Author Memoirs

This is a book about ten women over the past three hundred years who have found walking essential to their sense of themselves, as people and as writers. Wanderers traces their footsteps, from eighteenth-century parson's daughter Elizabeth Carter—who desired nothing more than to be taken for a vagabond in the wilds of southern England—to modern walker-writers such as Nan Shepherd and Cheryl Strayed.

Criada por padres de mentalidad científica y espíritu independiente, Margaret Atwood pasó gran parte de su infancia en los bosques remotos del norte de Quebec, lejos de las convenciones sociales. Aquella niñez nómada y sin ataduras marcó el inicio de un camino fuera de lo común, que ella misma narra con lucidez, ironía e ingenio, entrelazando los momentos decisivos de su vida con las obras que han transformado la narrativa contemporánea, como Ojo de gato y El cuento de la criada.

À partir de la correspondance adressée à Louise entre 1851 et 1855 (près de 250 lettres), André Versaille a bâti une longue lettre, sorte de thèse emblématique de la correspondance du Flaubert des années Bovary. Ce texte n'est pas seulement un témoignage exceptionnel sur la genèse au quotidien d'une grande œuvre, il constitue également un très personnel « Qu'est-ce que la littérature ? » À ses idées sur l'art, le roman et la critique, Flaubert mêle des attaques vengeresses contre la bêtise et le grotesque de la vie, décochées d'une plume jubilatoire.

Als Tochter von Wissenschaftler:innen verbrachte Atwood den Großteil ihrer Kindheit in der kanadischen Wildnis – der Start in ein Ausnahme-Leben. Es folgen die Jahre, in denen sie erst Teil der literarischen Bohème und dann zu jener Autorin wurde, deren legendärer »Report der Magd« (geschrieben im Berlin der 1980er Jahre) unsere Welt bis heute prägen. Atwood erzählt, wie es weiterging, lässt uns teilhaben an ihren Freundschaften, am Leben mit ihrem Mann Graeme. Das Ergebnis ist ein farbenfrohes, hochamüsantes Buch voller überlebensgroßer Figuren: Dichter, Bären, Hollywood-Schaupieler

Mystery and horror. Poe, who remains one of the most iconic of American writers, died under haunting circumstances that reflect the two literary genres he took to new heights. Over the years, there has been a staggering amount of speculation about the cause of death, from rabies and syphilis to suicide, alcoholism, and even murder. But many of these theories are formed on the basis of the caricature we have come to associate with Poe: the gloomy-eyed grandfather of Goth, hunched over a writing desk with a raven perched on one shoulder, drunkenly scribbling his chilling masterpieces.

“Elaine gifts us all with a beautifully intimate and powerful retelling of her ever-unfolding journey. In sharing her joys, pitfalls, adventures, self-doubt, and successes, she reminds us that through uncovering and discovering the many facets of ourselves, we are more than enough.” —Yara...

Step into the vivid, paradoxical world of G. K. Chesterton—where saints dance with skeptics, riddles reveal truth, and the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Best known for his wit and philosophical insight, Chesterton’s poetry is a rich blend of humor, faith, social commentary, and fierce imagination. From the rousing rhythms of “Lepanto” to the introspective depth of “The Ballad of the White Horse”, this curated selection showcases Chesterton’s signature style: playful yet profound, grounded yet soaring.

A nominee for the National Book Award, Ivan Doig's brilliant memoir shares the experiences and culture that shaped his early years and made him fall in love with the West. From his childhood in a family of homesteaders through the death of his mother and his move to Montana to herd sheep, Doig shows his intimate connection with the American West.

Patricia Highsmith had more than her fair share of secrets. During her life, she felt uncomfortable about discussing the source of her fiction and refused to answer questions about her private life. Yet after her death in February 1995, Highsmith left behind a vast archive of personal documents which detail the links between her life and her work. Drawing on these intimate papers, together with material gleaned from her closest friends and lovers, Andrew Wilson has written the first biography of an author described by Graham Greene as the “poet of apprehension.”

When Putsata Reang was eleven months old, her family fled war-torn Cambodia, spending twenty-three days on an overcrowded navy vessel before finding sanctuary at an American naval base in the Philippines. Holding what appeared to be a lifeless baby in her arms, Ma resisted the captain’s orders to throw her bundle overboard. Instead, on landing, Ma rushed her baby into the arms of American military nurses and doctors, who saved the child's life. “I had hope, just a little, you were still alive,” Ma would tell Put in an oft-repeated story that became family legend.

Since its publication nearly 70 years ago, George Orwell’s 1984 has been regarded as one of the most influential novels of the modern age. Politicians have testified to its influence on their intellectual identities, rock musicians have made records about it, TV viewers watch a reality show named for it, and a White House spokesperson tells of “alternative facts”.

American Libraries editor in chief Leonard Kniffel offers a compelling collection of interviews with prominent figures--all of whom have special connections to libraries. From President Barack Obama to actress Julie Andrews; from basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to former First Lady and librarian Laura Bush and many others, stars of literature, politics, entertainment, and the public arena speak with Kniffel about the ways libraries have been critical in their lives.

Un divorce forcément douloureux, une grande maison victorienne troquée contre un appartement en haut d'une colline dans le nord de Londres, deux filles à élever et des factures qui s'accumulent... Deborah Levy a cinquante ans quand elle décide de tout reconstruire, avec pour tout bagage, un vélo électrique et une plume d'écrivain. L'occasion pour elle de revenir sur le drame pourtant banal d'une femme qui s'est jetée à corps perdu dans la quête du foyer parfait, un univers qui s'est révélé répondre aux besoins de tous sauf d'elle-même.

The Real Beatrix Potter is a fascinating and revealing biography of one of the world's most cherished children's authors. Beatrix Potter's famous little white books have enchanted generations of young admirers who adored the characters she created and, of course, her own distinctive illustrations.

Provocative, inspiring, and unflinchingly honest, My Grandfather's Son is the story of one of America's most remarkable and controversial leaders, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, told in his own words. Thomas speaks out, revealing the pieces of his life he holds dear, detailing the...

Everyone knows Frank Herbert’s Dune. One of the most popular science fiction novels ever written, it has become a worldwide phenomenon, winning awards, selling millions of copies around the world. Brian Herbert, Frank Herbert’s eldest son, tells the provocative story of his father’s extraordinary life in this honest and loving chronicle. He has also brought to light all the events in Herbert’s life that would find their way into speculative fiction’s greatest epic.

Bernard M. Baruch - one of the most remarkable men of our time - was an office boy at 19, a Wall Street partner at 25, and a millionaire before he was 35. For some men this success would mark the climax of a career; for Baruch it was only the beginning of a still greater one. In the 50 years since he made his first fortune, Bernard Baruch has been a trusted counselor of Presidents, an adviser on social and economic reforms, a statesman who has worked with two political parties and won the respect of both.

After the publication of Atlas Shrugged in 1957, Ayn Rand occasionally lectured in order to bring her philosophy of Objectivism to a wider audience and apply it to current cultural and political issues. These taped lectures and the question-and-answer sessions that followed added not only an eloquent new dimension to Ayn Rand's ideas and beliefs, but a fresh and spontaneous insight into Ayn Rand herself.

A memoir of self-discovery and the dilemma of connection in our time, The Odd Woman and the City explores the rhythms, chance encounters, and ever-changing friendships of urban life that forge the sensibility of a fiercely independent woman who has lived out her conflicts, not her fantasies, in a city (New York) that has done the same.

Partant de l'analyse des interdits misogynes, solides remparts d'une supériorité masculine dont la réalité paraît sérieusement ébranlée, Virginia Woolf définit les conditions d'existence et la spécificité de la création pour les femmes. Il faut d'abord "une chambre à soi", dont la portée va bien au-delà du matériel. Il suffit d'entrer dans n'importe quelle chambre de n'importe quelle rue pour que se jette à votre face toute cette force extrêmement complexe de la féminité.