World Tragedies

"They are love, those rare early friendships." As she travels to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a reunion with three of her college chums, Kate Abrams ponders the past. Had she ever known anyone as intimately as these three? There's smart, tough Cecie; foolish, lonely Fig; and pert, wealthy Ginger, who married young Kate's great love. Kate wonders whether such sublime bonds, and such deep betrayals, can survive the years. She is, after all, no stranger to life's ironies.

Jean Racine est un dramaturge et poète français, considéré comme l'un des plus grands auteurs de tragédies de la période classique en France. Le succès d'"Andromaque" en 1667 ouvre une décennie de grande création où l'on trouve à côté d'une unique comédie ("Les plaideurs" en 1668) six grandes tragédies : "Britannicus" (1669), "Bérénice" (1670), "Bajazet" (1672), "Mithridate" (1673), "Iphigénie" (1674) et "Phèdre" (1677).

Pierre Corneille est un dramaturge et poète français du XVIIe siècle. Issu d'une famille de la bourgeoisie de robe, Pierre Corneille, après des études de droit, occupa des offices d'avocat à Rouen tout en se tournant vers la littérature, comme bon nombre de diplômés en droit de son temps. Il écrivit d'abord des comédies comme "Mélite", "La place royale", "L'illusion comique", et des tragi-comédies "Clitandre", "Le Cid", qui fut un triomphe.

The Battle of the Somme, fought from July to November 1916 during World War I, stands as one of the most infamous and costly battles in history. Primarily orchestrated by the British and French forces against the German Empire, the offensive aimed to alleviate pressure on the French at Verdun and achieve a breakthrough on the Western Front. The battle witnessed unprecedented devastation and human loss, with a staggering casualty count of more than one million soldiers.