa Desmonda Tutua, jejich odpovědi na otázky týkající se překážek na cestě k radosti, pokory, humoru, odpuštění, vděčnosti, soucitu, velkorysosti a mnoha dalšího s vědeckými poznatky, které se probíranou tematikou zabývají. Kniha provází čtenáře cestou od zaměření na já, mně, moje k zaměření na my, nám, naše. Ukazuje nám, jak se poučit z utrpení (ať už vlastního nebo utrpení kolem nás), popřípadě jak si uvědomit, že jsme součástí velkého společenství a že v ničem, co prožíváme, nikdy nejsme a nebudeme sami. Nikdo z nás nedokáže uniknout utrpení. To však neznamená, že nemůžeme prožívat radost. Netrapme se kvůli věcem, které nedokážeme změnit. „Pokud s tím lze něco udělat, jaký je důvod ke sklíčenosti? Pokud se nic dělat nedá, k čemu je být sklíčený?“ Nechte se pohltit moudrostí dvou „veselých kop“, které se umějí zasmát samy sobě, udělat si legraci ze svého velkého nosu nebo ze špatné angličtiny a které vám jakoby mimoděk otevřou oči, rozesmějí vás i rozpláčou.

Te abraza con todo fervor revolucionario

Biographies & Memoirs

Ernesto Che Guevara fue un viajero --y por lo tanto un escritor de cartas-- alo largo de su vida de adulto. Las cartas coleccionadas aquí incluyen un ampliorango, de cartas a sus padres durante su viaje en motocicleta a la extensivacarta a Fidel luego del éxito de la revolución cubana a comienzos de 1959, de lomás personal a lo intensamente político, revelando a alguien que no soloahondaba a través del pensamiento en todo lo que encontraba, pero para quienel proceso de transformación social fue un compañero constante desde sujuventud hasta poco antes de su muerte. Sus cartas nos dan al Che hijo, amigo,amante, guerrillero, líder político, filósofo y poeta. En estás cartas el Che esjuguetón, gracioso, a veces sarcástico y profundamente cariñoso. Su vida fuecorta, y estos veinte años, desde los 19 hasta días antes de su muerte,muestran que también fue increíblemente valiosa e intensa.Su hija Aleida Guevara, también doctora como su padre, escribe en el prólogo,"Cuando escribes un discurso, prestas atención al lenguaje, la puntuación ydemás. Pero cuando escribes una carta a un amigo o a un miembro de tufamilia, no te preocupan esas cosas. Eres tú quién habla, en tu voz autentica.Por eso me gustan estas cartas; muestran quien era realmente el Che y cómopensaba. Este es el verdadero testimonio político de mi padre."

Leonard

Biographies & Memoirs

New York Times BestsellerLeonard Nimoy and William Shatner first crossed paths as actors on the set of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Little did they know that their next roles as Spock and Captain Kirk, in a new science fiction television series, would shape their lives in ways no one could have anticipated. In seventy-nine television episodes of Star Trek and six feature films, they grew to know each other more than most friends could ever imagine. Over the course of half a century, Shatner and Nimoy saw each other through personal and professional highs and lows. In this powerfully emotional book, Shatner tells the story of a man who was his friend for five decades, recounting anecdotes and untold stories of their lives on and off set, as well as gathering stories from others who knew Nimoy well, to present a full picture of a rich life. As much a biography of Nimoy as a story of their friendship, Leonard is a uniquely heartfelt book written by one legendary actor in celebration of another.

Docteur Holmes

Biographies & Memoirs

Herman Webster Mudgett ou H. H. Holmes est considéré comme le premier tueur en série américain. Pendant les années 1890, les autorités le suspectent d'avoir tué deux cents personnes dans son hôtel de Chicago truffé de pièges mortels qu'il a fait édifier pour l'Exposition universelle de 1893.Après sa condamnation à la peine de mort, il avoue 27 meurtres dans une autobiographie publiée en Une d'un grand quotidien américain. Sa vie criminelle inspire la saison 5 d'American Horror Story et, bientôt, une mini série réalisée par Martin Scorcese avec Leonardo Di Caprio dans le rôle du médecin serial killer.

She Said

Biographies & Memoirs

The instant New York Times bestseller."An instant classic of investigative journalism...‘All the President’s Men’ for the Me Too era." — Carlos Lozada, The Washington PostFrom the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters who broke the news of Harvey Weinstein's sexual harassment and abuse for the New York Times, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, the thrilling untold story of their investigation and its consequences for the #MeToo movementFor many years, reporters had tried to get to the truth about Harvey Weinstein’s treatment of women. Rumors of wrongdoing had long circulated. But in 2017, when Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey began their investigation into the prominent Hollywood producer for the New York Times, his name was still synonymous with power. During months of confidential interviews with top actresses, former Weinstein employees, and other sources, many disturbing and long-buried allegations were unearthed, and a web of onerous secret payouts and nondisclosure agreements was revealed. These shadowy settlements had long been used to hide sexual harassment and abuse, but with a breakthrough reporting technique Kantor and Twohey helped to expose it. But Weinstein had evaded scrutiny in the past, and he was not going down without a fight; he employed a team of high-profile lawyers, private investigators, and other allies to thwart the investigation. When Kantor and Twohey were finally able to convince some sources to go on the record, a dramatic final showdown between Weinstein and the New York Times was set in motion. Nothing could have prepared Kantor and Twohey for what followed the publication of their initial Weinstein story on October 5, 2017. Within days, a veritable Pandora’s box of sexual harassment and abuse was opened. Women all over the world came forward with their own traumatic stories. Over the next twelve months, hundreds of men from every walk of life and industry were outed following allegations of wrongdoing. But did too much change—or not enough? Those questions hung in the air months later as Brett Kavanaugh was nominated to the Supreme Court, and Christine Blasey Ford came forward to testify that he had assaulted her decades earlier. Kantor and Twohey, who had unique access to Ford and her team, bring to light the odyssey that led her to come forward, the overwhelming forces that came to bear on her, and what happened after she shared her allegation with the world. In the tradition of great investigative journalism, She Said tells a thrilling story about the power of truth, with shocking new information from hidden sources. Kantor and Twohey describe not only the consequences of their reporting for the #MeToo movement, but the inspiring and affecting journeys of the women who spoke up—for the sake of other women, for future generations, and for themselves.

Iván Fandiño. Mañana seré libre

Biographies & Memoirs

La historia de Iván Fandiño es una aventura de superación, la de un torero al que no le cantaron los poetas, pero del que escribieron los historiadores. Vivo y muerto. Porque Fandiño es una leyenda cuyas ansias de libertad superaban a cualquier instinto de supervivencia. Aquel 17 de junio encontró el destino que tantas veces parecía estar buscando. En su nombre y en el de la verdad, recorrió junto a Néstor García una carrera de sangre, sonrisas y lágrimas. Su unión no es solo la de un matador de toros y un apoderado, es la de dos hombres creados a sí mismos desde las raíces más humildes y que consiguieron hacer temblar el arcaico sistema de la Fiesta. Néstor, el “otro yo” de Fandiño, escribe de puño y letra una trayectoria que es mucho más que la historia de un torero: es la historia de un héroe, de una alianza sin censuras en hermandad y lealtad. El libro, en el que se desvelan los secretos más nobles y también los más oscuros del planeta taurino, no dejará indiferente a nadie. Pasen y lean. Tienen ante sí la pura historia de un mito que vivió como murió, y murió como vivió. Buscando su libertad. Pero la libertad plena es solo para los elegidos. Él ya la tiene.

The Years

Biographies & Memoirs

WINNER OF THE 2022 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATUREShortlisted for the 2019 Man Booker International PrizeConsidered by many to be the iconic French memoirist's defining work and a breakout bestseller when published in France in 2008 The Years is a personal narrative of the period 1941 to 2006 told through the lens of memory, impressions past and present—even projections into the future—photos, books, songs, radio, television and decades of advertising, headlines, contrasted with intimate conflicts and writing notes from 6 decades of diaries. Local dialect, words of the times, slogans, brands and names for the ever-proliferating objects, are given voice here. The voice we recognize as the author's continually dissolves and re-emerges. Ernaux makes the passage of time palpable. Time itself, inexorable, narrates its own course, consigning all other narrators to anonymity. A new kind of autobiography emerges, at once subjective and impersonal, private and collective. On its 2008 publication in France, The Years came as a surprise. Though Ernaux had for years been hailed as a beloved, bestselling and award-winning author, The Years was in many ways a departure: both an intimate memoir "written" by entire generations, and a story of generations telling a very personal story. Like the generation before hers, the narrator eschews the "I" for the "we" (or "they", or "one") as if collective life were inextricably intertwined with a private life that in her parents' generation ceased to exist. She writes of her parents' generation (and could be writing of her own book): "From a common fund of hunger and fear, everything was told in the "we" and impersonal pronouns."Co-winner of the 2018 French-American Foundation Translation Prize in NonfictionWinner of the 2017 Marguerite Yourcenar Prize for her entire body of workWinner of the 2016 Strega European Prize

A Time for Reflection

Biographies & Memoirs

William E Simon-quintessential American figure of the American century: Wall Street wunderkind, treasury secretary under Presidents Nixon and Ford, successful entrepreneur, US Olympic Committee president, best-selling author, pioneering philanthropist, and devout Catholic. Simon's insightful and often humorous autobiography, A Time for Reflection, includes a diverse cast of characters whose lives intersected with Simon's: from the president and his advisers at the White House; to the highest realms of the Catholic Church (in particular, Cardinal Egan), to celebrities, like actress Meryl Streep; and sports figures, like basketball coach Bobby Knight. In A Time for Reflection, Simon offers us some behind-the-scenes glimpses of history being made, including: President Nixon as Simon knew him, both in office and after; How Simon confronted Ronald Reagan during the Republican convention in 1980 to help nix the idea of a co-presidency with Gerald Ford; The tumult of the 1980 Moscow Olympic games, boycotted by the United States, and the 1984 Los Angeles games, boycotted by the Soviet Union; How Simon battled the Arab 'oil crisis' as 'energy czar' for President Nixon; Simon's fight in the Ford administration against Vice President Nelson Rockefeller on how to help a bankrupt New York City; Making the case for freedom with his best-selling books A Time for Truth and A Time for Action. Simon's fascinating life also encompassed sailing adventures -- including conquering the Northwest Passage from Alaska to Greenland and being named king by a group of Fiji islanders -- as well as adventures of the soul: giving away millions to charity; becoming a eucharistic minister; and helping to care for the sick, the poor, and the dying. William E Simon passed away on June 2000, but his autobiography, written in conjunction with and completed by John M Caher, is now published for the first time, a testimony to one of the truly impressive Americans of the twentieth century.

Dying Without God

Biographies & Memoirs

Is one ever truly ready to face death? Can one, without faith, view death as a beginning rather than an end? François Mitterrand is the man "dying without God," and he offers these pages as his final, unforgettable testament.

Open

Biographies & Memoirs

Autobiografie Andreho Agassiho je upřímnou výpovědí jednoho z nejlepších tenistů nedávné minulosti. Agassi se šokující otevřeností popisuje svůj tenisový i soukromý život, a to od raného dětství, kdy ho – stejně jako předtím jeho sourozence – přivede tyranský otec k tenisu a nutí dennodenně trénovat. Z Andreho vyroste zázračné tenisové dítě, k tomuto sportu však cítí hlubokou nenávist. Kniha představuje pronikavou sondu do duše i mysli mladého muže, kterému nebylo dopřáno normální dětství a musel se vyrovnávat s dominantním otcem i sám se sebou a posléze vzdorovat slávě, ztrátě soukromí, zájmu médií, která ho oslavovala i odsuzovala. V tomto nekonečném boji hledá smysl svého života a často uvažuje o konci kariéry. Agassi do nejmenších detailů analyzuje sám sebe, své niterné pocity, své tápání sportovním i soukromým životem. Obšírně se zmiňuje i o svých blízkých, přátelích, spolupracovnících a soupeřích (především Petu Samprasovi), striktně se však vyhýbá jakýmkoli bulvárním podrobnostem. Knihu napsal svérázným, ale fascinujícím stylem; vše se v ní odvíjí v rychlém tempu, s téměř filmovým vyobrazením detailů z autorova života.

Mr. CSI

Biographies & Memoirs

The creator of CSIdelves into the mysteries of his father’s tragic death and his own unlikelyrise in Hollywood using the very techniques he has honed by working on his hitshows, CSI, CSI: Miami,and CSI: New York.Deeply felt and insightful, Anthony Zuiker’s searingmemoir of dreams and losses, successes and heartbreaks, is not only abehind-the-scenes look at television’s most-watched drama, but an essentialguide for aspiring script writers and filmmakers, featuring practical tips andinspiring lessons to help tomorrow’s writers succeed today. Fans of crimedramas, anyone who dreams of unraveling the mysteries of their own story, andeveryone who dreams of making it big will find themselves immediately drawn inby the one-of-a-kind story of the man who made it: Mr. CSI.

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