Volumul reune?te c?teva studii ?i eseuri care interogheaz? rela?ia controversat? ?n ?tiin?a actual? dintre comparatism ?i germanistic?, respectiv noua paradigm? cu preten?ii salvatoare, ?germanistica intercultural?“, aduc?nd ?n scen? c?teva analize consacrate scriitorilor germani mai vechi ?i mai noi sau unor probleme de estetic? a crea?iei. Incitante sunt perspectivele deschise de investigarea fenomenologiei faustice ?n hermeneutica lui Ernst Bloch ?i Constantin Noica ?i nu mai pu?in interesante sunt spa?iile de cercetare asupra operei lui Lucian Blaga ?n context german ?i cele dedicate lui Heidegger ?i implica?iei sale politice.Reflex al dublei direc?ii pe care o reprezint? de fapt toate volumele lui Vasile Voia, cartea de fa?? este expresia unei dimensiuni de profunzime ?i, desigur, am putea spune, a unicit??ii ei ?n cultura noastr? actual?. Ea ?mbin? inspirat un comparatism al ideilor cu estetic? ?i filosofia, realiz?nd interferen?a ?i unitatea la nivelul superior al discursului critic.

O confesiune ?i o medita?ie despre mediul evreiesc din Rom?nia de dup? al doilea r?zboi mondial, pornind de la propria experien?? ?i biografie a autorului, ?n prezent conferen?iar la Universitatea Ebraic? din Ierusalim. Av?nd ca nucleu un dialog cu t?n?rul filozof Sandu Frunz?, de la Universitatea din Cluj, cartea reconstituie via?a evreilor din Ia?i (ora?ul natal al autorului), de dup? r?zboi, adolescen?a ?n perioada stalinist?, dilemele ?i reflec?iile stimulate de op?iunile mediului evreiesc din Rom?nia ?n noile condi?ii de dup? r?zboi, av?nd de ales ?ntre integrarea ?n viata social? ?i intelectual? rom?neasc? marcat? de tenta?ia ?i pervertirea comunist? sau, dimpotriv?, alternativa stabilirii ?n Israel. O semnificativ? parte a c?r?ii se concentreaz? asupra evolu?iei acelor intelectuali evrei care au p?r?sit Rom?nia ?n perioada ceau?ist?, dificult??ile ?i dramele adapt?rii la o noua ambian?? cultural?, ca ?i complexa rela?ie cu mediul ?i cultura ?n care s-au format. Pe parcursul a c?teva decenii, amintirile ?i reflec?iile autorului reconstituie, dintr-un unghi inedit ?i foarte personal, mediul universitar ie?ean, ca ?i universul spiritual al intelectualilor israelieni originari din Rom?nia.O medita?ie despre comunism ?i antisemitism, despre dramele dublei apartenen?e culturale, despre emigra?ie, despre tensiuni ?i interferen?e rom?no-evreie?ti, despre lumea v?zut? de la Ia?i ?i de la Ierusalim.

Aceast crticic nu reprezint pariul unor mari ambiii auctoriale, nu urmrete s revoluioneze “filosofia iubirii“, nici s deschid vreun drum nou. Nu este nici un manual, un “ghid“ al relaiei de cuplu, cum au nceput sa apar attea, ca i cum ai putea da sfaturi n ceea ce privete iubirea! Scopul su este infinit mai modest – i anume de a depune mrturie despre un fenomen esenial cum este dragostea, n funcie de experiena proprie, de lecturile ce fac i ele parte din aceasta experien i de meditaia, cat s-a putut de onest, n jurul propriilor mele triri. Dac o singura pereche va nelege ce miracol i se ntmpl, dac un singur solitar ce sufer din dragoste va depi criza, dac un mare dezamgit va cpta puterea i curajul de a mai ncerca o dat, voi crede c n-am scris-o aiurea, c n-am nfruntat n zdar temperaturile unei veri incendiare. Pe deasupra, am crezut, cred i voi crede, pn la extincie, c se mai poate nc scrie despre dragoste i altfel dect n romanele “roz“, n filmele de serie X ori n celebrele telenovele. Dragostea este mult prea importanta pentru a fi abandonata complet i definitiv melodramei, vulgaritii, prostului gust. Un subiect vechi de cnd lumea, frecventat de pene ilustre, compromis de scribi mediocri, te poate solicita s-i ncerci puterile nelegerii, precum i pe cele expresive. M ntreb ct de sincer am reuit s fiu. Dar nu mai este, de-acum, problema mea, ci a eventualilor cititori. Ca niciodat, probabil, oricum nu n aceste proporii, m ncearc emoia. n cele din urm, nu te poi prezenta oricum fa n fa cu dragostea.“ (Liviu Antonesei)

Proza rural“ ajunsese s nsemne, n percepia obteasc, o proz conservatoare, desuet, presupus simplist, schematic, dnd seam cu mijloace artistice modeste de o realitate uman mai degrab rudimentar, lipsit de rafinament, subtilitate ori profunzime sufleteasc. I se opunea, ntr-o viziune cvasi-maniheist, proz urban, presupus a fi n mod automat purttoarea complexitii, a nnoirii i rafinamentului, a valorii. n practic, ns, respectiva prejudecat a fost, de fapt, tot mai viguros contrazis de ivirea unor opere de proz rural“ nzestrate cu caracteristicile literaturii moderne de calitate. Acest studiu caut s depisteze, s reliefeze i expliciteze succint trei dintre etapele semnificative ale afirmrii unei proze efectiv moderne, cu tematic rural“, survenite de-a lungul ultimelor dou treimi ale secolului trecut i marcate de contribuia a trei scriitori reprezentativi: Pavel Dan, Marin Preda i Sorin Titel.

Demersul exegetic al lui Constantin Cuble?an vine ?ntr-o perioad? ?n care scriitorii nu sunt trata?i a?a cum se cuvine ?n societatea actuala. Cartea include eseuri docte, ample, axate pe crea?ia unor importan?i scriitori ca, bun?oara, Valeriu Anania, Ioan Alexandru, Ion Barbu, Ana Blandiana, Nicolae Breban, Emil Brumaru, Augustin Buzura s.a. Un fragment important, sugestiv, din peisajul literaturii de dup? 1989. ?i nu numai.

Cea mai inconfortabil? carte a anului editorial 2009. (?tefan Borbely)Tr?darea criticii este o excelent? nara?iune eseistic?, o nara?iune subiectiv?, inevitabil iritant? (fiind vorba de via?a literar? ?i de opiniile radicale ale unui prozator care nu ezit? s? scrie ceea ce crede despre colegii s?i), cu portrete ce se ?in minte, uneori foarte crude, alteori luminoase, dominate de superlative… Meritul ei, dincolo de calit??ile literare, este acela de a deschide o dezbatere real? despre via?a noastr? literar? ?n care grupurile se confrunt? ?i ??i confec?ioneaz? propria istorie ?i propria mitologie. Nicolae Breban vine ?i tulbur? apele, enerv?nd, probabil, pe mul?i, dac? nu pe to?i. (Eugen Simion)Cartea lui Breban e una puternic?, neconcesiv?, sulfuroas?, emo?ionant? prin miza ei optimist?, prin militantismul ei pa?optist ?i prin dorin?a autorului de a ?nfrunta prejudec??ile ?i ridicolul ?n numele idealului tinere?ii lui, care era idealul autonomiei esteticului, ?n numele marii crea?ii – spre care a aspirat continuu – ?i ?n numele na?iunii romane, de care nu ?i e ru?ine s? vorbeasc?. Dar e o carte greu de clasat. Surprinz?toare prin oralitatea ei debordant?, prin colocvialitatea ei dezl?n?uit?. (…) Seam?n? cu un aeropag al destinelor tr?date, preschimbat ?n pledoarie ?i discurs de ?mb?rb?tare. ?i, totu?i, ceva, ?n ?inuta de condotier a autorului m? ?ndeamn? s? asociez discursul acestei c?r?i cu acela al unui general rom?n dup? o b?t?lie pierdut? sau indecis?, undeva ?n Nordul germanic, sau ?n fa?a altei b?talii care ar trebui cu orice pre? c??tigat?. (…) ?ntregul discurs se ?ntemeiaz? pe ideea de dec?dere a spiritului ofensiv, pe ideea de pierdere a vechilor virtu?i; ?i aser?iunile par a veni din partea celui care a cunoscut ?n tinere?e o glorie ?i o m?re?ie greu de egalat. (…) Enun?ul patetic, ?nvolburat, al discursului lui Breban – marcat de furie, de candoare, de dezn?dejde ?i de speran?? – este capabil s? absoarb? portrete, minunatele lui portrete, ?nso?ite de celebrele jerbe de epitete brebaniene. ?n aparteu sunt limpezite situa?ii literare (de exemplu, rolul Europei Libere ?i al Grupului de Dialog Social este foarte atent ?i nemilos analizat); ne sunt oferite amintiri nepre?uite pentru istoria literar?, cu nu pu?ine idei. Pe unele dintre ele le-am adoptat deja pentru c? m-au convins. (Eugen Negrici)Crea?ia literar?, spiritul critic au fost profund afectate de polarizarea etica ?i politic?, dup? sf?r?itul comunismului rom?nesc. Etica ?i politica ?i-au dep??it limitele, chiar f?r? ca ele s? ajung? la o reala putere ?i autonomie. Publicul literar, sub?iat de noile interese proprii unei lumi deschise, s-a risipit ?i asist?nd la luptele fratricide ale scriitorilor ?i criticilor care, sub tiranie, fraternizaser? ?n numele impunerii sau cel pu?in al men?inerii criteriilor de art? ?i valoare. Prozatorul scrie o carte de cunosc?tor, g?ndit? cu o ?n?elegere vie, o carte necesar? realit??ii noastre literare, de ultima or?, dar ?i pentru un timp foarte larg, despre o literatur? ?i o critic? ?tr?date“ ?i mai pu?in traduse. Pentru c? ?tr?dare“ a fost, o ?tim bine, doar nu e vreun secret fer(m)ecat. (Marian Victor Buciu)

According to Wikipedia: "Pyrrhus or Pyrrhos (319/318 BC—272 BC) was a Greek general and statesman of the Hellenistic era. He was king of the Greek tribe of Molossians, of the royal Aeacid house (from ca. 297 BC), and later he became King of Epirus (306-302, 297-272 BC) and Macedon (288-284, 273-272 BC). He was one of the strongest opponents of early Rome. Some of his battles, though successful, cost him heavy losses, from which the term "Pyrrhic victory" was coined. He is the subject of one of Plutarch's Parallel Lives."

Short "autobiograhy." According to Wikipedia: "Martha Jane Cannary Burke, better known as Calamity Jane (May 1, 1852 – August 1, 1903), was a frontierswoman, prostitute, and professional scout best known for her claim of being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok, but also for having gained fame fighting Native American Indians. She was a woman who exhibited kindness and compassion towards others, especially the sick and needy, who also was an alcoholic and traded sexual favors for money. This contrast helped to make her a famous and infamous frontier figure... In 1896 she joined the traveling Kohl & Middleton Dime Museum as a performer, and a 7-page souvenir booklet was sold by that circus, titled The Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane by Herself; it was almost certainly written by someone else, as there is no reliable evidence that Jane could read and write. It is this booklet that is described, rather generously, as her autobiography. The booklet misstates her birth name (as "Marthy Cannary"), her birthdate, and misspells "Missourri" repeatedly. Several of the stories in the booklet are unsupported, or even contradicted, by reliable evidence."

Dodo Collections brings you another classic from Henry James, ‘The Letters of Henry James: Volume Two’. ? The Complete Letters of Henry James fills a crucial gap in modern literary studies by presenting in a scholarly edition the complete letters of one of the great novelists and letter writers of the English language. Comprising more than ten thousand letters reflecting on a remarkably wide range of topics—from James’s own life and literary projects to broader questions on art, literature, and criticism. ? Henry James, OM (15 April 1843 – 28 February 1916) was an American writer who spent most of his writing career in Britain. He is regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James. ? He is best known for a number of novels showing Americans encountering Europe and Europeans. His method of writing from a character's point of view allowed him to explore issues related to consciousness and perception, and his style in later works has been compared to impressionist painting. His imaginative use of point of view, interior monologue and unreliable narrators brought a new depth to narrative fiction. ? James contributed significantly to literary criticism, particularly in his insistence that writers be allowed the greatest possible freedom in presenting their view of the world. James claimed that a text must first and foremost be realistic and contain a representation of life that is recognizable to its readers. Good novels, to James, show life in action and are, most importantly, interesting. In addition to his voluminous works of fiction he published articles and books of travel, biography, autobiography, and criticism, and wrote plays. James alternated between America and Europe for the first twenty years of his life; eventually he settled in England, becoming a British subject in 1915, one year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916.

According to Wikipedia: "Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826)[1] was the third President of the United States (1801–1809), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States. Major events during his presidency include the Louisiana Purchase (1803) and the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806). As a political philosopher, Jefferson was a man of the Enlightenment and knew many intellectual leaders in Britain and France. He idealized the independent yeoman farmer as exemplar of republican virtues, distrusted cities and financiers, and favored states' rights and a strictly limited federal government. Jefferson supported the separation of church and state[2] and was the author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1779, 1786). He was the eponym of Jeffersonian democracy and the co-founder and leader of the Democratic-Republican Party, which dominated American politics for a quarter-century. Jefferson served as the wartime Governor of Virginia (1779–1781), first United States Secretary of State (1789–1793) and second Vice President (1797–1801). A polymath, Jefferson achieved distinction as, among other things, a horticulturist, statesman, architect, archaeologist, inventor, and founder of the University of Virginia."

Fictionalized history. According to Wikipedia: "Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 – 1910), better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the Great American Novel and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is extensively quoted. During his lifetime, Twain became a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists and European royalty. Twain enjoyed immense public popularity, and his keen wit and incisive satire earned him praise from both critics and peers. American author William Faulkner called Twain "the father of American literature."

Conrad's autobiography. According to Wikipedia: "Joseph Conrad (1857 – 1924) was a Polish-born English novelist. Many critics regard him as one of the greatest novelists in the English language—a fact that is remarkable, as he did not learn to speak English fluently until he was in his twenties (and always with a strong Polish accent). He became a naturalized British subject in 1886. Conrad is recognized as a master prose stylist. Some of his works have a strain of romanticism, but more importantly he is recognized as an important forerunner of modernist literature. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters have influenced many writers, including Ernest Hemingway, D. H. Lawrence, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Graham Greene, William S. Burroughs, Joseph Heller, V.S. Naipaul, Italo Calvino and J. M. Coetzee."

According to Wikipedia: "Washington is seen as a symbol of the United States and republicanism in practice. His devotion to civic virtue made him an exemplary figure among early American politicians. Washington died in 1799, and in his funeral oration, Henry Lee said that of all Americans, he was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." Washington has been consistently ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents."

According to Wikipedia: "Washington is seen as a symbol of the United States and republicanism in practice. His devotion to civic virtue made him an exemplary figure among early American politicians. Washington died in 1799, and in his funeral oration, Henry Lee said that of all Americans, he was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." Washington has been consistently ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents."

According to Wikipedia: "William Godwin (3 March 1756 – 7 April 1836) was an English journalist, political philosopher and novelist. He is considered one of the first exponents of utilitarianism, and one of the first modern proponents of anarchism. Godwin is most famous for two books that he published within the space of a year: An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, an attack on political institutions, and Things as They Are or The Adventures of Caleb Williams, which attacks aristocratic privilege, but also is virtually the first mystery novel. Based on the success of both, Godwin featured prominently in the radical circles of London in the 1790s. In the ensuing conservative reaction to British radicalism, Godwin was attacked, in part because of his marriage to the pioneering feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft in 1797 and his candid biography of her after her death; their child, Mary Godwin (later Mary Shelley) would go on to author Frankenstein and marry the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Godwin wrote prolifically in the genres of novels, history and demography throughout his lifetime."

According to Wikipedia: "William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564; died 23 April 1616)[a] was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.[1] He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright." "Leo Tolstoy, or Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (September 9 – November 20, 1910), was a Russian writer widely regarded as among the greatest of novelists. His masterpieces War and Peace and Anna Karenina represent in their scope, breadth and vivid depiction of 19th-century Russian life and attitudes, the peak of realist fiction."

According to Wikipedia: Aurelius Augustinus, Augustine of Hippo, or Saint Augustine (354 - 430) was a philosopher and theologian, and was bishop of the North African city of Hippo Regius for the last third of his life. Augustine is one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity, and is considered to be one of the church fathers. He framed the concepts of original sin and just war. ...Born in present day Algeria as the eldest son of Saint Monica, he was educated in North Africa and baptized in Milan. His works including The Confessions, which is often called the first Western autobiography are still read around the world."

Biography of the author of Treasure Island. According to Wikipedia: "Robert Louis (Balfour) Stevenson ( 1850 - 1894), was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of Neo-romanticism in English literature. He was the man who "seemed to pick the right word up on the point of his pen, like a man playing spillikins", as G. K. Chesterton put it. He was also greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling, Vladimir Nabokov, and J. M. Barrie. Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their definition of modernism. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the canon."

Book length collection of humorous essays. According to Wikipedia: "Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 - 1936) was an influential English writer of the early 20th century. His prolific and diverse output included journalism, philosophy, poetry, biography, Christian apologetics, fantasy and detective fiction. Chesterton has been called the "prince of paradox."[1] He wrote in an off-hand, whimsical prose studded with startling formulations. For example: "Thieves respect property. They merely wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it."[2] He is one of the few Christian thinkers who are equally admired and quoted by both liberal and conservative Christians, and indeed by many non-Christians. Chesterton's own theological and political views were far too nuanced to fit comfortably under the "liberal" or "conservative" banner."

Classic collection of essays about fishing in Scotland. It begins: "These papers do not boast of great sport. They are truthful, not like the tales some fishers tell. They should appeal to many sympathies. There is no false modesty in the confidence with which I esteem myself a duffer, at fishing. Some men are born duffers; others, unlike persons of genius, become so by an infinite capacity for not taking pains. Others, again, among whom I would rank myself, combine both these elements of incompetence. Nature, that made me enthusiastically fond of fishing, gave me thumbs for fingers, short-sighted eyes, indolence, carelessness, and a temper which (usually sweet and angelic) is goaded to madness by the laws of matter and of gravitation."

According to Wikipedia: "Rabindranath Tagore (7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941), sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali poet, novelist, musician, painter and playwright who reshaped Bengali literature and music. As author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he was the first non-European who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. His poetry in translation was viewed as spiritual, and this together with his mesmerizing persona gave him a prophet-like aura in the west. His "elegant prose and magical poetry" still remain largely unknown outside the confines of Bengal."