Riduri deschide colec?ia ?Falanga basarabean?“ (coordonator Dumitru Crudu). Un volum al tinere?ii vitaliste care ?ncepe s? se obi?nuiasc? treptat ?i sigur cu ridurile societ??ii cu o speran?? de via?? din ce ?n ce mai exact stabilit?. Un volum de versuri care sfideaz? moartea prin chiar urmele pe care le las? ?n urm?, ca ni?te tatuaje, amintirea poeziei vie?ii celor dragi.

ficiune nseamn poate c.poate c o gaur de vierme este i existena uman.mcar pentru c omul o resimte ca parcurs, mai rapid dect ar fi de dorit, dintr-o zon necunoscut n alta la fel de necunoscut.poate c ntr-o gaur de vierme prezentul e singurul timp posibil.ce este prezentul fr contiin nimic.contiina o amprent de identificare pe care sinele o numete eu, iar ceilali el.criminalitii presar peste amprente un praf, o substan destinat scoaterii lor n relief. poezia lucreaz i ea cu asemenea prafuri, limbajul expresiv sau alte trucuri.trebuie s se poat i altfel.personajul volumului gaura de vierme transfer materialul livrat de contiin printr-un loc ngust, o fant. timpul prezent din gaura de vierme: oameni, lucruri i ntmplri la care, din motivele lui, eu nu a renunat, care sunt vii, active.trecerea prin fant presupune comprimare i tensiune i totui proba trecerii trebuie s fie firescul, normalitatea spunerii. exist un punct unde sunetul nu e alterat de efectele distanei n timp sau spaiu.ce spunem firesc poate fi important, poate interesa cel puin.“ – g.g.

C eti un artist dramatic care se zbate s supravieuiasc sau c eti un om care nu se identific cu sexul cu care a fost nzestrat i ncearc disperat s remedieze aceast problem, c eti un geniu ajuns n zdrene, care cerete ansa de a-i spune povestea, c eti un ndrgostit iremediabil, care ncaseaz doar indiferen, c eti un nimeni urmrit venic de autoriti, de probleme i eecuri, c eti captiv n lumea ta, singurul loc n care nu eti perceput ca fiind nebun tocmai fiindc sfideaz noiunea unanim acceptat de normalitate, c eti un scriitor care i aterne realitatea bidimensional, pe foaie, n replici, n didascalii, n uniti de msur a emoiei – numite cuvinte –, i ridic n alii realiti tridimensionale, c eti o ntmplare care citete aceste rnduri, tii foarte bine c orice fapt consumat d singur startul la o continuare i c exist mereu o a doua ans, la fel cum Moartea tie cnd trebuie s lase ceva s continue, cnd s-i spun stop sau cnd s nchid ochii, fiindc intervenia ar descalifica-o. Totul poart eticheta cu va urma i depinde doar de noi s lsm eticheta acolo i s urmm indicaia.Teatrul prelungete viaa fiindc este o prelungire a vieii. Nu e att parte a ei, ct o extensie, ca o pereche de aripi cu care plonjm ntr-un bar supraaglomerat, ntr-un dormitor n care ncap fix dou persoane, ntr-un vis policrom cu iz de psihotrope, sau ntr-o scen care ne va marca fiindc urmeaz s se petreac n acel interval de timp pe care niciodat nu suntem n stare s-l dibuim, dar tim atunci cnd se ntmpl c nu putea fi altcndva.Trei piese care ne zguduie, ne las simurile bulversate, creierii bruscai, inima n aritmie, dar sufletul cumva ridicat. Trei piese de prelungit viaa, chiar i a celor care cred c aceasta urmeaz abia dup ce vor muri. Moartea strig: Bis!“ cnd se vede aplaudnd de una singur, fiindc nu are de ales dect s lase spectacolul s continue n momentul n care tocmai se dezintegreaz.ndrznete i citete!“ – Andrei Vornicu

Acestea-s cuvintele, Petra. Am aternut copertele peste ele, lsndu-le s se limpezeasc. Timpul trecea, cartea nu-mi mai ncpea n trup. ntr-o zi, mi plimbam ochii peste literele ei. Dup aceea, am rspuns ctorva e-mailuri. Printre tirile care nsoesc n mod obinuit o csu electronic, mi-a atras atenia una. Plasa pianjenului se lsa peste mine, dar cui s-i strig mirarea i bucuria mea Eram singur i ngheat, n biroul pustiu. Atunci, m-am repezit s-i atern aceste nimicuri despre Shaun Higgins, specialistul ce a reuit s rezolve misterul insulei-fantom din Pacific. Aprea pe mai toate hrile, dar nu a fost gsit de cercettorii care au plecat s o caute cu vreo lun n urm. Din 1876 s-a strecurat eroarea. Atunci, comandantul balenierei Velocity a raportat n jurnal o serie de stnci mari i nite insulie de nisip, marcnd poriunea de pmnt pe o hart. Informaiile lui au tot fost copiate i recopiate, postulnd drept insul un probabil i posibil recif. Cineva din lumea aceasta, cu un veac n urm, s-a mai gndit la Plasterca. i dai seama ce lucru minunat i s-ar putea ca lumea despre care am zis odat c nu am gsit-o, aceea ce spuneam c i se cuvine, alturi de aceast carte care abia mai ncape n colivie, s se afle undeva, pe-aproape.“ – Clin Torsan

1791 októberében Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart azt mondta a feleségének, hogy megmérgezték. Másfél hónap múlva már nem volt az él?k sorában. N?vére, a szintén zongoravirtuózként indult Nannerl sógorn?jét?l értesül a fájdalmas hírr?l, és nyomban Bécsbe indul, de nem csak a temetésre. Elt?kéli, hogy kideríti az igazságot, és megtudja, valóban gyilkosság áldozata lett-e Mozart, és vajon kinek állt útjában. Bécs veszélyes városnak bizonyul: Nannerl s?tét titkokkal, ?sszeesküvésekkel, a császári udvarban zajló intrikákkal szembesül, a szabadk?m?vesek rejtélyes ?sszej?vetelein találja magát, mik?zben életében el?sz?r átéli az igaz szerelmet. ?s mindennek k?zpontjában Mozart utolsó operája, A varázsfuvola áll. Az olvasó a korabeli Bécs arisztokrata szalonjainak és hangversenytermeinek nyüzsg? világát láthatja mintegy függ?ny m?gül, mik?zben fel-felcsendül Mozart halhatatlan zenéje, és fény derül a sz?rny? titokra.

O t?n?r? care ??i pune prietenul s-o ?ncuie ?ntr-o cu?c? ?n propria ei buc?t?rie; un b?rbat locuind singur pe o planet? ?ndep?rtat? dintr-o galaxie necunosct?; un scriitor ?nc?run?it, ?ntr-un pat cu gratii, devenit piesa principal? a arhivei propriei sale opere postume; ?i mai e ?i Lilly, care, ?dup? o zi lung? ?i grea la birou, a constatat c? i-au crescut aripi pe omopla?i: ni?te excrescen?e de piele roz murdar, cu un aspect vulnerabil, care-i d?deau m?nc?rimi ca acelea ale ?n?ep?turilor de ??n?ar“. Sunt doar c?teva dintre personajele stranii ale acestui volum de proz? scurt? al t?n?rului scriitor austriac Clemens J. Setz. La apari?ie, Dragostea ?n vremea Copilului din Mahlstadt a fost o revela?ie pentru critic? ?i public deopotriv?, prin fine?ea ?i rafinamentul limbajului, prin iscusin?a cu care scriitorul ??i pune personajele s? se descurce ?n situa?ii bizare sau de-a dreptul grote?ti, prin inser?iile nea?teptate de fantastic ?i comic ?ntr-un cotidian marcat de banalitatea ?i stresul obliga?iilor sociale.

De la autorul bestsellerului Zi dup? zi. Pentru Rhiannon fiecare zi este la fel. S-a resemnat cu via?a ei, convins? fiind c? ?l merit? pe Justin, iubitul ei distant ?i temperamental. P?n? ?ntr-o diminea?? c?nd totul se schimb?. Pentru prima dat?, Justin pare s? o vad? cu adev?rat, s? fie ?mpreun? cu ea – ?i petrec o zi perfect? – o zi pe care Justin nu ?i-o mai aminte?te ?n diminea?a urm?toare. Trist? ?i confuz?, Rhiannon pune totul la ?ndoial?. Pe nea?teptate, un str?in ?i spune c? acel Justin cu care a petrecut o zi perfect? ?i care a f?cut-o s? se simt? special?... nu e deloc Justin. ?nc? o zi, cartea-pereche a bestsellerului New York Times Zi dup? zi, spune povestea din perspectiva lui Rhiannon, care ?ncearc? s? descopere adev?rul despre dragoste ?i felul cum acest adev?r te poate schimba pentru totdeauna. ?O poveste ce ne face s? p?trundem ad?nc ?n min?ile personajelor. De?i Levithan consider? c? ?nc? o zi e geam?nul romanului s?u precedent, Zi dup? zi, noua sa carte are o identitate separat?, bine definit? ?i poate fi citit? independent.“ – Booklist ?Nu simt nicio ?ntrebare – doar r?spunsuri. Nu simt fric?, ci ?mplinire. ?l s?rut ?i balansul nostru perfect continu?, r?sufl?rile noastre se fac una. ?nchid ochii ?i simt ap?sarea familiar? a buzelor lui, gustul familiar al gurii lui. ?nsa acum ceva e altfel. Nu doar ne s?rut?m cu trupurile noastre ?ntregi, ci ?i cu ceva mai mare dec?t trupurile, cu ceea ce suntem ?i cu ceea ce vom fi.“

Clipele vie?ii mele sunt pentru mine la fel de importante ca primele clipe ale Universului.Clipesc, aud, respir, m? mi?c… deci exist!Pentru cei ce nu mai au r?bdare. Pentru cei care caut? mereu sf?r?itul ?nc? de la ?nceput. Pentru cei ce nu mai au timp…Acum se termin? ?nceputul ?i, cum suntem pe punctul de a disp?rea definitiv, nu v?d de ce am mai c?uta care este motivul ?i dac? s?ar mai fi putut face ceva. (Ciprian Vestemean)

Un program revolu?ionar, bogat ?n nutrien?i, pentru o sc?dere ?n greutate rapid? ?i sus?inut?. Sl?bi?i peste 10 kilograme ?n doar 6 s?pt?m?ni.Din cuprins:cazuri de succes care v? vor inspira (?nso?ite de fotografii relevante);m?rturii ale celor care au sc?pat de foarte multe kilograme ?i s-au vindecat de boli care le-au pus via?a ?n pericol;cercet?ri ?tiin?ifice actuale;re?ete noi;idei de preparate ?i multe altele.?O adev?rat? inova?ie medical?… Nu am nicio ?ndoial? c? va func?iona ?i ?n cazul t?u.“ – Dr. Mehmet Oz??n sf?r?it, o carte despre diete care trateaz? riguros ?tiin?a alimenta?iei. Majoritatea c?r?ilor despre diete con?in pu?ine informa?ii de baz? ?n ceea ce prive?te fiziologia. M?n?nc? pentru a tr?i analizeaz? motivele pentru care ne ?ngr???m ?i ne sf?tuie?te cum s? sl?bim ?i s? ne p?str?m silueta toat? via?a, r?m?n?nd totodat? s?n?to?i. Toate afirma?iile sunt sus?inute de date ?tiin?ifice reale.“ – Dr. Thomas Davenport, Spitalul General din MassachusettsM?n?nc? pentru a tr?i ofer? un mod de a sl?bi rapid, foarte eficient ?i demonstrat ?tiin?ific. ?n esen??, planul revolu?ionar pentru ?ase s?pt?m?ni al doctorului Fuhrman este simplu: s?n?tate = nutrien?i / calorii.Dac? raportul dintre nutrien?ii ?i caloriile din alimente este ridicat, sl?bi?i. Cu c?t alimentele pe care le consuma?i au o densitate mai mare a nutrien?ilor, cu at?t pofta de gr?simi, dulciuri ?i alimente bogate ?n calorii este mai redus?. M?n?nc? pentru a tr?i v? va ajuta s? tr?i?i mai mult, s? reduce?i dependen?a de medicamente ?i s? v? ?mbun?t??i?i starea de s?n?tate ?ntr-o m?sur? incredibil de mare. V? va schimba modul ?n care v? alimenta?i.?Cu ajutorul c?r?ii de fa?? ve?i sl?bi mai mult dec?t a?i crezut vreodat? c? este posibil ?i ve?i reu?i s? v? p?stra?i noua greutate.“ – Dr. Joel Fuhrman

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

Medicina modern? a f?cut progrese imense. Cu toate acestea, nu a reu?it s? ?nving? cancerul, boala nemiloas? care face milioane de victime ?n fiecare an, la nivel mondial. ?i totu?i, dr. Max Gerson (1881-1959) ne-a oferit o raz? de speran??, prin terapia alternativ? care ?i poart? numele. ?n 1958, el a fost primul medic din lume care a spus despre cancer c? ar fi cauzat de mai mul?i factori independen?i. Dintre cei 49 de astfel de factori identifica?i p?n? ?n prezent (deficien?ele de nutri?ie, radia?iile de diverse tipuri, ingerarea aditivilor alimentari, stresul cronic, consumul de tutun ?i de alcool etc.), ?n mod surprinz?tor, alimentele toxice fac cel mai mare r?u. Peste 70% dintre tumorile maligne sunt cauzate, ?ntr-un fel sau altul, de ceea ce m?nc?m. Tocmai de aceea, Terapia Gerson are la baz? o diet? care include fructe ?i legume proaspete, cultivate organic, ?i 13 pahare de sucuri proaspete pe zi, la intervale fixe. Dup? 70 de ani de la apari?ia terapiei, timp ?n care mii de pacien?i au fost trata?i cu succes, fiica dr. Gerson, Charlotte, ea ?ns??i terapeut ?n medicina alternativ?, ?mpreun? cu dr. Morton Walker ofer? ?i mai multe informa?ii despre efectele puternice de vindecare ale fructelor ?i legumelor organice. Afl?: cum s? ?nvingi cancerul schimb?nd chimia organismului;cum s? prepari sucuri prin tehnici speciale pentru a le maximiza puterea de vindecare;cum s? scapi de alergii, obezitate, hipertensiune, SIDA, lupus ?i alte boli;ce suplimente ?nt?resc sistemul imunitar. Terapia Gerson – cea mai bun? metod? pentru oricine a spus vreodat? ?Vreau s? m? fac bine. Ar?ta-mi cum“ A func?ionat ?i pentru al?ii, va func?iona ?i pentru tine! ?nvinge boala cu ajutorul Terapiei Gerson!

Scriitorul George Colpit a publicat pan? in prezent cinci romane, un volum de reportaje ?i eseuri publicistice, un volum de poezii ?i prezenta culegere de nuvele.Cartea de fa?? demonstreaz? c? deosebitul talent ale romancierului de a da via?? unor personaje vii, pregnante, cu o prezen?? aproape material?, palpabil?, ?n situa?ii cotidiene veridice, duce, ?i ?n cazul ?n care scrie proz? scurt?, la realizarea unor mini-capodopere literare, dovedind un talent deosebit.V? invit?m s? citi?i ?i celelalte opere ale acestui talentat scriitor: Judecata de pe urm?. Despre Opera?iunea Psi ?i Laboratorul Psihotronic. Roman; Nebunul. Roman; Dorina tranzi?iei. Roman erotic interzis minorilor; Legionarul communist. Roman; Partidele coliba?ului. O saga arge?ean?. Roman; Articole din pia?a politic?. Despre oportuni?tii de forma?ie intelectual?. Publicistic?; Oglinda retrovizoare. Poezii

Irene Matoko, rom?nc? cu tat? congolez, scrie cu lacrimi ?n ochi ?i cu durere ?n suflet. Scurta sa relatare ne impresioneaz? profund ?i ne face s? ne ?ntreb?m cum este posibil ca, ?n secolul XXI, s? persiste ?n sufletele unor oameni ura de ras? ?i prejudec??ile ?n fa?a tr?s?turilor fizice native ale semenilor no?tri.Din p?cate, profesori ?i colegi, persoane la care ne-am a?tepta cel mai pu?in s? prigoneasc? o fiin?? uman? pentru simplul fapt c? are pielea de alt? culoare, ac?ioneaz? brutal ?i inuman ?mpotriva unor copii nevinova?i.Citi?i cartea aceasta ?i pl?nge?i. Citi?i cartea aceasta ?i privi?i-v? ?n oglind?. Citi?i aceast? carte ?i aminti?i-v? de cele dou? porunci ale lui Isus: iube?te-l cu toat? fiin?a pe Dumnezeu (acesta, care a creat rasele umane) ?i iube?te-l pe semenul t?u ca pe tine ?nsu?i.Chiar dac? semenul t?u are alt? culoare.

Júlia el?tt két út áll: szerelem nélküli, elrendezett házasság vagy lázadás. Az éles esz? lány, aki nemcsak rajongója Dante romantikus k?ltészetének, de maga is verseket ír, nem hajlandó fejet hajtani a hagyományok el?tt, és belet?r?dni a szül?k akaratába, mint imádott barátn?je, Lucrezia. Júlia sorsa ?r?kre megpecsétel?dik, amikor egy álarcosbálon megismeri a családjával viszálykodó Monticecco család fiát, Rómeót. Robin Maxwell, az angol t?rténelmi regények népszer? szerz?je nem kevesebbre vállalkozott, mint hogy újraírja Shakespeare egyik legnépszer?bb drámáját, a Rómeó és Júliá-t. Az írón? ezúttal is t?rténelmileg hiteles regényt írt: a halhatatlan szerelmesek t?rténete Verona helyett a reneszánsz Firenzében játszódik. Mik?zben megismerhetjük a nyüzsg? város hétk?znapjait, kibontakozik el?ttünk egy ifjú pár szerelmi t?rténete, amely nem kevésbé drámai és szívszorító, mint a nagy k?lt?é, ám ezúttal azt is láthatjuk, mi zajlik a kulisszák m?g?tt.

Una dintre cele mai intense poveti de dragoste despre adolesceni pe care le-am citit vreodat.“ – David Levithan De cnd se tie, elul lui Wren Gray a fost s-i mulumeasc prinii. Lucru care nu a deranjat-o, dimpotriv. Acum ns a mplinit 18 ani i simte nevoia s-i mplineasc propriile dorine... doar c nu prea tie care sunt. n schimb, Charlie Parker tie exact care e dorina sa cea mai mare. Charlie e un biat blnd cu un trecut dureros – i a iubit-o pe Wren de cnd a vzut-o prima dat. Dar o fat ca Wren nu s-ar ndrgosti niciodat de un tip ca el. i totui... unele lucruri sunt scrise n stele. Romantic, senzual i att de adevrat – o poveste de neuitat despre prima iubire de la una dintre cele mai bune autoare de adult fiction ale momentului. O poveste de dragoste n acelai timp delicat i plin de pasiune.“ – Kirkus Reviews Relaia dintre personajele lui Lauren Myracle e bazat pe dragoste, respect i ncredere.“ – Publishers Weekly Lauren Myracle mbin tandreea cu erotismul.“ – School Library Journal Miercuri, Charlie trecuse prin ultima zi de coal ca i cnd s-ar fi aflat ntr-o negur. Toi ceilali erau entuziasmai la gndul c vara ncepea n mod oficial, ns Charlie nu-i dorea s vin vacana. El i-o dorea pe Wren. ns, dac nu avea de gnd s prind curaj i s acioneze – de pild, s poarte o conversaie mai lung de cinci cuvinte cu ea, n numele lui Dumnezeu! –, era sortit eecului. Wren urma s-i vad de drumul ei imediat dup ceremonia de absolvire de smbt i exista posibilitatea ca Charlie s nu o mai vad niciodat.“

Annyit már most nyugodtan elmondhatok, hogy akárcsak A n? cím? k?nyvnél - amely alapjában véve nem csupán a n?r?l szólt -, menet k?zben már itt is tudtam, láttam, hogy ez a k?nyv sem tisztán csak a férfiról fog szólni. Szerettem volna sok mindent beletenni a férfiasság kérdésér?l, a b?ntudat megoldásának az elkezdésér?l, a gyászról, halálról, búcsúról, elengedésr?l, virágokról, ?nmagamról. Tényleg sok mindent. Válaszokat egy sor kérdésre. Felvetéseket a pasikkal kapcsolatosan. Hogy például "miért élt a párom nyolc hónapig egy másik csajjal párhuzamos életet mellettem, mik?zben azt bizonygatta, hogy mennyire szerelmes belém?" A minap kaptam egy ilyen e-mailt! ?pp karácsonykor robbant szét a dolog... Amikor ez a k?nyv készült, k?rbetelefonáltam egy csomó pasit, akit ismerek. A tinédzserekt?l kezdve az ?tvenesekig valamennyiüknek ugyanazt a kérdést tettem fel: mit?l érzik magukat férfinak. A kérdésre, hogy mit?l érzik magukat férfinak, a pasik egy jelent?s része azt felelte, hogy ezen ?k még soha nem gondolkodtak, és ez a kérdés eléggé meglepetésszer?en érte ?ket... Holott a n?k esetében az utóbbi ?t-tíz év másról sem szólt, mint hogy definiálják, mi az, hogy n?... ?gy t?nik, ezek olyan dolgok, amelyekr?l a pasik általában nem beszélnek. Vagy csak nagyon felületesen. Magáról a férfilétr?l... Azért nem, mert "ez teljesen magától értet?d?", hogy az illet? férfi. Fel sem merül, hogy ezt bármi megkérd?jelezhetné..."

The story starts in London on Tuesday, October 1, 1872. Fogg is a rich English gentleman and bachelor living in solitude at Number 7 Savile Row, Burlington Gardens. Despite his wealth, which is ?40,000 (roughly ?3,020,000 today), Fogg, whose countenance is described as "repose in action", lives a modest life with habits carried out with mathematical precision. Very little can be said about his social life other than that he is a member of the Reform Club. Having dismissed his former valet, James Foster, for bringing him shaving water at 84 °F (29 °C) instead of 86 °F (30 °C), Fogg hires a Frenchman by the name of Jean Passepartout, who is about 30 years old, as a replacement. Later on that day, in the Reform Club, Fogg gets involved in an argument over an article in The Daily Telegraph, stating that with the opening of a new railway section in India, it is now possible to travel around the world in 80 days. He accepts a wager for ?20,000 (roughly ?1,510,000 today) from his fellow club members, which he will receive if he makes it around the world in 80 days. Accompanied by Passepartout, he leaves London by train at 8:45 P.M. on Wednesday, October 2, 1872, and thus is due back at the Reform Club at the same time 80 days later, Saturday, December 21, 1872. Mr. Phileas Fogg lived, in 1872, at No. 7, Saville Row, Burlington Gardens, the house in which Sheridan died in 1814. He was one of the most noticeable members of the Reform Club, though he seemed always to avoid attracting attention; an enigmatical personage, about whom little was known, except that he was a polished man of the world. People said that he resembled Byron—at least that his head was Byronic; but he was a bearded, tranquil Byron, who might live on a thousand years without growing old. Certainly an Englishman, it was more doubtful whether Phileas Fogg was a Londoner. He was never seen on 'Change, nor at the Bank, nor in the counting-rooms of the "City"; no ships ever came into London docks of which he was the owner; he had no public employment; he had never been entered at any of the Inns of Court, either at the Temple, or Lincoln's Inn, or Gray's Inn; nor had his voice ever resounded in the Court of Chancery, or in the Exchequer, or the Queen's Bench, or the Ecclesiastical Courts. He certainly was not a manufacturer; nor was he a merchant or a gentleman farmer. His name was strange to the scientific and learned societies, and he never was known to take part in the sage deliberations of the Royal Institution or the London Institution, the Artisan's Association, or the Institution of Arts and Sciences. He belonged, in fact, to none of the numerous societies which swarm in the English capital, from the Harmonic to that of the Entomologists, founded mainly for the purpose of abolishing pernicious insects. Phileas Fogg was a member of the Reform, and that was all. The way in which he got admission to this exclusive club was simple enough. He was recommended by the Barings, with whom he had an open credit. His cheques were regularly paid at sight from his account current, which was always flush. Was Phileas Fogg rich? Undoubtedly. But those who knew him best could not imagine how he had made his fortune, and Mr. Fogg was the last person to whom to apply for the information. He was not lavish, nor, on the contrary, avaricious; for, whenever he knew that money was needed for a noble, useful, or benevolent purpose, he supplied it quietly and sometimes anonymously. He was, in short, the least communicative of men. He talked very little, and seemed all the more mysterious for his taciturn manner. His daily habits were quite open to observation; but whatever he did was so exactly the same thing that he had always done before, that the wits of the curious were fairly puzzled. ABOUT AUTHOR: Jules Gabriel Verne (1828 – 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright best known for his adventure novels and his profound influence on the literary genre of science fiction. Born to bourgeois parents in the seaport of Nantes, Verne was trained to follow in his father's footsteps as a lawyer, but quit the profession early in life to write for magazines and the stage. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the Voyages Extraordinaires, a widely popular series of scrupulously researched adventure novels including Journey to the Center of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and Around the World in Eighty Days.

Mi s-a cerut o biografie, dar dac? citi?i cartea ve?i avea parte de una. Mai bine v? spun pe scurt povestea c?r?ii, care n-a fost carte de la început. Au fost zilele ?i nop?ile mele, a?a cum le-am tr?it eu ?i-ai mei. Printre sârme ?i portocali. A fost o perioad? în care a? fi vrut s? uit unele întâmpl?ri, apoi am în?eles c? nu le voi putea ?terge din amintire ?i c? de fapt nici nu vreau. Le-am povestit, la început cu îndoiala c? cineva ar în?elege impactul pe care le-au avut pentru noi, apoi cu mirarea c? pe cineva intereseaz? aceast? poveste. M-au uimit reac?iile, am început s? scormonesc în memorie ?i m-am trezit scriind ceva despre care n-am crezut c? va fi o carte. Va fi, totu?i, va avea coper?i frumoase ?i câteva file din care, dac? le ve?i citi, ve?i ?ti c? sârmele aveau ghimpi, iar portocalii erau plini de culoare ?i parfum. În carte apare familia mea ?i vreau s? le mul?umesc pentru îng?duin?a de-a folosi amintirile lor în cuprinsul acestor pagini.

"BLEAK HOUSE" is a novel by Charles Dickens, published in 20 monthly instalments between March 1852 and September 1853. It is held to be one of Dickens's finest novels, containing one of the most vast, complex and engaging arrays of minor characters and sub-plots in his entire canon. The story is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and partly by a mostly omniscient narrator. Memorable characters include the menacing lawyer Tulkinghorn, the friendly but depressive John Jarndyce, and the childish and disingenuous Harold Skimpole, as well as the likeable but imprudent Richard Carstone. At the novel's core is long-running litigation in England's Court of Chancery, Jarndyce v Jarndyce, which has far-reaching consequences for all involved. This case revolves around a testator who apparently made several wills. The litigation, which already has taken many years and consumed between 60,000 and 70,000 in court costs, is emblematic of the failure of Chancery. Though Chancery lawyers and judges criticised Dickens's portrait of Chancery as exaggerated and unmerited, his novel helped to spur an ongoing movement that culminated in the enactment of legal reform in the 1870s. In fact, Dickens was writing just as Chancery was reforming itself, with the Six Clerks and Masters mentioned in Chapter One abolished in 1842 and 1852 respectively: the need for further reform was being widely debated. These facts raise an issue as to when Bleak House is actually set. Technically it must be before 1842, and at least some of his readers at the time would have been aware of this. However, there is some question as to whether this timeframe is consistent with the themes of the novel. The English legal historian Sir William Holdsworth set the action in 1827. Characters in Bleak House: As usual, Dickens drew upon many real people and places but imaginatively transformed them in his novel. Hortense is based on the Swiss maid and murderess Maria Manning. The "telescopic philanthropist" Mrs Jellyby, who pursues distant projects at the expense of her duty to her own family, is a criticism of women activists like Caroline Chisholm. The "childlike" but ultimately amoral character Harold Skimpole is commonly regarded as a portrait of Leigh Hunt. "Dickens wrote in a letter of 25 September 1853, 'I suppose he is the most exact portrait that was ever painted in words! ... It is an absolute reproduction of a real man'; and a contemporary critic commented, 'I recognized Skimpole instantaneously; ... and so did every person whom I talked with about it who had ever had Leigh Hunt's acquaintance.'"[2] G. K. Chesterton suggested that Dickens "may never once have had the unfriendly thought, 'Suppose Hunt behaved like a rascal!'; he may have only had the fanciful thought, 'Suppose a rascal behaved like Hunt!'". Mr Jarndyce's friend Mr Boythorn is based on the writer Walter Savage Landor. The novel also includes one of the first detectives in English fiction, Inspector Bucket. This character is probably based on Inspector Charles Frederick Field of the then recently formed Detective Department at Scotland Yard. Dickens wrote several journalistic pieces about the Inspector and the work of the detectives in Household Words, his weekly periodical in which he also published articles attacking the Chancery system. The Jarndyce and Jarndyce case itself has reminded many readers of the thirty-year Chancery case over Charlotte Smith's father-in-law's will. Major characters: Esther Summerson – the heroine of the story, and one of its two narrators (Dickens's only female narrator), raised as an orphan because the identity of her parents is unknown. At first, it seems probable that her guardian, John Jarndyce, is her father because he provides for her. This, however, he disavows shortly after she comes to live under his roof.

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.

Ultimul volum al trilogiei Ultima vr?jitoare din Transilvania. Revenit? ?n Bucure?ti dup? povestea dramatic? tr?it? ?n satul V., Alexandra observ? treptat c? acele lucruri pe care le credea r?mase ?n trecut o urm?resc. Via?a ei este pe cale s? se schimbe din temelii. Tot ce crezuse a fi doar legend? pare acum mai real ca niciodat?. Singura care poate l?muri misterul este Aneke, care nu ?nt?rzie s? reapar? ?n via?a Alexandrei, iar secretul tulbur?tor pe care-l va afla adolescenta va fi punctul culminant al ?ntregii ei aventuri ?n lumea fascinantei contese. O poveste complicat? ?i captivant? despre nemurire, iubire, prietenie, iertare, alegeri, sacrificii, ?n care personajele dezv?luie tr?s?turi total nea?teptate. Finalul trilogiei ?Ultima vr?jitoare din Transilvania“ te va ?ine cu sufletul la gur? p?n? la ultima pagin?. Dou? lumi distincte se ?ntrep?trund: lumea ado- lescen?ilor de azi, cu Facebook, concerte rock, tatuaje ?i pierce-uri, ?i lumea contesei disp?rute, cu intrigi de curte ?i pove?ti uitate. Un mistery romance ?n tonuri ?ntunecate despre incest, supersti?ii, tr?d?ri, secrete, legende transmise peste veacuri.