The true story of 2 year-old Anna, abandoned by her natural parents, left alone in a neglected orphanage. Elaine and Ian had travelled half way round the world to adopt little Anna. She couldn’t have been more wanted, loved and cherished. So why was she now in foster care and living with me? It didn’t make sense. Until I learned what had happened. … Dressed only in nappies and ragged T-shirts the children were incarcerated in their cots. Their large eyes stared out blankly from emaciated faces. Some were obviously disabled, others not, but all were badly undernourished. Flies circled around the broken ceiling fans and buzzed against the grids covering the windows. The only toys were a few balls and a handful of building bricks, but no child played with them. The silence was deafening and unnatural. Not one of the thirty or so infants cried, let alone spoke.

The 15:17 to Paris is the amazing true story of friendship and bravery, and of near tragedy averted by three heroic young men who found the unity and strength inside themselves when they – and 500 other innocent travellers – needed it most. On 21st August 2015, Ayoub El-Khazzani boarded train #9364 in Brussels, bound for Paris. There could be no doubt about his mission: he had an AK-47, a pistol, a box cutter and enough ammunition to obliterate every passenger on board. Slipping into the bathroom in secret, he armed his weapons. Another major ISIS attack was about to begin, but Khazzani wasn’t expecting Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone. Stone was a martial arts enthusiast and airman first class in the US Air Force, Skarlatos was a member of the Oregon National Guard, and all three were fearless. But their decision, to charge the gunman, then overpower him even as he turned first his gun, then his knife, on Stone, depended on a lifetime of loyalty, support, and faith. Their friendship was forged as they came of age together in California: going to church, playing paintball, teaching each other to swear, and sticking together when they got in trouble at school. Years later, that friendship would give all of them the courage to stand in the path of one of the world's deadliest terrorist organisations.

Kate Hardy is an award-winning author of more than 80 books for Harlequin Mills & Boon. Her novel 'Breakfast at Giovanni's' won the RNA Romance Prize in 2008 and her novel 'Bound by a Baby' won the RoNA Rose Prize (formerly Romance Prize) in 2014; she's been shortlisted six more times for the award, as well as for two Romantic Times awards. She lives in Norwich in the east of England with her husband, two children, a springer spaniel called Archie, and too many books to count. She's a bit of a nerd who loves music, cinema, the theatre, history and cooking (which is why she has to go to the gym five times a week), and adores anything Italian. She loves doing research, particularly if it's hands-on and means experimenting with cooking. Reviewers say that her books are full of warmth, heart and charm - and also that you'll learn something new and interesting from them! Kate also writes bestselling local history books under the name of Pamela Brooks.

Anna Faris has advice for you. And it’s great advice, because she’s been through it all, and she wants to tell you what she’s learned. After surviving an awkward childhood (when she bribed the fastest boy in the third grade with ice cream), navigating dating and marriage in Hollywood, and building a podcast around romantic advice, Anna has plenty of lessons to share: Advocate for yourself. Know that there are wonderful people out there and that a great relationship is possible. And, finally, don’t date magicians. Her comic memoir, Unqualified, shares Anna’s candid, sympathetic, and entertaining stories of love lost and won. Part memoir―including stories about being “the short girl” in elementary school, finding and keeping female friends, and dealing with the pressures of the entertainment industry and parenthood―part humorous, unflinching advice from her hit podcast, Anna Faris Is Unqualified, the book will reveal Anna’s unique take on how to master the bizarre, chaotic, and ultimately rewarding world of love. Hilarious, honest, and useful, Unqualified is the book Anna’s fans have been waiting for.

From Britain’s leading social historian, a lyrical look at the changes to women’s lives since 1940, told with examples from her own life. The book provides an intimate, brilliant account of feminism over the last 6 decades. “A young woman wearing a navy-blue duffle coat stood shivering in the vaulted Victorian booking hall of Temple Meads station in Bristol looking uncertainly around her. It was 1st January 1960 and the woman was me. I was sixteen years old, and I had run away from home.” Over the next ten years, the world changed around young Juliet Gardiner – as it did for most women in Britain. It was the start of a decade that was to be momentous for Britain’s history – politically, economically, socially and culturally. As one of Britain’s best-known social historians, Juliet Gardiner writes here about the span of women’s lives from her birth during the Second World War to the election of Margaret Thatcher as prime minister. Using episodes from her own life as starting points to illuminate the broader history in society at large, she explores changing ideas towards birth and adoption, the importance of education for girls, the opportunities offered by university, to expectations of work and motherhood, not to mention her generation’s yearning for freedom. Everyone has his or her history and at the same time is part of history as this book so perceptively and beautifully demonstrates. As a work of living history, both lyrical and personal, Joining the Dots is an accessible and empowering story of how one mid-twentieth-century woman grew into a world so different from the one into which she was born. It is a story of bed-sits, sexual choice, motherhood and marriage, feminism, family planning and professional ambition.

Born in a prison and removed from his drug-dependent mother, rejection is all that 7-year-old Alex knows. When Cathy is asked to foster little Alex, aged 7, her immediate reaction is: Why can’t he stay with his present carers for the last month? He’s already had many moves since coming into care as a toddler and he’ll only be with her a short while before he goes to live with his permanent adoptive family. But the present carers are expecting a baby and the foster mother isn’t coping, so Alex goes to live with Cathy. He settles easily and is very much looking forward to having a forever family of his own. The introductions and move to his adoptive family go well. But Alex is only with them for a week when problems begin. What happens next is both shocking and upsetting, and calls into question the whole adoption process.

A vivid and moving portrait of the inimitable Lily Budge, who overcame poverty and class to become the 13th Countess of Galloway, and one of Scotland's most colourful eccentrics. Randolph Stewart was lobotomized as a teenager after a crude diagnosis of schizophrenia. When the operation went wrong, he was hidden away by his aristocratic parents in a mental institution and then taken in by a sect of monks. By the time Lily Budge met him in 1975, he appeared a shy and lonely tramp. In reality he was the future Earl of Galloway, heir to a fortune and a title considered to be linchpin of the Scottish establishment. Lily, an extroverted character from a working-class family, would join him in a powerful bond of love that challenged conventions, made national headlines, and led to enormous heartache. A vibrant portrait of 20th-century Scotland, 'An Unlikely Countess' is also a profile of two unforgettable characters, and the doomed love that they shared.

‘When I am disturbed, even angry, gardening has been a therapy. When I don't want to talk I turn to Plot 29, or to a wilder piece of land by a northern sea. There, among seeds and trees, my breathing slows; my heart rate too. My anxieties slip away.’ As a young boy in 1960s Plymouth, Allan Jenkins and his brother, Christopher, were rescued from their care home and fostered by an elderly couple. There, the brothers started to grow flowers in their riverside cottage. They found a new life with their new mum and dad. As Allan grew older, his foster parents were never quite able to provide the family he and his brother needed, but the solace he found in tending a small London allotment echoed the childhood moments when he grew nasturtiums from seed. Over the course of a year, Allan digs deeper into his past, seeking to learn more about his absent parents. Examining the truths and untruths that he’d been told, he discovers the secrets to why the two boys were in care. What emerges is a vivid portrait of the violence and neglect that lay at the heart of his family. A beautifully written, haunting memoir, Plot 29 is a mystery story and meditation on nature and nurture. It’s also a celebration of the joy to be found in sharing food and flowers with people you love.

First published in 1997 and now available as an ebook. Two years after arriving in London, Ruud Gullit took English football by storm, not only revolutionising Chelsea Football Club but helping to transform the image of the Premier League so that it now attracts the best footballers from all over the world. Not that it was plain sailing for Chelsea’s player-manager throughout his career. In between winning European Cups with AC Milan and a European championship with Holland, Gullit experienced a succession of bust-ups with former managers and fellow players, disputes with his clubs and personal distractions off the pitch, suggesting that there is a harder, ruthless side to his character. What are the pressures involved in being a player-manager for a top London club? Who, in 1997, were the best players in England? How did Chelsea’s foreign stars such as Zola, Vialli and Di Matteo adjust to the demands of Premiership football? The answers can be found in Harry Harris’s profile of Gullit which includes Chelsea’s memorable 1997 FA Cup triumph and a review of the club’s 1996/97 Premier League season.

Packed with anecdotes, sparkling insights into the changing nature of show business and the turbulent world of the BBC, and boasting a glittering cast-list, Double Bill is a fascinating read, unashamedly nostalgic and often hilarious. Double Bill is the revealing story of the legendary band leader, Billy Cotton and his namesake son, Bill Cotton Jnr who became Managing Director of BBC Television. One, a star performer who for decades was a national institution, the other, a talent spotter, TV producer and impresario who introduced to television many of Britain’s biggest stars and best loved shows. In his hugely entertaining autobiography, Bill Cotton not only looks back on these golden years, but on the loving relationship with another Bill – his father, the enormously popular and much loved band leader Billy Cotton. For it was during his childhood that Bill Jnr first experienced the thrill of showbiz, and encountered, in the heyday of variety, such stars as Will Hay, Max Miller, Tommy Trinder and Laurel and Hardy. And it was the charismatic Bill Sr who introduced his son to Tin Pan Alley and the music business, starting him out on a career that would later see him producing hit TV shows Six Five Special and Juke Box Jury and creating Top of the Pops. A high point of his producing career was being responsible for the Billy Cotton Band Show, he even took over the band for theatrical appearances when his father fell ill – despite not being able to read a note of music.

An extraordinary, passionate and personal journey into Africa’s past. ‘The most enthralling account out of Africa for years.’ Daily Mail. ‘“Livingstone’s Tribe” is excellent…Taylor is an intelligent and stimulating companion.’ Financial Times ‘At the book’s heart is a riveting examination of Livingstone’s tribe…the whites of post-independence Africa.’ Independent on Sunday ‘Taylor’s expedition into the interior of the continent’s colonial past has got everything that such a book should have.’ Guardian ‘Stephen Taylor, a third-generation émigré of British descent, finds a melancholy collection of white misfits and failures…as well as a heroic, dwindling clutch of missionaries still holding the line. The catalogue of theft, corruption, murder and superstition that Taylor chronicles makes appalling, fascinating reading. Yet Taylor is no Colonel Blimp, rather an anti-apartheid liberal who fled the old South Africa and welcomed independence for Mugabe’s Zimbabwe.’ Daily Mail ‘Sights and travel experiences are vividly described and people both from Livingstone’s and from the other tribes are handled particularly well.’ Sunday Times

Beyond Good and Evil

First published in 1993 and now available as an ebook. The bestselling story of one man’s fight against terrorism. Extraordinary courage, steely professionalism and ruthless determination are vital for the bomb-disposal man who risks his life daily to save others. Peter Gurney MBE, GM & Bar is such a man. In this compelling account of a career on the front line of the fight against crime and international terrorism, he tells how: ? he defuzed the mortar bomb used in the attack on Downing Street ? discovered the body of his best friend after the Wimpy Bar explosion and then went on to defuze a second device ? was moved to tears by the horror of the Harrods bombing ? advised many foreign governments on anti-terrorism, and was an expert witness in the Lockerbie case. Braver Men Walk Away is a fascinating and unique chronicle of an astonishing career, told with the typical humour and modesty of a reluctant hero.

The world’s greatest haulier – a rags-to-riches tale of British entrepreneurialsim. If you’ve never seen an Eddie Stobart truck, you’ve never driven down a British motorway. This is the extraordinary story of a multi-million pound business that spawned a middle-class motorway game. Of dynastic struggles that ended in a merchandising shop opposite Carlisle cathedral. A quintessentially British tale – written by the inimitable bestselling writer Hunter Davies, and with the full support of Eddie Stobart himself.

The Barbarian Invasions of Italy

Da. E despre mine. E despre tine. E despre noi. Din toate p?r?ile ?i toate direc?iile. Despre falimentul moral ?i trezirea spiritului. Despre cum e s? ui?i ?i c?t de bine e s? ??i reaminte?ti. (Beatrice, activist) Un volum de poezii despre poezia ?i nepoezia vie?ii. Mai degrab? despre ce omoar? poezia vie?ii. De citit dac? sunte?i odihni?i ?i cu chef de introspec?ie. Aten?ie, poate s? doar?. (Mihaela, manager) Am frunz?rit-o cu trufia c? nu e despre mine. Am citit-o cu teama c? ar putea fi despre mine. Am recitit-o cu ambi?ia s? nu devin? despre mine. (Ioana, manager formare) Am deschis cartea, am r?sfoit, am citit. Apoi am ?nchis Outlook-ul ?i m-am g?ndit la lucruri simple: prieteni, muzic?, sine. (Andrei, copywriter) Am avut permanent senza?ia c? navighez pe valuri, fel de fel de valuri, valuri peste valuri de via??, valuri cu gloata mijlocie, prins? ?n caden?a asta a noastr?, modern? ?i golit? de rost personal. (Carmen, strategic planner) O oglind? care reflect? ?n cuvinte propria via?? – care via??? – multiplicat? ?n mii de alte trupuri, care tr?iesc aceea?i nesf?r?it? ?zi a c?rti?ei“. (Sylvia, marketing manager) Mi-a transmis impresia de oper? rock, sau, m? rog, cum s-ar putea numi a?a ceva pe muzic? de Parov Stelar, Nicholas Jarr ?i al?ii mai de acum. (?tefan, student) ?Auzi, de ce nu scrie nimeni poezie despre corporati?ti?“ m-a ?ntrebat un prieten acum vreo cinci ani. La vremea aceea am pufnit ?n r?s de mi-a dat ?pri?ul pe nas, dar, anul trecut, mi-am dat seama c? se poate. Tocmai terminasem Saga – bilete la clasa din mijloc, un poem epic, ironic ?i ?ntins pe vreo 30 de pagini. Despre iubirea dintre doi corporati?ti, desp?r?i?i ?n adolescen?? ?i reg?si?i la disperare, pe la 30 de ani ?i ceva, cu ocazia unui infarct. L-am rugat pe Paul Hitter, ale c?rui desene cu miz? social? ?i tu?e cinice m? atr?geau demult, s? ilustreze c?teva scene din istoria celor doi eroi ai poemului. Au ie?it 7 desene care nu doar ajut? textul, ci duc povestea mai departe, o cresc ?i o dezvolt?. Din vagonul de accelerat Timi?oara-Bucure?ti p?n? pe malul m?rii, Paul a transcris vizual o hart? a nelini?tilor, fricilor, la?it??ilor ?i speran?elor unei genera?ii care a ?mb?tr?nit ?nainte de vreme, dar care ?nc? sper? la evadare. Saga – bilete la clasa din mijloc este o carte-album despre noi ?i despre voi, despre cei ce umplu sta?ia Pipera la 7 diminea?? ?i despre cei care r?d de ei ?ntorc?ndu-se din club, despre cei adu?i la nebunie de creditul ipotecar ?i cei ?ntor?i victorio?i ?i ar?i din Goa sau de la festivaluri. Este poezie pentru c? sunte?i poezie, este scris? pentru c? trebuia scris? ?i este desenat? ca s? nu mai existe niciun dubiu.“ (T?u?ance)

volumul al III-lea dintr-un interviu de un cristian Trilogia lui Ion Cucu este, deopotriv?, o construc?ie editorial? ?i o demonstra?ie personal?. Ion Cucu nu e, cum s-a crezut, doar un fotograf, iar opera lui cap?t? o cu totul alt? dimensiune dac? iese din tiparul unui album oarecare sau al unei expozi?ii, fie ea ?i permanent?. Interviul ?i portretele spun mai mult dec?t povestea unor fotografii – ?mpreun?, acestea dezv?luie talentul, for?a, patimile ?i d?ruirea fotografului celor zece pre?edin?i. Ai Uniunii Scriitorilor. Pentru c? prin aceast? institu?ie s-a legitimat ?i se reg?se?te, ca artist fotograf, scriitorul Ion Cucu. Trilogia s-a sf?r?it, de-acum urmeaz? Istoria. (un cristian)

Debut?nd cu volumul Mandala (Editura Vinea, 2005), Oana C?t?lina Ninu n-a ratat aproape niciunul dintre premiile care i-au ie?it in cale. O recunoa?tere, f?r? ?ndoial?, meritat?, ?ntruc?t vorbim despre cel mai semnificativ debut liric din anul respectiv. [...] Oric?t de rebele, reprezent?rile se topesc ?ntr-o sintax? aluvionar?, corodat? prin dialogism ?i nivelat? prin directe?e. De altfel, ?n Mandala, fracturat nu e at?t discursul, care se deruleaz? lent ?i f?r? intersti?ii vizibile, c?t universul reprezent?rilor, care suport? o macera?ie organizat? din partea unei viziuni schizoide. Poemele C?t?linei Ninu descriu, cu o fervoare incandescent?, cele mai diverse forme de mutilare, ?n slujba c?rora eul liric pune la b?taie un arsenal impresionant (foarfece, ace, ?urubelni?e, col?i, unghii, bricege, lame, epilatoare, v?traie etc.), care l-ar face s? p?leasc? de invidie pe un anumit conte austriac. ?i nu e de mirare, de vreme ce figura central? a Mandalei se prezint?, ?nc? din primul text al volumului, drept ?femeia foarfec?“. (Andrei Terian, ?n Ziarul de duminic?)?Fuga de feminitate“, exorcizarea umorilor feminine ?i a corporalit??ii maligne devine miza actului poetic, prin care femeia real? e ?nlocuit? prin ?femeia inscrip?ionat?“. El are ?ns? caracterul unei vivisec?ii, presupune scormonirea nemiloas? a fibrelor ?i a ?esuturilor, e o autotortur? aproape cu neputin?? de ?ndurat, astfel ?nc?t privirea introspectiv?, care scormone?te ca un bisturiu ?n profunzimea plasmei organice cunoa?te momente de relaxare, deplas?ndu-se (ca in ciclul Nu e timpul,fato) de la spectacolul visceralit??ii ?n criz? la filmul cotidianului. Acum, Oana C?t?lina Ninu abordeaz? reportajul autenticist, care cap?t? ?ns? aspectul ?picturilor metafizice“, unde realul e ?textualizat“, realc?tuit, devenind suportul reveriei thanatice, c?ci poeta descrie ?cet??i ale mor?ilor“, evoc? ritualuri funerare grote?ti sau sortilegii sanguinare. (Octavian Soviany ?n Luceaf?rul)Mandala este ?i una dintre figurile ini?ierii. Poezia se scrie ?mpotriva limbajului dat, ?mpotriva sensului uzat, cu sufletul, dar ?mpotriva lui, cu trupul, dar ca mortificare a trupului, cu durere, ca singur vaccin al durerii prin smulgerea ei din trup ?i a?ezarea ei ?n pagin?. (Alex Matei ?n Observator cultural)Poemele se sus?in unele pe altele ?ntr-o ordine nu mecanic?, de domino, ci subversiv?: ?povestea“ ?nainteaz? exclusiv de la un ciclu la altul. ?n interiorul secven?elor, numai discurs: fragmentele narative sunt sincopate ori deturnate. O anume urgen?? a durerii, o panic? reverberat? fiziologic ?n prima parte a volumului (mandala) cedeaz? locul unei aluviuni de repro?uri distante mim?nd refrenul (nu te mai preface ana), apoi unei terapii solitare, cu oscila?ii ?i indecizii (nu e timpul fato). Iat? o radiografiere par?ial? a zonelor liminare. P?n? aici, nu de pu?ine ori scabrosul corporal (sexual sau nu, dup? caz) conserv? atmosfera co?maresc?, comparabil? aceleia din Capriciile lui Goya. (Cosmin Ciotlo? ?n Rom?nia literar?).

Nem voltam én szerelmes Adyba, vagy ha voltam, nem tudtam róla. A szerelem féltékeny, ragadozó, osztozni senkivel és semmiben nem tudó érzés, telítve testi vonatkozásokkal, ingerekkel, vágyakkal. ?n ezt a szerelmet nem is ismerhettem. Sohasem fájt, hogy idegen asszonyok szeretik, lányok szédülnek eléje, találkákra megy, vagy áldozó, nagy asszony-szerelmet terítenek lába elé. Deésfalvi Boncza Berta. Bimbi. Csinszka. Múzsa és k?lt?n?, emlékiratíró... Ady Endre, Tabéry Géza, Babits Mihály, Harsányi Zsolt, Márffy ?d?n jegyességek, szerelmek, szakítások, házasságok. Vallomás és kitárulkozás. Kiútkeresés egy nevel?intézet szobájából vagy fiatalon már a végzet asszonya? Románc a Svájcban tartozkodó Tabéryvel, kés?bb találkozás Adyval, de eljegyzés egy erdélyi mérn?k-íróval? Aztán házasság Adyval? Aki Léda szerint csak sovány, mint eserny?nyél, el?l-hátul sexuális duzzanatokkal. Ki is ez a h?lgy, aki végül eléri, hogy 1914. április 23-án találkozhasson Adyval Csucsán? Boncza Berta naplójának néhány részlete el?sz?r 1932-ben jelent meg a Nagyváradi Napló hasábjain, majd négy évtizeddel kés?bb a Magyar Nemzetben látott napvilágot az erdélyi író, újságíró Ruffy Péter tolmácsolásában, aki Csinszka kéziratos füzeteit és Kárpáti Aurél kiegészítéseit dolgozta fel. A memoár nem hiánytalan, hiszen a házasság t?rténetét már nem tudta megírni Csinszka, csupán az Ady halála után írt három Vallomás készült el 1919 és 1922 k?z?tt. A huszonkét fejezetre osztott írás el?sz?r jelenik meg ?nálló k?tetben, Márton István, a Ruffy Péter-hagyaték gondozójának utószavával, valamint néhány kül?nleges gépiratfotó, levél és dokumentum kíséretében, melyek fényt deríthetnek eddig nem vagy kevésbé ismert rejtélyre: mi lett az ?rmindszenten maradt Csinszka-levelekkel? A mendemondák szerint Ady rokonai elégették... Valóban agyvérzésben hunyt el a k?lt?n?, vagy más áll a háttérben? A mendemondák újabb szerelemr?l regéltek... Hova lettek a kiadatlan versek, amelyek nem kerültek be az egyetlen versesk?tetbe 1931-ben? Minden reggel és minden este imádkozott Nagymama velem. Eldolgozott két keze k?zé fogta az én parányi kezemet, és azt a másik imát, amit este a Miatyánk után mondottam el, ? találta ki. R?vid, egyszer? és jó kis ima volt. Kérésb?l és k?sz?netb?l állott. Mindazokért kértem a jó Istent, akik hozzám tartoztak. Apámért els?sorban, de a csucsai virágok, kutyák, madarak is bele lettek sz?ve...

S?nge albastru nu mai exist? pe pia?a de carte de zeci de ani. De fapt, de la debut, din 1969. C?nd scriu aceste r?nduri, ?nc? nu mi-am rev?zut ?i recitit cartea. Aproape c? pot spune c? nu am habar ce am scris ?n S?nge albastru. ?i nici nu cred c? a? putea fi obiectiv? fa?? de valoarea estetic? a c?r?ilor mele de ?nceput. Nu-mi amintesc s? fi scris cineva, vreun critic, c?t ar fi fost el de neverosimil, despre carte. E?ecul a fost total. To?i colegii de v?rsta mea debutaser? deja, cu brio. Pentru ei ?ncepuser? vremurile recunoa?terii ?i ale privilegiilor. Eu s?pam, ca o c?rti?? kafkian?, bolnav? ?i oarb?, prin p?m?ntul poeziei din capul meu. ?tiu, doar, c? n-am putut dintr-o pudoare (ne)verosimil? s?-mi exhib sentimentele legate de boala care nu m? l?sa s? respir. Aveam tuberculoz? pulmonar? sever?. Am fost inocent?. S?nt ?i acum, dar altfel. A venit Alex Goldi?, un t?nar critic de aproximativ treizeci de ani, care a readus ?n scen? S?nge albastru, un gest exorbitant ?i riscant din partea lui, pentru care ?i mul?umesc. (Angela Marinescu)De peste patru decenii, Angela Marinescu a r?mas una dintre cele mai excentrice figuri ale poeziei rom?ne?ti, de ne?ncadrat ?n nici o poetic? genera?ionist?. ?n S?nge albastru, excelentul volum de debut din 1969 (care m? face s? m? ?ntreb unde s?nt str?lucitele debuturi de alt?dat?), t?n?ra poet? r?sturna abstractismul panteist ?i livresc à la Nichita St?nescu sau Ana Blandiana ?ntr-un imaginar dens ?i grav, ?nc?rcat de fantasme sexuale ?i funerare. Simbolurile ascensiunii, ale tinere?ii ?i ale purit??ii, tipic ?aizeciste, f?ceau loc unui con?inut poetic ponderabil ?i impudic. Ce ?mp?rt??ea poezia Angelei Marinescu cu versurile colegilor de genera?ie era, poate, doar o anumit? calofilie barbian? a formei, la care va renun?a pe parcurs. Cu optzeci?tii are autoarea Blindajului final ?i mai pu?ine lucruri ?n comun, c?ci formula ei poetic? e tot ce poate fi mai str?in ?nscen?rilor textuale. E explicabil, a?adar, faptul c? tocmai postura de outsider o recomand? pe Angela Marinescu drept mam? absolut? a autenticismului rom?nesc. (Alex Goldi?)

Ceea ce surprinde i fascineaz din capul locului n Ppdia electric este naturaleea cu care erban Axinte i transcrie viziunile. Discursul su nu are nimic contrafcut, strident, literar; din contr, poetul las impresia c nu face dect s repertorieze ct mai neutru, cu o precizie de grefier, o lume care i se ofer de-a gata i care, n ultim instan, l cuprinde. E drept c asemenea fotograme, care nu pot fi captate dect n stri liminale, precum visul, hipnoza, beia sau demena, au un aspect halucinant i misterios, de underworld rsrit parc din aburii alcoolului ori cufundat ntr-o memorie lichefiat. Numai c acest efect nu provine din anularea, ci tocmai din dilatarea percepiei comune, din celulele surescitate ale retinei care descoper nu att o irealitate imediat, ct o realitate remixat, n care lucrurile pot fi i aa, i altminteri. N-a putea bga mna-n foc c lumea i-a mai ieit i de aceast dat lui erban Axinte aa cum a vrut. Poezia, ns – cu siguran.“ – Andrei Terianerban Axinte este, dup cum tie toat lumea, unul dintre cele mai bune produse ale criticii literare din ultimul deceniu. Cronicar la Observator cultural, el este i autorul uneia dintre cele mai ambiioase sinteze recente – Definiiile romanului. De la Dimitrie Cantemir la G. Clinescu, o morfologie istoric a romanului romnesc care merit cu prisosin o receptare en fanfare.ns, pe de alt parte, taman faptul c toat lumea tie cine e criticul literar erban Axinte nu-i face un PR prea grozav poetului erban Axinte, cu toate c cel din urm e egalul absolut n drepturi al celui dinti. Lucrul s-a vzut i la precedenta sa carte de poezie, Lumea i-a ieit cum ai vrut (Vinea, 2006) – recomandat de prefaa empatic a lui Doris Mironescu, volumul n-a avut totui receptarea pe care ar fi meritat-o. Iar acum, dup cum se vede, scriu la rndul meu o prefa empatic, spernd din toat inima c Ppdia electric va fi o carte mai norocoas.(...)Ppdia electric e construit din trei cicluri (ca i Lumea i-a ieit aa cum ai vrut, de altfel – ceea ce poate s sugereze un anumit pattern arhitectural urmrit cu schepsis), intitulate decoct, bulb i acele electrice; ei bine, poemele tuturor acestor trei cicluri sunt inervate de imagini remarcabile, deseori de-a dreptul memorabile – citez aproape la ntmplare: s ni se ridice din inim o lumin att de puternic nct custura lumilor s nu se mai vad (acele electrice), ceva crete acum din mine, / cineva sufl asupra mea / cu miliarde de fotoni. // aura / nflorete din bulbul cretetului meu / ntr-o uria ppdie electric (ppdia electric), de ce i este fric, atta timp ct stai acolo, / nimic nu te poate atinge. // ce vd n tine, ce vd n tine, // un cimitir n care toi dumnezeii pmntului / i-au lsat morii s nfloreasc (de ce i este fric) .a.m.d. Sunt, toate, imagini de o mare frumusee, cu care empatizezi instantaneu i te fac s stabileti cu textul de sub ochi acel contract de ncredere despre care vorbea cndva Borges ca de o condiie sine qua non a lecturii de poezie.(...) Aadar, dac inem s-l etichetm generaionist pe erban Axinte, nu putem dect conchide c e cel mai atipic doumiist. Cu excepia obsesiei pentru hapax-ul existenial, nimic nu-l leag de generaia sa: nici poetica, nici maniera, nici tehnica. O atipie profund transpare din tot scrisul lui poetic; or, dup cum se tie, atipicii sunt ntotdeauna ctigtori pe termen lung.“ – Radu Vancu