Viata de student la psihologie a lui Leinad se imparte intre sesiuni si baute ocazionale cu prietenii. Nimic iesit din comun. Pana intr-o zi cand, accidental, intra in posesia unui stick USB. Din curiozitate si, din nefericire pentru el, verifica fisierele stocate pe micul obiect. Afla informatii incredibile despre o societate secreta care facea experiente medicale pe oameni, fara ca acestia sa-si fi dat acceptul. Faptul ca ajunge sa cunoasca o tanara, studenta si ea, genul de fata peste care nu dai in fiecare zi, sufletista si inimoasa, complica si mai mult situatia tanarului, mai ales dupa ce afla ca noua lui cunostinta sufera de o boala ce ii poate fi fatala. Santaje, urmariri, situatii tragi-comice, din loc in loc, si un umor proaspat va vor determina sa deveniti fanii acestei serii.

De milenii, Veghetorii ii apara pe oameni de strigoi si de creaturile lumii de dincolo. Ana ignora regulile ce le obliga pe Veghetoare sa-si aleaga tineri la fel ca ele si intra intr-o relatie cu un barbat fermecator, dar cu un trecut intunecat. Iubitul ei ascunde insa un secret care o va pune fata in fata cu cele mai negre cosmaruri ale ei. Acesta este in realitate fiul conducatorului, un Veghetor care a fost izgonit din familie dupa ce s-a aflat ca s-a dedat unor practici interzise. Dar asta nu e cea mai mare problema a Anei...

Gabriela Crean scrie poezie cu gnoz dedesubt. Faptul a fost remarcat nc de la prima sa carte, iar modul acesta de a construi a rmas nu constant, ci neschimbat, chiar dac unele accente s-au mai mutat. Gnoza, tradus apocrif, nu e ns dect schela unei viziuni de intensitate paroxistic. Important cu adevrat e suflul imaginativ, dezlnuirea spasmatic a imaginaiei i ritmul frenetic n care sublimele se topesc n grotesc sau imnoidele se revrs n apostrofe. Gabriela Crean vede lumea oximoronic, n coincidene stupefiante i radicale, n care gramatica sacrelor nu se mai poate distinge de cea a infernalelor. Modului ei de a traduce juisarea vizionar n sarcasme i febra celest n repulsii violente i s-ar potrivi conceptul de profanare al lui Giorgio Agamben. Asta dac poezia n-ar face altceva dect filosofia; dar cum face, Gabriela Crean scrie cu o exasperare exuberant i cu o arden vitriolat despre cel mai inconfortabil mod de a fi n lume: sub un imperativ atroce.“ – Al. Cistelecan

Romanul 2666 este scris ?n ultimii trei ani ai lui Bola?o, ?ntr?o curs? contra cronometru cu moartea. Alc?tuit din cinci p?r?i pe care autorul, ?ntr?o ?ncercare de a asigura viitorul financiar al copiilor s?i, le inten?iona publicate drept cinci romane separate, 2666 a ap?rut totu?i drept o singur? carte, valoarea literar? a ansamblului fiind mult prea mare pentru a fi divizat din ra?iuni comerciale. Toate cele cinci p?r?i contribuie la configurarea unui spa?iu ?n care crima ?i literatura sunt dou? fe?e ale aceluia?i mister. Ora?ul Santa Teresa din de?ertul Sonora, la grani?a Mexicului cu SUA, este scena unor crime ?n serie ?mpotriva femeilor, dar ?i destina?ia final? a celui mai important scriitor german al secolului trecut, Benno von Archimboldi (personaj fictiv). ?n Chile a c??tigat Premiul Altazor ?n 2005. ?n SUA a c??tigat National Book Critics Circle Award ?n 2009 (premiu acordat postum). ?Trebuie s? ascul?i ce spun femeile. [...] Nimeni nu d? aten?ie acestor asasinate, dar ?n ele se ascunde secretul lumii.“ ?La 40 de ani dup? ce García Márquez a zguduit literatura din temelii cu Un veac de singur?tate, Bola?o o face din nou. 2666 este, pur ?i simplu, epocal. F?r? ?ndoial?, prima carte mare a secolului XXI.“ The Complete Review ?Nu un roman, ci un breviar al timpurilor prezente, un imens manual de doliu ?i de melancolie. Un De profundis baroc ?i enigmatic, crima pasional? a unui om care a murit de ?i pentru literatur? ?i care las? supravie?uitorilor aceast? carte, a?a cum o armat? ?nvins? p?rjole?te p?m?ntul ?n urma ei.“ Olivier Mony, Le Figaro ?Data viitoare c?nd mai auzi?i pe cineva vorbind de “moartea romanului“, da?i?i ?n cap cu 2666. ?i apoi pune?i?l s??l citeasc?. Cinci c?r?i ?ntr?una singur?, des?v?r?it ?ntre?esute nu doar prin idei recurente ?i personaje, ci ?i printr?un umor toren?ial, o profund? umanitate ?i o verv? dezl?n?uit?, capodopera postum? a acestui magician [...] trebuie s? se afle ?n orice bibliotec? demn? de acest nume.“ Boyd Tonkin, The Independent

Ore de diminea?? ?ntr-o nou? edi?ie. F?r? ?ndoial? un eveniment. Este cartea care arunc? ?n aer bariera dintre pacostea proletcultist? ?i dreptul elementar de a g?ndi ?i a scrie liber. Cu discre?ie dar f?r? mil? prietenul meu Platon reu?e?te s? p?trund? natura uman? ?i s? simt? r?ul acolo unde nimeni n-ar fi crezut c? se poate ascunde. Ore de diminea?? este o carte despre timpul care i-a fost lui dat. Cartea asta vine din trecut dar apar?ine ?n aceea?i m?sur? prezentului ?i, poate, timpurilor care vor veni. O carte pentru cei ce nu scot din context prezentul pe care nu ei l-au ales. ?n aceia?i m?sur?, un text pentru cei (pu?ini?!) ?n stare s? priceap? c? a trimite ca pe o cer?etoare hoa?? istoria la tribunal este, dac? nu demagogie, atunci o prostie incurabil?. Citi?i Ore de diminea??. Scris? ?i tiparit? ?n anii '70. Este cartea unui autor de seam?. G. B?l?i???

Un aspect atractiv al prezentei ediii st n capacitatea sa de a fi o lectur plcut i practic, rmnnd n acelai timp un document tiinific util deopotriv cercettorilor i publicului general. Pentru specialiti, cartea de fa poate reprezenta o schimbare agreabil de ritm (de la materialele de studiu obinuite), care, totui, nu face rabat seriozitii tiinifice. De asemenea, att pentru cercettori ct i pentru publicul larg, cartea aceasta poate fi considerat o modalitate de a demonstra c, printr-o prezentare adecvat, ceea ce pare a fi doar un text tiinific fad se poate dovedi a fi, n realitate, un text plin de via, folositor i relevant pentru toata lumea.“ – Robert B. Cialdini

THIS BOOK is written for all little lads and lasses, but especially for the former, since it is the true—quite true—story of a little lad who lived to be, perhaps, the greatest king this world has ever seen.?It is a strange, wild tale this of the adventures of Prince Akbar among the snowy mountains between Kandahar and Kabul, and though the names may be a bit of a puzzle at first, as they will have to be learned by and bye in geography and history lessons, it might be as well to get familiar with them in a story-book; though, indeed, as everybody in it except Roy the Rajput, Meroo the cook boy; Tumbu, the dog; and Down, the cat (and these four may have been true, you know, though they have not been remembered) really lived, I don't know whether this book oughtn't to be considered real history, and therefore??A LESSON BOOK:??"Anyhow, I hope you won't find it dull."??STORIES:?FAREWELL ?THE FIRST VICTORY ?THE ROYAL UMBRELLA ?TUMBU-DOWN ?ON THE ROAD ?AT COURT ?WINTER?DOWN'S STRATAGEM?SPRING ?THE NIGHT OF RECORD ?A WINTER MARCH?SNOW AND ICE ?OVER THE PASS ?IN THE VALLEY?DEAREST-LADY?CRUEL BROTHER KUMRAN?IMPRISONMENT?THE GARDEN OF GAMES?BETWIXT CUP AND LIP?ESCAPED?DAWN

THERE are numerous time-honored stories which have become so incorporated into the literature and thought of our race that a knowledge of them is an indispensable part of one's education. These stories are of several different classes. To one class belong the popular fairy tales which have delighted untold generations of children, and will continue to delight them to the end of time. To another class belong the limited number of fables that have come down to us through many channels frorn hoar antiquity. To a third belong the charming stories of olden times that are derived from the literatures of ancient peoples, such as the Greeks and the Hebrews. A fourth class includes the half-legendary tales of a distinctly later origin, which have for their subjects certain romantic episodes in the lives of well-known heroes and famous men, or in the history of a people.??It is to this last class that most of the fifty stories contained in the present volume belong. As a matter of course, some of these stories are better known, and therefore more famous, than others. Some have a slight historical value; some are useful as giving point to certain great moral truths; others are products solely of the fancy, and are intended only to amuse. Some are derived from very ancient sources, and are current in the literature of many lands; some have come to us through the ballads and folk tales of the English people.

Prin u?ile l?sate vrai?teDe cei ce nu se mai ?ntorcPrin pere?ii pe care i?i zg?riar?ViseleD? buzna glasul mul?imiiCare se zbateDeja prins? ?ntre fireleIscusitei urzeli a paianjenilorPoliticiThrough the wide-open doorsBy those who never returnThrough the walls on which they’d scratchedTheir dreamsThe voice barges through from a crowdWhich is strugglingAlreadz trappedIn the skillfullz/woven webOf the spiders of politics

THE author of this work makes no pretense of originality in the telling of these stories of olden times. They have been gleaned from many sources, and are the common heritage of all who love to write them anew and hear them again. Only the words belong to the story teller; the story itself is as old as the race.??In the lapse of years and with the much telling of these stories there is no longer a line between fact and fiction. How much is true and how much is false does not matter; the story itself is the thing, and one need not worry whether it really happened or not. Much of it is palpable fiction, but much of it is true. Let us not be too critical of a story when it is a few hundred years old.??At any rate, the stories herein contained are a part of the great inheritance that the boys and girls of this day have received from the past, and to which they are entitled in all fullness and freedom. If the reading of them shall add anything to the enjoyment or to the information of those who are always young in heart because they always thrill at romance and adventure, the writer of these old time tales will be amply repaid.?LAWTON B. EVANS??1. JEROME AND THE LION?2. THE SAINT WHO STOOD ON A PILLAR?3. THE SCOURGE OF GOD?4. THE VANDAL HORDE?5. KING CLOVIS BECOMES A CHRISTIAN?6. A CAMEL DRIVER BECOMES A PROPHET?7. WHAT IT MEANT TO BE A KNIGHT?8. BERTHA WITH THE BIG FOOT?9. STORIES OF CHARLEMAGNE?10. CHARLEMAGNE AND THE MAGIC RING?11. CHARLEMAGNE AND THE ROBBER?12. ROLAND BECOMES A KNIGHT?13. THE DEATH OF ROLAND?14. HOW NORMANDY CAME BY ITS NAME?15. OLAF, THE BOY VIKING OF NORWAY?16. THE CID WINS HIS NAME?17. THE LAST DAYS OF THE CID?18. THE LORELEI?19. THE MOUSE TOWER?20. THE DEVIL'S LADDER?21. GERDA'S RIDE TO HER WEDDING?22. PETER THE HERMIT?23. THE WIVES OF WEINSBERG?24. THE MEETING OF KING RICHARD AND SALADIN?25. ADVENTURES OF RICHARD, THE LION HEART?26. THE PRINCE OF TRAVELERS?27. WILLIAM TELL, THE SWISS PATRIOT?28. EDWARD, THE BLACK PRINCE?29. BIG FERRE KEEPS THE FORT?30. THE LEGEND OF THE STRASSBURG CLOCK?31. THE BURGHERS OF GHENT REFUSE TO BE HANGED?32. THE SACRIFICE OF ARNOLD WINKELRIED?33. THE STORY OF JOAN OF ARC?34. BAYARD, THE KNIGHT WITHOUT FEAR AND WITHOUT REPROACH?35. THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD?36. DMITRI, THE PRETENDER?37. THE MAN WITH THE IRON MASK?38. STORIES OF PETER THE GREAT?39. MAZEPPA, THE CHIEF OF THE COSSACKS?40. THE CRIME OF CHARLOTTE CORDAY

THE Spanish peninsula, separated from France on the north by the Pyrenees, and bounded on the three remaining sides by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, con-tains an area of 225,600 square miles, being a little larger than France. Nature has reared a very formidable barrier between Spain and France, for the Pyrenees, extending in a straight line 250 miles in length, from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean, and often rising in peaks more than ten thou-sand feet in height, offer but three defiles which carriages can traverse, though there are more than a hundred passes which may be surmounted by pedestrians or the sure-footed mule. The soil is fertile; the climate genial and salubrious; and the face of the country, diversified with meadows and mountains, presents, in rare combination, the most attractive features both of loveliness and sublimity.?History does not inform us when and how this beautiful peninsula—called Hispania by the Romans—first became in-habited. Whether the earliest emigrants crossed the straits of Gibraltar from Africa, or came from Asia, coasting the shores of the Mediterranean, or descended from France through the defiles of the Pyrenees, can now never be known. The first glimpse we catch of Spain, through the haze of past ages, reveals to us the country inhabited by numerous barbaric tri-bes, fiercely hostile to each other, and constantly engaged in bloody wars. The mountain fastnesses were infested with robber bands, and rapine and violence everywhere reigned. The weapons grasped by these fierce warriors consisted of lances, clubs, and slings, with sabres and hatchets, of rude fashion but of keen edge. Their food was mainly nuts and ro-ots. Their clothing consisted of a single linen garment, girded around the waist; and a woollen tunic, surmounted by a cloth cap, descended to the feet. As in all barbarous nations, the hard work of life was performed by the women.??The names even of most of these tribes have long since perished; a few however have been transmitted to our day, such as the Celts, the Gallicians, the Lusitanians, and the Iberians. Several ages before the foundations of Rome or of Carthage were laid, it is said that the Phoenicians, exploring in their commercial tours the shores of the Mediterranean, established a mercantile colony at Cadiz. The colonists growing rich and strong, extended their dominions and founded the cities of Malaga and Cordova. About 800 years before Christ, a colony from Rhodes settled in the Spanish peninsula, and established the city of Rosas. Other expeditions, from various parts of Greece, also planted colonies and engaged in successful traffic with the Spanish natives.??Four hundred years before Christ, the Carthaginian republic was one of the leading powers, and Carthage was one of the most populous and influential cities on the globe. The Carthaginians crossed the narrow straits which separate Africa from Spain, landed in great strength upon the Spanish peninsula, and, after a short but severe conflict, subdued the foreign colonies there, brought the native Spaniards into subjection, and established their own supremacy over all the southern coast. Cadiz became the central point of Carthaginian power, from whence the invaders constantly extended their conquests. Though many of the interior tribes maintained for a time a sort of rude and ferocious independence, still Carthage gradually assumed dominion over the whole of Spain.??In the year 235 B.C., Hamilcar, the father of the illustrious Hannibal, compelled nearly all the tribes of Spain to ack-nowledge his sway. For eight years Hamilcar waged almost an incessant battle with the Spaniards. Still it was merely a military possession which he held of the country, and he erected Barcelona and several other fortresses, where his soldiers could bid defiance to assaults, and could overawe the surrounding inhabitants.

Sonetul contondentCelor doi / poe?i de mare soi...(Istrate ?i Murgeanu)Visam c? Marea-?i p?r?sea ghioculCu-al s?u tumult de valuri euxine?i, h?t-departe-n zonele alpine,Ca-n Cretaceu, ??i reg?sise locul...Priveam de-acuma fascinat la joculDe valuri ?n?esate de jivineDin vremuri disp?rute, care-n fine,??i ?ncercau, o dat?-n plus, norocul.Sim?eam o dulce binecuv?ntareC?-n groapa euxinic? ad?nc?O Mare Neagr? nu exist? ?nc?,Nici Casa Scriitorilor la mare;Nici doi poe?i cu barb?, bur?i ?i plete,S?-n?ire contondentele sonete.

SINCE the publication of my larger book, "The Horse Fair," many letters have been received from teachers and their scholars telling of the pleasure derived from the reading of it, and incidentally suggesting that much of its contents is directly in line with the courses of literary instruction pursued in our elementary schools. This suggestion has led me to col-lect certain of the stories into a smaller volume especially adapted for use as a school reading-book.? The eighteen stories in this volume have been chosen with a thought to their educative value as well as for the intrinsic charm of the original narratives, which in various forms have delighted many generations of readers. All have a literary interest connecting them with subjects with which every educated person is supposed to be familiar. In the first four, you will be introduced to the sun myths and season myths of the Greeks and of our Norse ancestors. Following these, the tale of song-inspiring Pegasus is presented in contrast with that of Griffen, the base imitation invented by the romancing poets of the Middle Ages. ? Then in "The Ship of the Plains," you may read of the mythical founding of Athens; and in the sketch that follows, you may enjoy a brief glimpse of Arabic imagery in the story of one of the most interesting episodes in the life of the prophet Mohammed. The story of the twin brethren will acquaint you with the thought of some of the old Latin writers, while the tale of Rakush will give you a taste of Persian literature as it is found in the great epic written by Firdusi. The romances of Charlemagne and his peers are represented by the story of Broiefort and his indomitable master; and the world-famous Don Quixote is introduced by his sorry but scarcely less famous steed, Rozinante.

Ninge ?n martieNinge ?ntr-un hornDin care iese fumNinge tot mai densCople?itor?i ?ntoarce fumul din drum?l preseaz? ?n horn ca-ntr-un teasc?l ?ndeas? la loc ?n c?rbuniAstup? flac?raRea?az? focul ?nMiezul ?nsu?i al P?m?ntului.

Scrum este cel de-al doilea roman al lui Augustin Nacu ?i reprezint? istoria unei evad?ri e?uate, un joc periculos, dar ?i frumos, disperat de frumos al unui grup de prieteni, mai ?nt?i, elevi, apoi, studen?i, din Uniunea Sovietic?, afla?i ?ntr-o goan? perpetu? dup? visul lor. Cu mici excep?ii, ac?iunea se desf??oar? la Chi?in?u, capitala Republicii Sovietice Socialiste Moldovene?ti, la ?nceputul anilor optzeci ai secolului XX, constituind sf?r?itul a?a-zisei epoci de stagnare a lui Brejnev ?i acel intermezzo dinaintea perestroik?i lui Gorbaciov, av?nd mai multe ie?iri ?ntr-un viitor nu doar imaginar pentru tot at?tea ?ntoarceri ?ntr-un trecut teribil de real, chiar ?i ?n unul mai ?ndep?rtat, cel de la mijlocul secolului men?ionat, o perioad? dramatic? pentru Basarabia ?i oamenii ei, bunici ?i p?rin?i, a c?ror remanent? disperare s-a transmis printr-o ?memorie a genelor“ copiilor ?i nepo?ilor, aliment?ndu-le mereu acestora din urm? dorin?a nest?vilit? de libertate, din care s-a iscat acel vis ?i, implicit, acel joc al lor...

Referindu-se la Pesc?ru?ul ?ntr-o scrisoare din octombrie 1895, Cehov nota, ?ntre altele: ?Scriu o pies? pe care probabil nu o voi termina p?n? la sf?r?itul lui noiembrie. O scriu nu f?r? pl?cere, de?i m? tem de conven?iile scenei. E o comedie, exist? trei roluri pentru femei, ?ase pentru b?rba?i, patru acte, peisaje (priveli?tea unui lac), o mul?ime de conversa?ii despre literatur?, pu?in? ac?iune, mult? iubire“. Premiera s-a dovedit dezastruoas?, editorul s?u aduc?ndu-i acuze ca, pild?, la?itatea evident?, caracterul din cale afar? de feminin. Con?tient de geniul s?u, Cehov riposteaz?: ?De ce aceast? calomnie? Dup? reprezenta?ie am luat cina la Romanovi. Pe cuv?ntul meu de onoare. Apoi m-am dus la culcare, am dormit s?n?tos ?i a doua zi am mers acas? f?r? a suspina vreo nemul?umire. Dac? a? fi fost un la?, a? fi alergat de la un editor la altul ?i de la un actor la altul, i-a? fi implorat s? fie ?ng?duitori ?i a? fi petrecut dou? trei s?pt?m?ni ?n Petersburg, agit?ndu-m? cu Pesc?ru?ul meu, cu emo?ie, cu o transpira?ie rece ?n lamenta?ii. Am ac?ionat at?t de rece ?i de responsabil precum un om care a f?cut o ofert? ?i apoi a fost ?nt?mpinat cu un refuz ?i nu mai are nimic altceva de f?cut dec?t s? plece. ?ntr-adev?r, vanitatea mea a fost n?ucit?, dar ?ti?i, nu a fost o lovitur? din senin. A?teptam un e?ec ?i m? preg?tisem pentru el precum te-am prevenit cu o absolut? sinceritate“.

Philip Haldane and his sister lived in a little red-roofed house in a little redroofed town. They had a little garden and a little balcony, and a little stable with a little pony in it—and a little cart for the pony to draw; a little canary hung in a little cage in the little bow-window, and the neat little servant kept everything as bright and clean as a little new pin. Philip had no one but his sister, and she had no one but Philip. Their parents were dead, and Helen, who was twenty years older than Philip and was really his half-sister, was all the mother he had ever known. And he had never envied other boys their mothers, because Helen was so kind and clever and dear. She gave up almost all her time to him; she taught him all the lessons he learned; she played with him, inventing the most wonderful new games and adventures. ABOUT AUTHOR: Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 1858 – 1924) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later connected to the Labour Party.

"The Man Without a Country" first appeared in the Atlantic Monthlyfor December, 1863. It was the author's wish that it be published anonymously, in the hope that it might be ascribed to some officer of the Navy; but unfortunately, the man who compiled the year's index for the magazine, which was mailed with the December number, recognized Dr. Hale's handwriting, and gave him credit for it in the index. The story was written during the darkest period of the Civil War, and this war is perhaps the gloomiest period in the history of our great republic in the history of our great Republic; it was written at a time when one-half of the people in the United States were burning with patriotism, and were ready to lay down their lives to preserve the Union, while the other half were striving to disrupt what to them was merely a confederation of States, in no wise binding, and were damning the United States, even as did Philip Nolan; at at time when the President was bending low under the weight of sorrow for the loss of thousands of noble men who were falling in battle, and was enduring in pitiful silence the villification that was heaped upon him by the "copper-head" opposition; at a time when patriotism was preached in the pulpit, sung by our poets, and exhaled with every breath. The story launched in such an atmosphere, met with immediate favor. It was reprinted everywhere without regard for copyright, and was translated into several foreign languages. It was accepted by many as a narrative of actual facts, and provoked many discussions as to whether Philip Nolan was a real person; some even went so far as to identify him.

Prin volumul Istorie ?i sacralitate, Const. Miu ne poart? prin lumea cuv?ntului spus ori scris, de la ?nceputuri ?i p?n? ?n prezent. Autorul, ?n acest volum, atrage aten?ia, al?turi de al?i autori dedica?i adev?rului, pe care domnia sa ?i citeaz?, c? lingvi?tii no?tri din motive de ne?n?eles au l?sat a se ?n?elege c? limba rom?n? ar fi una de ?mprumut. Nu putem ?ti ce anume i-a determinat pe ace?tia s? conchid? ?n privin?a unor cuvinte din dic?ionarul limbii rom?ne c? ar avea r?d?cini turcice, slave ori din limba latin?. Se pare c? au uitat c? aceast? limb? este vorbit? pe ?ntreg arealul ??rii, spre deosebire de limba italian?, ce are mai multe dialecte ?i idiomuri care difer? de la o provincie la alta.

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

Exist? numeroase idei preconcepute cu privire la psihanaliz? – c? este opera unui singur om, Sigmund Freud, ?i se practic? la fel ca acum un secol, psihanaliza este preocupat? doar de sexualitate, s-a demodat, c? este un fel de cult ezoteric ?n care trebuie s? fii ini?iat, ?i lista ar putea continua. ?n lucrarea de fa?? autorii prezint? ideile centrale ale celor mai reprezentativi psihanali?ti contemporani, oferind at?t o perspectiv? istoric? asupra ideilor psihanalitice, c?t ?i o compara?ie ?ntre diferitele curente. Plec?nd de la presupozi?ia c? cititorul nu este deloc familiarizat cu aceste teme, cartea ofer? o introducere ?n diferitele ?coli teoretice, explic?nd aspectele clinice la care acestea au fost receptive ?i c?teva dintre conceptele lor de baz?, precum ?i ilustr?ri clinice ale suferin?elor umane pe care aceste curente teoretice ?ncearc? s? le clarifice. Astfel, cititorul reu?e?te s? ?ntrevad? fragmentul de experien?? uman? ascuns ?n spatele conceptelor psihanalitice. Formul?rile ?n termeni psihanalitici devin formul?ri despre oameni reali, despre modul lor de a??i organiza experien?ele, despre dificult??ile pe care le ?nt?mpin? ?n via??.