O carte pe s?pt?m?n? reprezint? norma decent? pentru un critic de ?nt?mpinare, cu at?t mai mult cu c?t el mai scrie ?i studii sau eseuri, ??i duce copilul la ?coal?, plimb? c?inele pe trasee lungi, dinainte calculate, petrece mult timp printre studen?i la cursuri ?i seminarii, formeaz? oameni tineri ?i ?ncurajeaz? debuturi, fiind prezent c?teva ore zilnic ?i pe Internet, pentru a prelua comenzi de colaborare sau ca s? onoreze unele mai vechi, cu scaden?e ?n general respectate. Cartea de fa?? prezint? jum?tatea pedanta, disciplinat? a celui care a scris, ca un program personal de evaziune, Visul lupului de step?: 52 de texte, dedicate scriitorilor rom?ni, formeaz? aici un ?an ideal“ consacrat literaturii recente, compus din respect pentru munca altora, din admira?ie ?i entuziasm, dar ?i din responsabilitatea critic? a disocierilor lucide, tran?ante, atunci c?nd cazurile o impun. Practic?nd cu pl?cere cronica de ?nt?mpinare de mai bine de 30 de ani, autorul c?r?ii de fa?? ?tie prea bine c? nu laude a?teapt? ?n primul r?nd scriitorul rom?n din partea criticului s?u, ci ?n?elegerea obiectiv? a demersului literar ?i onestitate. ?n consecin??, se prea cuvine ca recenzentul s? r?m?n? un om marginal ?i s? priveasc? vedetele din penumbr?. ?n ultim? instan??, critica de ?nt?mpinare devine stil prin coregrafia subtil? a distan??rilor reciproce: a scriitorului de sine ?nsu?i prin intermediul criticului s?u, ?i a acestuia din urm? de propria sa fixa?ie, prin mijlocirea c?r?ilor mereu noi pe care le cite?te.

O edi?ie aniversar?, dedicat? unuia dintre cei mai mari creatori europeni, realizat? cu participarea unor importante personalit??i ale culturii rom?ne (Nicolae Balota, Eugen Simion, Nicolae Manolescu etc.); edi?ie special? ce con?ine o bogat? iconografie. Textele sunt menite s? omagieze o legend? vie a literaturii rom?ne – ctitor, al?turi de Liviu Rebreanu ?i Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu, al romanului modern.

De ce fr minotaur Fiindc literatura, din perspectiva mea, este un labirint, iar naintarea n ea, una plin de pericole, topite ns n pura iridiscen. Un labirint, dar unul radios, menit s atrag atenia asupra infinitii de jocuri ascunse n textul literar. Jocuri care te prind (mai bine-zis te seduc), doar ca s te poi elibera, s fii vzut n mijloc, schind un salut triumfator – poate spre nite prieteni nevzui. Cu nimic altceva n jur dect pietre ncinse, ncrustate cu nestemate. Nevoit s mergi mereu nainte, lai averea asta altcuiva, n-o poi lua cu tine – sensul e s iei din labirint cu totul nud (neatins de prejudeci ori de cliee), fr cicatrici literare, literatura s fie pentru tine o poart, nu o temni. Ea poart, ntr-adevr, n sine, aceast imens generozitate. Niciun minotaur care s te sfie, doar picurul de miere al bucuriei lecturii, pe lespezile arse de soare: suntem la amiaz, ateni, vigili (minotaurul ar fi doar creaia noastr). Senzaia de deschidere druit de literatur st deci la originea acestei cri, mai degrab un sinuos autoportret de cititor (nu att narcisiac, ct fidel siei) dect o lucrare sistematic. Un chip caleidoscopic, conturat din capricii reunite, firesc, ca rsplata pentru a fi urmrit cu ncredere traiectoria neregulat a lecturii – sinuozitate nelipsit totui de un sim al unitii, tradus n meditaia continu asupra unor noiuni precum familiaritate i alteritate, a relaiona ori a insolita.“ – Simona Grazia Dima

Lidia Lazu a scris aceste poeme. i pe urm a uitat c le-a scris. Le-a gsit pe marginea unei ferestre, ciugulite de psrile cerului, cu frumuseea pierdut pentru totdeauna – c toate lucrurile sortite s ntrein miracolul existenei. Acesta este mitul n jurul cruia ar putea s se consolideze o ntreag oper poetic. Eu cred c nici unul dintre poeii romni nu a reuit s construiasc o asemenea imagine, care ntr-adevr s ne reprezinte ntr-un asemenea chip i ntr-o asemenea msur. Lidia Lazu scrie din preaplinul firii sale. (...) Ea face parte dintre acei oameni care nu scriu din pricina slbiciunilor lor, ci din pricina prea multelor daruri cu care a fost nzestrat de Dumnezeu.“ – Mircea Ciobanu

Sub limita de detec?ieVorbi?i ?n ?oapt?Ceva se petreceSub pragul vostru auditiv.A?a cum silabele gurii taleSunt sorbite de timpanele ei, tot astfelAcolo, ?n ad?nc,Picur? ceva –P?m?ntului ?i scap? lacrimiPe care le-nghit r?d?cinile;Acolo, ?n ?naltSe spulbera ceva –V?zduhului ?i scap? lacrimiPe care le-nghit ?ngerii.E un plan?et f?r? istovAl lucrurilor, fertil –Doar c? se petreceSub limita de detec?ie.

mi nchipui pe pmnt locuriUnde nu ajunge raza de soareLocuri unde nu adie vntulLocuri oarbe i surde, fr cldurFr memorie –Dar nu am destul putere s-mi nchipuiLocuri unde s nu ajungi s nu m ajungDurerea.

asopis za kulturu i drutvena pitanja, bavi se socijalno angaovanim temama. Izlazi kvartalno. Prvi broj posveen je Oskaru Daviu

n paginile acestei cri, am redat situaia general din Paradisul Vestului“ i a exilatului romn venit aici, vzut n dublu avantaj de persoana particular i jurnalist. Majoritatea celor venii n perioada tranziiei romne“, dar i o buna parte din ceilali au fost i sunt buni aici – cu preponderen n Germania – la muncile de jos“ (…) Romnia nu e cunoscut n Occident dect ca zona srciei, a copiilor orfani, a hoilor i a corupiei“!

Astfel de dic?ionare care s? te edifice asupra autorului, a operelor ?i a personajelor principale ale acestora n-au mai ap?rut p?n? acum la noi (desigur, ?n ce prive?te literatura universal?). Aici g?se?ti nu numai cuno?tin?ele necesare la orele rezervate lecturii obligatorii sau suplimentare din literatura universal?, ci ?i suficiente informa?ii care s? te incite la noi ?aventuri“ ale lecturii ?i, firesc, la l?rgirea universului intelectual.

Dac? spun un adev?r incomod sunt tratat? ca un trouble-fête. Dac? regret radicalismul sau lipsa de tact de a emite un adev?r nepl?cut, mi se sugereaz? c? sunt la??. Dac? sunt vis?toare sau patetic?, mi se spune c? sunt dep??it?. C?nd sunt trist? ?i m? ascund dup? masca unei veselii debordante, mi se z?mbe?te insidios: ei, ascunde ea ceva. C?nd spun ?n gura mare ceea ce cred, sunt ?fichiuit? cu sarcasme. Iar atunci c?nd abordez teme majore, mi se sugereaz? c? sunt expirat?. Nu, nu exist? nici un fel de comunicare. La mijloc sunt, mai degrab?, ni?te savante mecanisme menite s?-?i deformeze faptele, iar, ?n ultim? instan??, imaginea, ?i s?-?i taie orice elan, pentru ca, ?ntr-un t?rziu, s? te fac? s? alegi, iar??i, singur?tatea – mam? bun?, aspr?, cald? – ?n iadul-raiul de fiecare zi.S? te re?ntorci ?n subterana ta mereu acela?i, mereu altul, tu, cel care e?ti ?i devii ceea ce e?ti. Aici e marea judecat?. ?ntre pere?ii acoperi?i cu c?r?i ?ncepe cunoa?terea. Restul sunt vorbe, fantezii, toane, divaga?ii, ?nt?mpl?ri m?runte, scurse dinspre realitatea de fum, a c?rei amintire e proasp?t? ?i-at?t de vie. Orgoliul, smerenia ?i asprimea ?ndreptat? ?mpotriva ta ??i vor fi sfetnici.Carnea trec?toare a cui sunt, Doamne? (Aura Christi)

The partnership between William Schwenck Gilbert and Arthur Seymour Sullivan and their canon of Savoy Operas is rightly lauded by all lovers of comic opera the world over. Gilbert's sharp, funny words and Sullivan's deliciously lively and hummable tunes create a world that is distinctly British in view but has the world as its audience. Both men were exceptionally talented and gifted in their own right and wrote much, often with other partners, that still stands the test of time. However, together as a team they created Light or Comic Operas of a standard that have had no rivals equal to their standard, before or since. That's quite an achievement. To be recognised by the critics is one thing but their commercial success was incredible. The profits were astronomical, allowing for the building of their own purpose built theatre - The Savoy Theatre. Beginning with the first of their fourteen collaborations, Thespis in 1871 and travelling through many classics including The Sorcerer (1877), H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1879), The Mikado (1885), The Gondoliers (1889) to their finale in 1896 with The Grand Duke, Gilbert & Sullivan created a legacy that is constantly revived and admired in theatres and other media to this very day.

William Congreve was born on January 24th, 1670 in Bardsey, West Yorkshire. Congreve's childhood was spent in Ireland (his father, a Lieutenant in the British Army had received a posting there). He was educated at Kilkenny College and then Trinity College in Dublin. After graduating he returned to London to study law at Middle Temple. However his interest in studying law soon lessened as the attraction of literature, drama, and the fashionable life began to exert its pull. This first play, The Old Bachelor, was written, to amuse himself during convalescence, and was produced at the Drury Lane Theatre in 1693. It was an enormous success. Although his playwrighting career was successful it was also very brief. Five plays authored from 1693 to 1700 would prove the entirety of his output. Although no further plays were to flow from his pen Congreve did write librettos for two operas and to begin translating the works of Moliere as well as Homer, Ovid and Horace and to write poetry. He also took an interest in politics and obtained various minor political posts, including being named Secretary of the Island of Jamaica by George I in 1714. Congreve suffered a carriage accident in late September 1728, from which he never recovered (having probably received an internal injury); William Congreve died in London on January 19th, 1729, and was buried in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.

When love becomes your greatest enemy. Part of?The Love and War Series, novels set during the 20th century's darkest years. Moscow, 1935. Stalin is in power. People live in constant fear – fear of each other, fear of being denounced, and fear of Stalin’s secret police, the NKVD. Ordinary citizens live behind a mask – a public face that enables them to toe the Party line and conceal their true feelings and personal thoughts.?One such citizen is thirty-year-old Maria. She has a past – the sort that, if known, would cost her her freedom. So monstrous her crime, she is forced to live a lie. Maria marries Petrov, a Party activist, not out of love, but as a means of forming a new identity, to escape her past. Her existence is safe – but dull. Until the day she meets Dmitry.Dmitry is an artist, whose work allows him a standard of living above the average Muscovite. But Dmitry feels straitjacketed by what he’s allowed to paint. Instead of the state approved rural idyll of his latest commission, he aspires to paint the female form. But when Maria offers to pose for him, he refuses – until he falls in love with her.Dmitry’s artistic aspirations and Maria’s yearning for a new life force them to risk everything in the name of love and freedom.?The Black Maria?is a novel about truth – the distortion of it, and the fear of it. And at the heart of the novel, is Maria’s brutal past. When love comes unexpectedly, it threatens to expose the truth and destroy her.“I'm seriously in awe. It's a remarkable piece of historical fiction. It's dark, gritty, and really quite disturbing. And heartbreaking at the same time. A brilliant achievement!”?“A disquieting, well-told tale in which the author delves deeply and effectively into the minds of his characters. Is it entertaining? Yes. You'll be glad you read this novel.”“Hard-hitting, dark and, at times, unpalatable. It is also honest.”“I don't recall being quite as thoroughly chilled by Solzhenitsyn's works as I was with Rupert Colley's The Black Maria.”“Wonderfully written, this is a novel that lives long in the memory. Highly recommended.”“An absorbing if confronting read, and stayed with me long after I'd finished it.”Rupert Colley is the founder, editor and writer of the highly successful?History In An Hour?series of ebooks and audio, published by HarperCollins.?Historical fiction with heart and drama.

Your mission: To unite a nation divided by a forest of lies. When privilege becomes an unbearable burden. When you must discard your privilege to bring peace. What is a life of privilege worth if there’s no peace? One journey to save the world. One journey to unite the world. When hope rests on the shoulders of only one. When hope rests on the shoulders of only one man. Diondray's Journey is the second book of The Diondray's Chronicles.

Fear on the streets. Death on every corner. But the real enemy is the brother at his side. Part of?The Love and War Series, novels set during the 20th century's darkest years. Short, heart-wrenching historical fiction on a large canvas from the founder of History In An Hour. My Brother the Enemy is a story of jealousy, sibling rivalry and betrayal, and a desperate bid for freedom, set against a backdrop of Nazi oppression and war. 1936 – Exiled by the Nazi regime for their father’s beliefs, Peter’s love for his brother is slowly eroded as Martin proves himself to be ruthless and manipulative. When Monika comes into their young lives, their mutual jealousies heighten and threaten to tear them apart. 1941 – A childhood accident saves Peter from active service. His brother, posted to the killing fields of the Eastern Front, isn’t so lucky. 1945 – Berlin is torn apart by Allied bombs. Amid the carnage and death that descends over the city, Martin returns from Russia – battered and embittered. The twins’ seething bitterness and their shared love for Monika finally explodes with devastating consequences. "I have read Rupert Colley's work before and he didn't disappoint me here again."“A good, fast, page-turning read and I cared about the characters and wanted to know what happened to them.” “Fraternal jealousies and rivalries are searingly drawn.” "Could hardly stand to put it down but at the same time I didn't want to finish it! Would recommend to all.""Turbulent historical setting? Check. Vivid descriptions? Check. Realistic and likeable central character? Check. Page-turning excitement? Check. Heart-stopping denouement? Check. Passion, heroism, betrayal? Check, check, and check."Historical fiction with heart and drama.

The 2012 presidential election campaign is well under way when Barack Obama succumbs to a sudden heart attack. Vice-president Biden is sworn in as President and the Democratic Party recalls its convention. Jesse Jackson makes a powerful speech proposing that the party adopt Michelle Obama as its candidate. What happens next?

The Storm Begins. Seeing the future: blessing or curse? For Anne Fincastle, only the number of survivors changes. Few or none. Anne knows the truth. In her heart, her mind, her bones. Only Evan Griffith believes. Can they make a difference for humanity, together? Book One of the Storms of Future Past Series. An excerpt from Dreaming the Storm: Prophets have risen up many times through the ages, claiming to have the gift of seeing the future. Whether certain ones could or not is a debate for another day. What’s not debatable is the most common response by society: to condemn them as insane, with often horrific results. The screen went blank for a second, and Anne wiped her eyes, hoping the horrible movie was over. She didn’t ever want to come back to this library again. Then she saw dots slowly lighting up and glowing, coming to life scattered around the screen. There weren’t very many, not even twenty of them. Lines formed on the screen, and after a second Anne realized those were the lines of the continents. The dots were on the land. She could see a few on each continent, and only five in all of North America. Her fear drew back a little as her curiosity started to recover. What was she looking at? They weren’t near any of the cities she knew. “What is it?” she whispered. The lines of the continents faded in the middle, right around the Atlantic ocean, and words floated to the surface. Pale blue words. Remaining Human Population.

"I am a human being; I am a woman; I am a black woman; I am an African. Once I was free; then I was captured and became a slave; but inside me, here and here, I am still a free woman."During a period of four hundred years, European slave traders ferried some 12 million enslaved Africans across the Atlantic. In the Americas, teaching a slave to read and write was a criminal offense. When the last slaves gained their freedom in Brazil, barely a thousand of them were literate. Hardly any stories of the enslaved and transported Africans have survived.This novel is an attempt to recreate just one of those stories, one story of a possible 12 million or more.Lawrence Hill created another in The Book of Negroes (Someone Knows my Name in the U.S.) and, more recently, Yaa Gyasi has done the same in Homegoing. Ama occupies center stage throughout this novel. As the story opens, she is sixteen. Distant drums announce the death of her grandfather. Her family departs to attend the funeral, leaving her alone to tend her ailing baby brother. It is 1775. Asante has conquered its northern neighbor and exacted an annual tribute of 500 slaves. The ruler of Dagbon dispatches a raiding party into the lands of the neighboring Bekpokpam. They capture Ama. That night, her lover, Itsho, leads an attack on the raiders’ camp. The rescue bid fails. Sent to collect water from a stream, Ama comes across Itsho’s mangled corpse. For the rest of her life she will call upon his spirit in time of need. In Kumase, the Asante capital, Ama is given as a gift to the Queen-mother. When the adolescent monarch, Osei Kwame, conceives a passion for her, the regents dispatch her to the coast for sale to the Dutch at Elmina Castle. There the governor, Pieter de Bruyn, selects her as his concubine, dressing her in the elegant clothes of his late Dutch wife and instructing the obese chaplain to teach her to read and write English. De Bruyn plans to marry Ama and take her with him to Europe. He makes a last trip to the Dutch coastal outstations and returns infected with yellow fever. On his death, his successor rapes Ama and sends her back to the female dungeon. Traumatized, her mind goes blank. She comes to her senses in the canoe which takes her and other women out to the slave ship, The Love of Liberty. Before the ship leaves the coast of Africa, Ama instigates a slave rebellion. It fails and a brutal whipping leaves her blind in one eye. The ship is becalmed in mid-Atlantic. Then a fierce storm cripples it and drives it into the port of Salvador, capital of Brazil. Ama finds herself working in the fields and the mill on a sugar estate. She is absorbed into slave society and begins to adapt, learning Portuguese. Years pass. Ama is now totally blind. Clutching the cloth which is her only material link with Africa, she reminisces, dozes, falls asleep. A short epilogue brings the story up to date. The consequences of the slave trade and slavery are still with us. Brazilians of African descent remain entrenched in the lower reaches of society, enmeshed in poverty. “This is story telling on a grand scale,” writes Tony Sim?es da Silva. “In Ama, Herbstein creates a work of literature that celebrates the resilience of human beings while denouncing the inscrutable nature of their cruelty. By focusing on the brutalization of Ama's body, and on the psychological scars of her experiences, Herbstein dramatizes the collective trauma of slavery through the story of a single African woman. Ama echoes the views of writers, historians and philosophers of the African diaspora who have argued that the phenomenon of slavery is inextricable from the deepest foundations of contemporary western civilization.” Ama, a Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade, won the 2002 Commonwealth Writers Prize for the Best First Book.

Do you dream of discovering your purpose, but have no idea where to start? Here’s a step-by-step, proven process to unveil your passions and discover your innate talents to fast-track your ideal career. *FREE 100+ page worksheet booklet inside.* This book will take you on a fun interactive journey of self-discovery to clarify your purpose and passions in life. Learn from award-winning author, Tikiri, who used the techniques in here to go from being an immigrant teen with $20 in her pocket to managing multi-million-dollar projects and traveling the world. You'll discover how to: - Uncover the passions you hold within you. - Discover your innate talents and unique skills. - Identify the value you can give the world, so you make a living doing what you love. And much more!In these pages, you will read a story, and that story will be yours. Your Rebel Dreams?is a life-changing workbook with down-to-earth advice, inspiring quotes and plenty of space for you to write your answers. If you’d like to go on an adventure where you get to explore the amazing things you're meant to do, pick up?Your Rebel Dreams?today! ___________________ The Rebel Diva Series Your Rebel Dreams?– How to discover your purpose and power up your life. Your Rebel Plans?- How to create a masterplan for your career change. Your Rebel Life –?Easy habit hacks to transform the most important pillars of your life. Bust Your Fears - Three easy tools to conquer your fears and upgrade your career and life. The Rebel Diva book series is for the busy working woman who's juggling everything and wishes life had more to give her. Don't just read self-help. Get the Rebel Diva guides that will take you by the hand and show you step-by-step how to create your dream life.

A steamy five-book set from USA Today bestseller Ember Casey. Includes an exclusive extended series epilogue!?Meet the Fontaines: Hollywood royalty. L.A.'s most notorious bad boys. Permanent stars of the tabloids. And the wickedest, most devilish lovers around...This set includes the complete Fontaines series plus special bonuses!THE SWEET TASTE OF SIN (BOOK 1): To the rest of the world, Dante Fontaine is the ridiculously attractive oldest son of the Fontaine family. To Ashlyn? He’s the guy who made her swear off men forever. She just wants to run her bakery, heal her broken heart, and forget him. Buy Dante has other plans, and this time, he has no intention of letting her go…THE LIES BETWEEN THE LINES (BOOK 2): Emilia Torres has everything she’s ever wanted. After years of struggling to become an actress, she’s finally caught her big break—a part opposite the hottest star in Hollywood, the gorgeous and charming Luca Fontaine. But her biggest role might be the one she plays off-screen, where she and Luca pretend to be in love. The rules for their relationship are simple: in front of the paparazzi, they play the perfect Hollywood couple. In private, their contract states that all feelings—and sex—are absolutely forbidden. But what if the truth becomes hotter than the lies?THE MYSTERY OF YOU (BOOK 3): When Edie Marshall meets a mysterious—and drop-dead gorgeous—man in the woods just outside her small town, she has no idea that he’s actually Rafe Fontaine, certified bad boy and black sheep of the Fontaine family. And she definitely has no idea that their brief, passionate encounter will lead to her getting pregnant. Can she trust her heart—and her baby—to Hollywood’s hottest bad boy?THE THRILL OF TEMPTATION (BOOK 4): Maggie Blankenship is a hot mess—broke, unemployed, and down on her luck. So when she’s offered the chance to fill in as an extra in a movie, she wonders if her luck is changing. It turns out that the movie is being directed by Orlando Fontaine—the intense and mysterious youngest brother of the Fontaine family. Sparks (and underwear) fly between the pair of them from the start, but Orlando has a strict no-fraternizing policy on his sets. As the heat builds between Maggie and Orlando, only one question remains—what’s the cost of giving in to temptation?Plus TWO special bonuses:THE SECRET TO SEDUCTION (full-length prequel): Felicia Liddle has eight days to seduce one of the notorious Fontaine brothers. The only problem? Historically speaking, Felicia's way more likely to put her foot in her mouth (or generally make an idiot of herself) than charm the pants off of anyone. Enter Roman Everet: media mogul (read: billionaire), insanely sexy, and--oh yeah--Felicia's new boss. He might hold the fate of her job in his hands, but he's more than willing to help her become an expert in seduction...And an Extended Bonus Epilogue!

John Ford is another of England's famed literary masters. A Playwright and Poet, he was the most important writer of Tragedies during the reign of King Charles I (1625-49). His works are beautifully poetic even whilst tackling subjects from incest to the choice between true love or forced marriage. Ford's work has endured down the centuries although little is known of his life, or, in some cases, even his contributions to his own plays when written with others. As a whole though it is a legacy of classics; powerful persuasions from driven characters and compelling narratives.