Prose factory literary life

This item is sold brand new. It is ordered on demand from our supplier and is usually dispatched within 8 - 15 working days "An entertaining history of literary life." (Nicholas Shakespeare, Daily Telegraph). Spanning a century of literary history, from the pitched battles fought between Eliot-era modernists and Georgian traditionalists to the impact of creative writing degrees and the media don of today and taking in 'star reviewers', sniping critics, caballing editors and megalomaniac professors along the way, the Prose Factory explores the myriad influences on English literary life in the past century and the way in which they have shaped our preferences. "An amazing achievement." (David Lodge). "A pleasingly gossipy history of literary life in England since 1918...very enjoyable" (Observer). "Elegantly written, defiantly intelligent, scrupulously researched and richly enjoyable." (Mail on Sunday). Features Summary Spanning a century of literary history, from the pitched battles fought between Eliot-era modernists and Georgian traditionalists to the impact of creative writing degrees and the media don of today and more... Author D J Taylor Publisher Vintage Release date 20161213 Pages 448 ISBN 0-09-955607-3 ISBN 13 978-0-09-955607-7

This item is sold brand new. It is ordered on demand from our supplier and is usually dispatched within 7 - 12 working days BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR. SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE 2017. SHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR. WINNER OF THE PEN/ESPN AWARD FOR LITERARY SPORTS WRITING. THE TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARDS BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR. The most comprehensive and definitive biography of Muhammad Ali that has ever been published, based on more than 500 interviews with those who knew him best, with many dramatic new discoveries about his life and career. When the frail, trembling figure of Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta in 1996, a TV audience of up to 3 billion people was once again gripped by the story of the world's most famous sporting icon. The man who had once been reviled for his refusal to fight for his country and for his fast-talking denunciation of his opponents was now almost universally adored, the true cost of his astonishing boxing career clear to see. In Jonathan Eig's ground-breaking biography, backed up with much detailed new research specially commissioned for this book, we get a stunning portrait of one of the most significant personalities of the second half of the twentieth century. We are not only taken inside the ring for some of the most famous bouts in boxing history, we also learn about his personal life, his finances, his faith and the moments when the first signs of his physical decline began to show. Ali was a symbol of freedom and courage, a hero to many, but this is also a very personal story of a warrior who vanquished every opponent but was finally brought down by his own stubborn refusal to quit. An epic tale of a fighter who became the world's most famous pacifist, Ali: A Life does full justice to an extraordinary man. `Ali: A Life is the business - 640 pages of patient scholarship and intelligent reassessment written in crackly prose' Giles Smith, The Times `[A] richly researched, sympathetic yet unsparing portrait... Ali: A Life is an epic of a biography' Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times Features Summary The first truly definitive biography of Muhammad Ali, the most iconic and significant sporting figure of the twentieth century Author Jonathan Eig Publisher Simon & Schuster Release date 20181001 Pages 640 ISBN 1-4711-5595-1 ISBN 13 978-1-4711-5595-6

This item is sold brand new. It is ordered on demand from our supplier and is usually dispatched within 7 - 15 working days Shen Congwen (1902?-1988) is one of modern China's great writers. He is also one of the finest Chinese prose stylists of all time. Literary critics and historians have offered several reasons for why Shen Congwen is a great writer. The foremost explanation is his power as a stylist. He could make the Chinese language beautiful. Some critics have praised Shen Congwen for creating characters with beautiful souls. Readers credit him with having described beautiful and fulfilling styles of life, even in materially primitive surroundings, that conjure up the "health and dignity" prized by the Crescent Moon writers. Other critics value Shen Congwen as a realist writer. He has written many works exposing the abuses of the military in the countryside, and the vanity of the urban bourgeoisie. Most of the short stories in this collection, typeset in bilingual format, reveal the plight and the strength of the common people. They were chosen from the period when Shen had already honed a fine writing style, and they were written about rural folks in his native region, and about people he knew from his daily life. There are contradictions between the "new" and the "old," and also between human values with enough integrity to nurture life, versus corruption that leads to the decline and death of a culture. Features Summary This collection of short stories reveals the plight and strength of the common Chinese people. There are contradictions between the "new" and the "old"... Author Shen Congwen (Author), Jeffrey C. Kinkley (Translator) Publisher The Chinese University Press Release date 20031130 Pages 300 ISBN 962-9961-10-5 ISBN 13 978-962-9961-10-7

This item is sold brand new. It is ordered on demand from our supplier and is usually dispatched within 7 - 11 working days Why Travel Matters explores the profound life lessons that await anyone who wishes to learn what travel has to teach. With engaging prose, delightful wit and a distinctive style, Craig Storti infuses his own experiences traveling the world for 30+ years with quotations, insights, reflections and commentary from famous travelers, great travel writers, historians and literary masters. Storti's vast knowledge of the literature makes him an expert curator of astute gems from the likes of: St. Augustine, Mark Twain, Somerset Maugham, D. H. Lawrence, Bruce Chatwin, Aldous Huxley and more. Features Summary Travelling can be truly life-changing, but it's so easy to end up a tourist. Craig Storti, expert intercultural trainer, explores the profound life lessons awaiting those who become true travellers. Author Craig Storti Publisher Nicholas Brealey Publishing Ltd Release date 20180404 Pages 202 ISBN 1-4736-7028-4 ISBN 13 978-1-4736-7028-0

This item is sold brand new. It is ordered on demand from our supplier and is usually dispatched within 7 - 15 working days A wonderful story of what family means, of the flesh-level pain of sibling rivalry, and the discovery of love. It is a fantastic and beautiful tapestry of some of the most imaginative and precise prose writing going on in America today. Toby Olson stands tall among the handful of writers I most admire and respect.--Richard Wiley "Write A Letter to Billy" is a delectably complicated maze that kept me spellbound from start to finish. Only the most sophisticated of writers could manage to combine the seriousness of a quest for identity and meaning with the intensity of a thriller, not to mention an excursion into deep-sea diving and the resort life of southern California. Once again, Toby Olson has written a terrific novel full of peril and surprise, offering startling revelations and sudden expansions of the heart and mind."--Lynne Sharon Schwartz United with a long-lost teenage daughter, a retired Navy underwater repair specialist investigates a mysterious list his father had written just before his death. Some of the items are crossed off, but one of the unfinished tasks haunts him: "Write letter to Billy." What had his father planned to tell him? What he learns changes his life forever. Influenced by D.H. Lawrence, William Faulkner, and Charles Dickens, Toby Olson's pointed examination of memory and consciousness illustrates how the unraveling of external mystery leads to self discovery. Toby Olson, winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction, has published eight books of fiction and twenty-two books of poetry. His work has appeared in over two hundred newspapers, magazines, and anthologies. Olson's novels include "At Sea," "Dorit in Lesbos, Utah, " and "The Woman Who Escaped from Shame." He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and North Truro, Massachusetts. Features Summary In this literary adventure tale, Bill teaches deep sea diving to his daughter and discovers deep secrets about his own past. Author Toby Olson Publisher Coffee House Press Release date 20001001 Pages 407 ISBN 1-56689-103-5 ISBN 13 978-1-56689-103-5

 Tears of the Giraffe (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #2) by Alexander McCall Smith. There are 5 available at R20 each   "This is a superior piece of detective fiction, written in simple, direct but effective prose. Perhaps most importantly, this novel offers a refreshingly positive picture of an African nation - and probably deserves a wide audience in the West on those grounds alone." In 1999 The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency received two Booker Judges' Special Recommendations and was voted one of the ‘International Books of the Year and the Millennium' by the Times Literary Supplement.  Tears of the Giraffe takes us further into the life of the engaging and sassy Precious Ramotswe, the owner and detective of Botswana's only Ladies' detective agency. Among her cases are wayward wives, unscrupulous maids and a challenge to resolve a mother's pain for her son, who is long lost on the African plains. Mma Ramotswe's own impending marriage to that most gentlemanly of men, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, the promotion of her secretary to the dizzy heights of Assistant Detective and new additions to the Matekoni family, all brew up the most humorous and charmingly entertaining of tales.