IN ancient times, when the city of Rome was at the height of its power and splendor, it was the custom, as it is in fact now with the inhabitants of wealthy capitals, for the principal families to possess, in addition to their city residences, rural villas for summer retreats, which they built in picturesque situations, at a little distance from the city, sometimes in the interior of the country, and sometimes upon the seashore. There were many attractive places of resort of this nature in the neighborhood of Rome. Among them was Antium.??The beauty and the salubrity of Antium made it a very attractive place of summer resort for the people of Rome; and in process of time, when the city attained to an advanced stage of opulence and luxury, the Roman noblemen built villas there, choosing situations, in some instances, upon the natural terraces and esplanades of the promontory, which looked off over the sea, and in others cool and secluded retreats in the valleys, on the land. It was in one of these villas that NERO was born.??NERO's father belonged to a family which had enjoyed for several generations a considerable degree of distinction among the Roman nobility, though known by a somewhat whimsical name. The family name was Brazenbeard, or, to speak more exactly, it was Aheno-barbus, which is the Latin equivalent for that word. ?

Habsburgi, Windsori, Romanovi, Hohenzollerni, familii regale ale Belgiei, Olandei, Italiei, Iugoslaviei, Bulgariei, Rom?niei sau Greciei – monarhiile europene s-au aflat ?n inima celor dou? R?zboaie Mondiale.?ntr-o incursiune istoric? fascinant?, punctat? de portrete, anecdote, momente-cheie, ?nt?lniri decisive, jocuri de alian?e, Jean des Cars ne introduce ?n culisele cur?ilor europene prinse ?n v?rtejul celor dou? conflagra?ii care au zguduit secolul al XX-lea.?Jean des Cars, eminent specialist al marilor dinastii europene, realizeaz? – ?ar? dup? ?ar?, deceniu dup? deceniu – un expozeu al faptelor istorice marcante, construind o lucrare plin? de vivacitate ?i bine documentata, o lectura cu at?t mai captivanta, cu c?t cele aproape 170 de subcapitole care o compun istorisesc, fiecare ?n parte, o adev?rat? poveste." - Le Figaro Magazine?Una dintre cele mai bune c?r?i ale autorului ?i un succes de libr?rie: urm?rim pe parcursul acestor conflicte comportamentele monarhilor, majoritatea ?nrudi?i ?ntre ei. Un secol de istorie a marilor familii, a destinelor europene, iar pentru Europa de Est, o memorie reg?sit?." - Valeurs Actuelles?n vara lui 1914, Europa este majoritar monarhic?: din dou?zeci ?i dou? de state, nou?sprezece sunt regate, imperii, principate sau mari ducate. Ast?zi, nu au mai r?mas dec?t zece. Primul R?zboi Mondial provoac? pr?bu?irea a patru imperii (Germania, Rusia, Austro-Ungaria, Imperiul Otoman), iar al Doilea spulber? patru regate (Italia, Iugoslavia, Rom?nia, Bulgaria).Cine erau ace?ti suverani? Dar femeile care le ?mp?rt??eau destinul?De la ambi?ie la orbire, de la curaj la sl?biciune, de la gelozie la abnega?ie, care au fost triumfurile ?i e?ecurile lor? Cum ?i-au tr?it gloria, dramele, cum s-au confruntat cu ascensiunea extremismelor interbelice, cu apari?ia totalitarismelor? Erau con?tien?i de consecin?ele gesturilor lor? Sau au fost incapabili s? stopeze avansul na?ionalismelor? Care au fost vie?ile lor personale, iubirile ?i pasiunile secrete? Ace?ti monarhi, care se vor alia, se vor ?nfrunta ?i uneori tr?da, sunt to?i ?nrudi?i, uni?i prin leg?turi de s?nge ?i matrimoniale. Astfel, ?r?zboiul regilor" va fi o incredibil? reglare de conturi familial? – la scar? continental?, apoi mondial?.

Materialele reunite in acest volum reprezinta o suma de contributii si studii publicate in ultimii ani. Toate materialele au fost selectate pentru a corespunde titlului stabilit: BATALIA PENTRU BASARABIA. Este explicabil de ce, in atare conditii, preocuparile colectivului de autori s-au concentrat asupra epocii celui de-al Doilea Razboi Mondial, cu predilectie tratand sfartecarea teritoriala a Romaniei Mari in 1940 sau rolul si locul Maresalului Ion Antonescu in reluarea luptei nationale pentru eliberarea Basarabiei de sub dominatia Imperiului Rosu stalinist, dupa 1941. Nu au fost neglijate nici anume fapte si consideratii din rastimpul 1945-1989, cand batalia s-a desfasurat indeosebi pe plan politico-diplomatic, dar si ideologic ori istoriografic.

n iunie 2015 am publicat n revista Permanene” (nr. 6) articolul Vladimir Tismneanu - ieri i azi”, motivat de faptul c Preedintele Comisiei Prezideniale pentru Analiza Dictaturii Comuniste din Romnia a devenit brusc un atacator al celor susinute n Raportul Final al Comisiei pe care a prezidat-o. Pn n prezent nu exist niciun fel de opinie a dlui Tismneanu i nici a celor de la Institutul Elie Wiesel” - MCA referitor la acest punct de vedere.

Imaginea Romaniei prin turism, targuri si expozitii universale, in perioada interbelica, este titlul unei noi carti extrem de interesante, adresata atat specialistilor cat si publicului larg. Lucrarea elaborata de dr. Claudiu-Alexandru Vitanos reprezinta bilantul unor eforturi sistematice ale autorului de cercetare a modului in care a fost elaborata politica nationala privind dezvoltarea turismului si, totodata, politica de promovare a Romaniei prin intermediul targurilor si expozitiilor universale de-a lungul deceniilor interbelice.

Cred ?n sensibilitatea publicului fa?? de un teatru al ideilor, dar ?i fa?? de un teatru de ac?iune fidel formelor clasice. Cu riscul de a fi considerat un manierist, accept aceast? etichet?, dac? ?mi aleg drept modele nume ca Montherlant, Camus, Vallejo sau Camil Petrescu. Am ?ncercat s? tratez una dintre marile teme ale dramaturgiei universale, care ?ncepe cu vechii greci ?i se ?mpline?te ?n teatrul clasic francez: conflictul dintre datorie ?i pasiune. Drama apare atunci c?nd cele dou? imperative devin divergen?e ?i ea se poate reg?si ?i azi de la marii lideri politici la oamenii de r?nd. Dar pentru a o ilustra am ales varianta teatrului istoric, deoarece (pentru a-l cita pe Henri Rochefort ) ?viitorul, ?n momentul de fa??, pare at?t de sumbru, ?nc?t am sim?it s? m? hr?nesc o vreme cu trecutul". Drama personajelor mele, fie c? este vorba despre Ugo, fie c? este vorba despre printul Rudolf, este e?ecul ?nregistrat ?n ?ncercarea de a le g?si un liant, de a le ?mp?ca. Am v?zut ?n Rudolf de Habsburg un adev?rat profet al lumii moderne… care a prev?zut toate catastrofele secolului al XX-lea ?i a ?ncercat s? orienteze politica austriaca ?ntr-o alta direc?ie. Dar via?a sa privat?, departe de a fi un model, a dejucat acest plan. El dispare pentru c? nu-?i mai g?se?te locul ?n lumea lui, ?n timp ce Ugo d’Este ??i accept? sf?r?itul din acela?i motiv. (Corneliu ?enchea)

Marele romancier face o incursiune ?n trecutul nu foarte ?ndep?rtat al Rom?niei, trat?nd anii dictaturii ro?ii f?r? p?rtinire, ?ncerc?nd o radiografie crud?, impar?ial? ?i – lucru extrem de rar ?n Balcani – radical? a unei jum?t??i de secol de istorie.Cartea e destinat? studen?ilor, elevilor, profesorilor, precum ?i publicului larg de cititori.

Toate popoarele sunt preocupate de identitatea lor, dar la rom?ni aceast? chestiune a ?mbr?cat forme speciale. Rom?nii, locuitori p?n? ?n epoca modern? ?n dou? principate autonome supuse Por?ii Otomane ?i r?vnite de mul?i al?i vecini, dar tr?itori ?i ?n vaste provincii ocupate de unguri, de austrieci, de ru?i ?i de turci, pierdu?i ?n mijlocul at?tor str?ini rapace, s-au ?ntrebat, parc? mai mult dec?t al?ii, de unde vin ?i cine sunt ei. P?n? la urm? ?ns?, toate popoarele mici, lovite de soart? ?i l?sate la cheremul celor mari, au asemenea preocup?ri, transformate uneori ?n adev?rate obsesii. (Ioan-Aurel Pop)

Milyen állambiztonsági kockázatokat rejtett magában egy futball-világbajnokság? Vajon miért volt olyan fontos a titkosszolgálat számára Puskás, hogy még a hatvanas évek végén is érkeztek róla jelentések? Valóban kiváltságos klubként kezelte a rendszer Kádár kedvenc csapatát, a Vasast? A politikai rend?rség szempontjából miért voltak kiemelten veszélyesek a Ferencváros mérk?zései? ?s vajon mi igaz abból, hogy a magyar válogatott nem nyerhetett a Szovjetunió ellen? ?s egyáltalán: miért érdekelte mindez az állambiztonságot? TAK?CS TIBOR k?nyvéb?l kiderül, hogy a sport, így a futball egyre fokozódó állambiztonsági ellen?rzését mindenekel?tt a kiszélesed? nemzetk?zi kapcsolatok indokolták, de egyes sportvezet?ket, játékosokat és szurkolókat is folyamatosan megfigyelés alatt tartottak. Ezzel együtt a kádári politikai rend?rség olykor maga sem tudta pontosan, mi dolga a labdarúgás k?rül – ilyenkor aztán m?k?désbe lépett az állambiztonsági paranoia, amely egy egyszer? szurkolói megnyilvánulásban is ?ellenséges tevékenységet” szimatolt. A t?rténész arra vállalkozik, hogy bemutassa: milyen tevékenységet végzett a Kádár-korszak állambiztonsága a legnagyobb t?megeket vonzó t?megsport, a labdarúgás k?rül. Futball és állambiztonság kapcsolatáról kül?nb?z?, néha párhuzamosan futó, olykor egymást metsz? t?rténeteken keresztül ad átfogó képet, mik?zben felvázolja az 1956 utáni állami sportirányítási rendszer és a politikai rend?rség m?k?désének f?bb vonásait és jellemz?it is. TAK?CS TIBOR Nyíregyházán született 1974-ben. A Kossuth Lajos Tudományegyetem B?lcsészettudományi Karán diplomázott 1997-ben. Ezt k?vet?en doktori ?szt?ndíjas volt, majd a nyíregyházi levéltárban dolgozott. 2002-t?l a T?rténeti Hivatal, illetve utódintézménye, az ?llambiztonsági Szolgálatok T?rténeti Levéltára munkatársa. 2005-ben a Debreceni Egyetemen doktori címet szerzett. F? kutatási területe az 1945 utáni magyar t?rténelem, kül?n?s tekintettel a politikai rend?rség m?k?désére

K?ztudott, hogy a pártállami diktatúra idején minden jobboldali gondolat eredend?en üld?zend?nek számított. De vajon hogyan élték túl a hagyományos politikai felosztás szerint jobboldalinak tekintett személyek és mozgalmak a Rákosi-, majd a Kádár-rendszer üld?ztetéseit? Kik választották az évtizedekre szóló, csendes ?alámerülést”, és kik azok, akik továbbra is aktívan képviselték korábbi eszméiket? ?s vajon a rendelkezésünkre álló dokumentumok alapján meg lehet-e kül?nb?ztetni a jobboldalhoz k?thet? valós társadalmi jelenségeket az állambiztonság konstruált ügyeit?l? Az UNGV?RY KRISZTI?N által szerkesztett tanulmányk?tet a Kádár-rendszer állambiztonsága szempontjából ?jobboldalinak” tekintett hagyomány és gondolkodás, illetve az ezt képvisel? csoportok 1945 és 1990 k?z?tti t?rténetéb?l ad reprezentatív válogatást. Mivel e meglehet?sen széles – a progresszív konzervatív eszmét?l a kisgazdákon át az egyetemi szervezkedésekig és a radikális széls?jobboldali mozgalmakig terjed? – politikai paletta szerepl?i és nézetei a kommunista és államszocialista diktatúra idején egyként ?ellenségesnek” min?sültek, a k?tet tanulmányai mindenekel?tt az állambiztonsági iratok feldolgozására épülnek. Az ?sszeállítás áttekintést nyújt az olvasónak a belügyminisztérium ?jobboldali” ellenségképér?l, részletesen tárgyalja a prominens kisgazda és kereszténydemokrata politikusok sorsát, illetve nyomon k?veti a háború el?tti széls?jobboldalhoz k?thet? mozgalmak utóéletét is. E hiánypótló k?tet kit?n? írásai nem csupán arra világítanak rá, hogy a jobboldali hagyományok hogyan élték túl búvópatakszer?en a háborút k?vet? fél évszázadot, de a ma jobboldalinak tekintett attit?d?ket és mentalitásokat is jobban érthet?vé teszik.

O carte pasionant i minuios documentat.“ – Le Figaro Littéraire Dac exist o dinastie care s ntrupeze Europa, aceea este Casa de Habsburg“, scrie Jean des Cars n debutul acestei cavalcade pasionante prin istoria zbuciumat a Europei. Destinul prodigios al Habsburgilor ncepe, n cheie minor, n secolul al XI-lea, ntr-o fortrea situat n cantonul elveian Aargau, prinde aripi n 1273, odat cu alegerea, cu totul neateptat, a contelui Rudolf de Habsburg ca mprat al Sfntului Imperiu German, i i ncheie epopeea monarhic la Schnbrunn, pe 11 noiembrie 1918, cnd Carol al IV-lea semneaz actul de renunare la coroana imperial a Austriei. Vreme de apte secole, Habsburgii au dominat o mare parte a Europei, a Orientului Apropiat i a Americii de Sud. Cuceritorul Carol Quintul, reformatoarea Maria Tereza, Franz Joseph i legendara sa soie Sisi, Zita, suverana datoriei, sunt doar cteva dintre figurile emblematice ale acestei familii excepionale, care a marcat istoria. Nendoielnic, dispariia lor semnaleaz prbuirea unei lumi, dar numele lor rmne venic sinonim cu nflorirea artelor, grandoarea politic i identitatea european. Pentru alctuirea acestui volum incitant, n care faptul istoric documentat se ntlnete fericit cu excursul jurnalistic profesionist i bine calibrat, dar i cu o anecdotic ncnttoare, Jean des Cars, talentat raconteur i recunoscut cronicar al marilor monarhii europene, a consultat arhive, a vizitat toate locurile-reper ale dinastiei, a realizat interviuri i a cules mrturiile inedite ale mprtesei Zita i ale arhiducelui Otto de Habsburg. Istoria este plin de maiesti individuale, ns Habsburgii ntruchipeaz maiestatea dinastic. [...] A ajunge s nu mai constitui doar o familie, s nu mai reprezini doar o ar, ci un agregat de naiuni, a stpni jumtate din Europa i o mare parte din America, a purta o coroan mai grea chiar dect coroana Imperiului Britanic, dar a te plimba, n acelai timp, prin Prater, cu o umbrel sub bra, iat un spectacol pe care omenirea nul va mai vedea vreodat.“ – Paul Morand n 1919, prbuirea imperiilor i, apoi, o redivizare geografic arbitrar elimin de la conducere familii vechi i puternice, cum ar fi Romanovii, Hohenzollernii i Habsburgii. Dup veacuri de prestigiu i influen, vechile case domnitoare sunt terse de pe hart, asasinate sau surghiunite. Dar, n timp ce familiile imperiale din Rusia i din Germania au fost nevoite, ulterior, s se mulumeasc, dup caz, cu nostalgii discrete, compromisuri regretabile sau reabilitri tardive, Habsburgii au luptat mpotriva anihilrii progresive la care erau supui, ripostnd chiar fa de ostracizarea care le era impus. Nu fr eforturi sau adversiti umilitoare, ei au reuit s triasc, s i refac imaginea, s existe din nou, s impun respect fa de numele lor nainte de anii ’40 i s redobndeasc un loc att n memoria vechii Europe, ct i n noua construcie european, ceea ce este un lucru excepional.“ – Jean des Cars

Few men have endured the indignity of having their very existence challenged as thoroughly as William Shakespeare, late of Stratford-upon-Avon. From scholars to amateur enthusiasts, many cannot bring themselves to believe he wrote his own body of work. Playwright J. Ajlouny presents the arguments for and against, all statements and proofs drawn from the historical record. Everybody must decide for himself, but The Trial of William Shakespeare makes the controversy both intriguing and fun.

YOU have heard of Homer, and of the two wonderful poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, which bear his name. No one knows whether these poems were composed by Homer, or whether they are the work of many different poets. And, in fact, it matters very little about their authorship. Everybody agrees that they are the grandest poems ever sung or written or read in this world; and yet, how few persons, comparatively, have read them, or know any thing about them except at second-hand! ? Homer commences his story, not at the beginning, but "in the midst of things;" hence, when one starts out to read the Iliad without having made some special preparation beforehand, he finds it hard to understand, and is tempted, in despair, to stop at the end of the first book. Many people are, therefore, content to admire the great masterpiece of poetry and story-telling simply because others admire it, and not because they have any personal acquaintance with it.? Now, it is not my purpose to give you a "simplified version" of the Iliad or the Odyssey. There are already many such versions; but the best way for you, or any one else, to read Homer, is to read Homer. If you do not understand Greek, you can read him in one of the many English translations. You will find much of the spirit of the original in the translations by Bryant, by Lord Derby, and by old George Chapman, as well as in the admirable prose rendering by Butcher and Lang; but you can get none of it in any so-called simplified version.??My object in writing this "Story of the Golden Age" has been to pave the way, if I dare say it, to an enjoyable reading of Homer, either in translations or in the original. I have ta-ken the various legends relating to the causes of the Trojan war, and, by assuming certain privileges never yet denied to story-tellers, have woven all into one continuous narrative, ending where Homer's story begins. The hero of the Odyssey—a character not always to be admired or commended—is my hero. And, in telling the story of his boyhood and youth, I have taken the opportunity to repeat, for your enjoyment, some of the most beautiful of the old Greek myths. If I have, now and then, given them a coloring slightly different from the original, you will remember that such is the right of the story-teller, the poet, and the artist. The essential features of the stories remain unchanged. I have, all along, drawn freely from the old tragedians, and now and then from Homer himself; nor have I thought it necessary in every instance to mention authorities, or to apologize for an occasional close imitation of some of the best translations. The pictures of old Greek life have, in the main, been derived from the Iliad and the Odyssey, and will, I hope, help you to a better understanding of those poems when you come to make acquaintance directly with them.??Should you become interested in the "Story of the Golden Age," as it is here related, do not be disappointed by its somewhat abrupt ending; for you will find it continued by the master-poet of all ages, in a manner both inimitable and unapproachable. If you are pleased with the discourse of the porter at the gate, how much greater shall be your delight when you stand in the palace of the king, and hearken to the song of the royal minstrel! ?

Cartea lui Dan Dungaciu se individualizeaza prin originalitatea metodei sale: logistica. Sociologia este, prin excelenta, o "stiinta de spate", cum ar spune logisticienii, adica o stiinta care serveste marilor incordari colective (ofensive sau defensive) pe o durata anumita. Dan Dungaciu propune, in acest sens, cel putin trei procedee de cercetare a sociologiei la scara unei epoci si a unei arii de civilizatie, cea europeana in acest caz: a) "centrele logistice ale gandirii sociale" (care sustin retelele sociologiei); b). "Harta logistica a sociologiei" (romanesti in acest caz); c). Seria teoriilor reprezentative pentru cateva dintre temele dominante ale sociologiei interbelice. Modelul lecturii dezvaluie o fata surprinzatoare a uneia dintre cele mai spectaculoase manifestari ale sociologiei in secolul XX: sociologia romaneasca interbelica. Istoria logistica a sociologiei romanesti reconstituie astfel una dintre secventele de mare tensiune creatoare ale dramei neamului romanesc in secolul al XX-lea, ceea ce face din cartea lui Dan Dungaciu una de exceptie.

Conservatorismul pragmatic, conservatorismul lui David Hume, Edmund Burke i, n secolul XX, al lui Michael Oakeshott, se deosebete profund de reacionarism i de ultraconservatorismul virulent. Un conservator pragmatic este un om care gndete fr mituri caluzitoare i fr adevruri absolute, ce confisc i paralizeaz inteligena; este un adversar, i nu un adept, al utopiilor inverse, care aspir la restaurarea trecutului. El este un adept al moderaiei i al gradualismului – nu pentru ca ar avea oroare de schimbrile profunde, ci pentru ca tie c nimic important, nrdcinat ntr-o form de via omeneasc, nu poate fi schimbat brusc. Se comite adesea o confuzie ntre conservatorismul pragmatic i radicalismul de dreapta. Dar este vorba de o eroare de neiertat, cci cele doua forme ale Dreptei se opun diametral: Ostilitatea fa de radicalism, ostilitatea nencetat, implacabil, este definiia esenial a conservatorismului (Robert Cecil, Marchiz de Salisbury). Au existat i n Romania figuri celebre apropiate conservatorismului pragmatic, spre exemplu P. P. Carp. ns, din pcate, tradiia autohton este dominat de radicalismul de dreapta, ilustrat (virulent) de Eminescu i (seren) de Maiorescu, iar ulterior de generaia rtcit: Nae Ionescu, Mircea Eliade, Cioran i Noica.“ (Adrian-Paul Iliescu)

Cartea este rezultatul anchetelor desf??urate ?n paginile revistei Contemporanul – anchete ce au abordat o problema delicat?, ocolit? de nu pu?ini c?rturari: ?Problema evreiasc?". Se pronun?? pe marginea acestei disputate teme actuale personalit??i ca, de pild?, Dumitru ?epeneag, Matei C?linescu, Ion Vianu, Irina Cajal, Ion Iano?i, Nicolae Breban, ?i nu pu?ini al?i importan?i actan?i ai vie?ii sociale, politice ?i culturale din Rom?nia de azi.Un manual indirect de istorie, cartea e destinata studen?ilor, elevilor, profesorilor, precum ?i publicului larg de cititori.

Ac?iunea informativ? Nichita Smochin? reprezint? rezultatul cercet?rii ?n Arhiva CNSAS.Documentele publicate sub egida Institutului de Istorie ?George Bari?iu“ al Academiei Rom?ne au ca subiect urm?rirea informativ? a lui Nichita Smochin? de c?tre Securitate ?n perioada 1952-1962. Dup? abandonarea Rom?niei ?n sfera de influen?? sovietic?, activitatea academic?, publicistic? ?i umanitar?, desf??urat? ?n perioada interbelic? ?i ?n timpul celui de al Doilea R?zboi Mondial, dar mai ales calitatea de consilier al mare?alului Ion Antonescu, l-au plasat pe cel mai important militant pentru afirmarea spiritului rom?nesc ?n Transnistria ?n fruntea listei du?manilor URSS.FragmentDin nota privind ?nt?lnirea agentului ?Speran?a“ cu Nichita Smochin?: ?n ziua de 17 octombrie 1952, informatorul ?Speran?a“, sub pretextul c? vrea s? primeasc? lec?ii de limba rus? ?n scris, s-a dus la Smochin? Nichita, din str. N. Golescu nr. 14. La intrare ?Speran?a“ a fost ?nt?mpinat? de fiica lui Smochin?, care nu prea vroia s? o primeasc? ?n?untru. Dup? ce a fost primit? ?n?untru, a venit ?i Smochin?, cu care a ?nceput discu?ia. Din discu?ii a rezultat c? Smochin? ?n prezent traduce din limba rus? ?n limba rom?n? diferite c?r?i, pe care le prime?te de la o redac?ie din apropiere de locuin?a sa. A mai rezultat c? el, p?n? ?n anul 1938, a locuit ?n Ia?i, dup? care s-a mutat ?n Bucure?ti. Este v?duv, locuie?te ?mpreun? cu fiica sa, ginerele s?u ?i un nepot. Este o fire ?nchis?, necomunicativ?, ?ns? fa?? de ?Speran?a“ s-a ar?tat foarte binevoitor, mai ales v?z?nd c? ?tie la perfec?ie s? vorbeasc? limba rus?. Toat? conversa?ia a fost dus? ?n limba rus?. Sursa: ?Speran?a“. Valoarea: serioas?. Nota biroului: S-au trasat instruc?iuni informatorului s? se mai duc? la Smochin? ?i s? primeasc? lec?ii ?n scris, iar deocamdat? s? nu deschid? discu?ia despre trecutul s?u, pentru a putea c?p?ta ?ncrederea lui Smochin?, iar la a treia vedere s? deschid? discu?ia. Nota superiorului: ?S? se urm?reasc? ?n continuare ac?iunea lui Smochin?, p?n? vom primi noi dispozi?iuni de la Cabinet. Informatorului s? i se dea bani pentru a pl?ti medita?ia pe care o prime?te de la Smochin? (ss)“.

Candide is characterised by its sarcastic tone, as well as by its erratic, fantastical and fast-moving plot. A picaresque novel with a story similar to that of a more serious bildungsroman, it parodies many adventure and romance clichés, the struggles of which are caricatured in a tone that is mordantly matter-of-fact. Still, the events discussed are often based on historical happenings, such as the Seven Years' War and the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. As philosophers of Voltaire's day contended with the problem of evil, so too does Candide in this short novel, albeit more directly and humorously. Voltaire ridicules religion, theologians, governments, armies, philosophies, and philosophers through allegory; most conspicuously, he assaults Leibniz and his optimism. Voltaire's men and women point his case against optimism by starting high and falling low. A modern could not go about it after this fashion.?He would not plunge his people into an unfamiliar misery. He would just keep them in the misery they were born to. But such an account of Voltaire's procedure is as misleading as the plaster cast of a dance. Look at his procedure again. Mademoiselle Cunégonde, the illustrious Westphalian, sprung from a family that could prove seventy-one quarterings, descends and descends until we find her earning her keep by washing dishes in the Propontis. The aged faithful attendant, victim of a hundred acts of rape by negro pirates, remembers that she is the daughter of a pope, and that in honor of her approaching marriage with a Prince of Massa-Carrara all Italy wrote sonnets of which not one was passable. We do not need to know French literature before Voltaire in order to feel, although the lurking parody may escape us, that he is poking fun at us and at himself. His laughter at his own methods grows more unmistakable at the last, when he caricatures them by casually assembling six fallen monarchs in an inn at Venice. A modern assailant of optimism would arm himself with social pity. There is no social pity in "Candide." Voltaire, whose light touch on familiar institutions opens them and reveals their absurdity, likes to remind us that the slaughter and pillage and murder which Candide?witnessed among the Bulgarians was perfectly regular, having been conducted according to the laws and usages of war. Had Voltaire lived today he would have done to poverty what he did to war. Pitying the poor, he would have shown us poverty as a ridiculous anachronism, and both the ridicule and the pity would have expressed his indignation. About Author: VOLTAIREFran?ois-Marie Arouet (1694 – 1778), known by his nom de plume Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit, his attacks on the established Catholic Church, and his advocacy of freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state. Voltaire was a versatile writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays, and historical and scientific works. He wrote more than 20,000 letters and more than 2,000 books and pamphlets. He was an outspoken advocate, despite the risk this placed him in under the strict censorship laws of the time. As a satirical polemicist, he frequently made use of his works to criticize intolerance, religious dogma, and the French institutions of his day.

This story belongs to the year 1837, and was regarded by the generations of that and a succeeding time as the most miraculous of all the recorded deliverances from death at sea. It may be told thus: Mr. Montagu Vanderholt sat at breakfast with his daughter Violet one morning in September. Vanderholt's house was one of a fine terrace close to Hyde Park. He was a rich man, a retired Cape merchant, and his life had been as chequered as Trelawney's, with nothing of romance and nothing of imagination in it. He was the son of honest parents, of Dutch extraction, and had run away to sea when about twelve years old. Nothing under the serious heavens was harsher, more charged with misery, suffering, dirt, and wretchedness, than seafaring in the days when young Vanderholt, with an idiot's cunning, fled to it from his father's comfortable little home. He got a ship, was three years absent, and on his return found both his father and mother dead. He went again to sea, and, fortunately for him, was shipwrecked in the neighbourhood of Simon's Bay. The survivors made their way to Cape Town, and presently young Vanderholt got a job, and afterwards a position. He then became a master, until, after some eight or ten years of heroic perseverance, attended by much good luck, behold Mr. Vanderholt full-blown into a colonial merchant prince. How much he was worth when he made up his mind to settle in England, after the death of his wife, and when he had disposed of his affairs so as to leave himself as free a man as ever he had been when he was a common Jack Swab, really signifies nothing. It is certain he had plenty, and plenty is enough, even for a merchant prince of Dutch extraction. Besides Violet, he had two sons, who will not make an appearance on this little brief stage. They are dismissed, therefore, with this brief reference—that both were in the army, and both, at the time of this tale, in India. Violet was Vanderholt's only daughter, and he loved her exceedingly. She was not beautiful, but she was fair to see, with a pretty figure, and an arch, gay smile. You saw the Dutch blood in her eyes, as you saw it in her father's, whose orbs of vision, indeed, were ridiculously small—scarcely visible in their bed of socket and lash. An English mother had come to Violet's help in this matter. Taking her from top to toe, with her surprising quantity of brown hair, soft complexion, good mouth, teeth, and figure, Violet Vanderholt was undoubtedly a fine girl. THE LAST ENTRY "OPINIONS OF THE PRESS ON THE LAST ENTRY": '"The Last Entry" is a rattling good salt-water yarn, told in the author's usual breezy, exhilarating style.'-”Daily Mail. 'In this new novel Mr. Russell has cleverly thrown its events into the year 1837, and there are one or two ingenious passages which add to the Diamond Jubilee interest which that date suggests.... "The Last Entry" is as certain of general popularity as any of Mr. Russell's former tales of the marvels of the sea.'-”Glasgow Herald. 'We do not think it possible for anyone to dip into this novel without desiring to finish it, and it adds another to the long list of successes of our best sea author.'-”Librarian. 'In addition to mutiny and murder, "The Last Entry" contains many of those good things which have made Mr. Russell's pages a joy to so many lovers of the sea during the last twenty years.... "The Last Entry" is a welcome addition to Mr. Clark Russell's library.'-”Speaker. 'The writer is as realistic and picturesque as usual in his vivid descriptions of the stagnant life on board the homeward-bound Indiaman.'-”Times. 'It is full of pleasant vigour.... As is always the case in Mr. Clark Russell's books, the elements are treated with the pen of an artist.'-”Standard. 'We expected plenty of go, of fresh and vigorous description of sea-faring life, coupled with a story which would not be wanting in interest. All this we have here.'”-Tablet.

The Odyssey (Greek:Odysseia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second oldest extant work of Western literature, the Iliad being the oldest. It is believed to have been composed near the end of the 8th century BC, somewhere in Ionia, the Greek coastal region of Anatolia. The poem mainly centers on the Greek hero Odysseus (known as Ulysses in Roman myths) and his journey home after the fall of Troy. It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War. In his absence, it is assumed he has died, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of unruly suitors, the Mnesteres or Proci, who compete for Penelope's hand in marriage. It continues to be read in the Homeric Greek and translated into modern languages around the world. Many scholars believe that the original poem was composed in an oral tradition by an aoidos (epic poet/singer), perhaps a rhapsode (professional performer), and was more likely intended to be heard than read. The details of the ancient oral performance, and the story's conversion to a written work inspire continual debate among scholars. The Odyssey was written in a poetic dialect of Greek—a literary amalgam of Aeolic Greek, Ionic Greek, and other Ancient Greek dialects—and comprises 12,110 lines of dactylic hexameter. Among the most noteworthy elements of the text are its non-linear plot, and the influence on events of choices made by women and serfs, besides the actions of fighting men. In the English language as well as many others, the word odyssey has come to refer to an epic voyage. The Odyssey has a lost sequel, the Telegony, which was not written by Homer. It was usually attributed in Antiquity to Cinaethon of Sparta, but in one source was said to have been stolen from Musaeus by Eugamon or Eugammon of Cyrene (see Cyclic poets). ABOUT AUTHOR: Homeros, In the Western classical tradition, Homer (Ancient Greek: Homeros) is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest of ancient Greek epic poets. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature. When he lived is unknown. Herodotus estimates that Homer lived 400 years before his own time, which would place him at around 850 BC, while other ancient sources claim that he lived much nearer to the supposed time of the Trojan War, in the early 12th century BC. Most modern researchers place Homer in the 7th or 8th centuries BC. The formative influence of the Homeric epics in shaping Greek culture was widely recognized, and Homer was described as the teacher of Greece. Homer's works, which are about fifty percent speeches, provided models in persuasive speaking and writing that were emulated throughout the ancient and medieval Greek worlds. Fragments of Homer account for nearly half of all identifiable Greek literary papyrus finds. PeriodFor modern scholars "the date of Homer" refers not to an individual, but to the period when the epics were created. The consensus is that "the Iliad and the Odyssey date from around the 8th century BC, the Iliad being composed before the Odyssey, perhaps by some decades," i.e. earlier than Hesiod, the Iliad being the oldest work of Western literature. Over the past few decades, some scholars have argued for a 7th-century BC date. Oliver Taplin believes that the conclusion of modern researchers is that Homer dates to between 750 to 650 BC. Some of those who argue that the Homeric poems developed gradually over a long period of time give an even later date for the composition of the poems; according to Gregory Nagy for example, they only became fixed texts in the 6th century BC. The question of the historicity of Homer the individual is known as the "Homeric question"; there is no reliable biographical information handed down from classical antiquity. The poems are generally seen as the culmination of many generations of oral story-telling, in a tradition with a well-developed formulaic system of poetic composition. Some scholars, such as Martin West, claim that "Homer" is "not the name of a historical poet, but a fictitious or constructed name."

Art, with its finite means, cannot hope to record the infinite variety and com-plexity of Nature, and so contents itself with a partial statement, addressing this to the imagination for the full and perfect meaning. This inadequation, and the artificial ad-justments which it involves, are tolerated by right of what is known as artistic convention; and as each art has its own particular limitations, so each has its own particular conventions. Sculpture reproduces the forms of Nature, but discards the color without any shock to our ideas of verity; Painting gives us the color, but not the third dimension, and we are satisfied; and Architecture ispurely conventional, since it does not even aim at the imitation of natural form. The Conventions of Line Drawing,Of the kindred arts which group themselves under the head of Painting, none is based on such broad conventions as that with which we are immediately concerned—the art of Pen Drawing. In this medium, Nature's variety of color, when not positively ignored, is suggested by means of sharp black lines, of varying thickness, placed more or less closely together upon white paper; while natural form depends primarily for its representation upon arbitrary boundary lines. There is, of course, no authority in Na-ture for a positive outline: we see objects only by the difference in color of the other objects behind and around them. The technical capacity of the pen and ink medium, however, does not provide a value corresponding to every natural one, so that a broad interpretation has to be adopted which eliminates the less positive values; and, that form may not likewise be sacrificed, the outline becomes necessary, that light objects may stand relieved against light. This outline is the most characteristic, as it is the most indispensable, of the conventions of line drawing. To seek to abolish it only involves a resort to expedients no less artificial, and the results of all such attempts, dependent as they necessarily are upon elaboration of color, and a general indirectness of method, lack some of the best characteristics of pen drawing. More frequently, however, an elaborate color-scheme is merely a straining at the technical limitations of the pen in an effort to render the greatest possible number of values. It may be worth while to inquire whether excellence in pen drawing consists in thus dispensing with its recognized conventions, or in otherwise taxing the technical re-sources of the instrument. This involves the question of Style,—of what characteristic pen methods are,—a question which we will briefly consider...