'Consider just this, and give your minds to this alone: whether or not what I say is just'. Plato's account of Socrates' trial and death (399 BC) is a significant moment in Classical literature and the life of Classical Athens. In these four dialogues, Plato develops the Socratic belief in responsibility for one's self and shows Socrates living and dying under his philosophy. In "Euthyphro", Socrates debates goodness outside the courthouse; "Apology" sees him in court, rebutting all charges of impiety; in "Crito", he refuses an entreaty to escape from prison; and in "Phaedo", Socrates faces his impending death with calmness and skillful discussion of immortality. Christopher Rowe's introduction to his powerful new translation examines the book's themes of identity and confrontation, and explores how its content is less historical fact than a promotion of Plato's Socratic philosophy.
'One of the greatest European prose writers' Philip Roth In the autumn of 1965, Bohumil Hrabal bought a weekend cottage in the countryside east of Prague. There, until his death, he tended to an ever-growing, unruly community of cats. This is his co
An idealistic young man educated in Britain, Obi returns home to Nigeria for a job in the civil service, but finds himself seduced by backhanders and corruption.
This title is the winner of the Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award 2011. The horrific series of conflicts known as the Thirty Years War (1618-48) tore the heart out of Europe, killing perhaps a quarter of all Germans and laying waste to whole areas of Central Europe to such a degree that many towns and regions never recovered. All the major European powers apart from Russia were heavily involved and, while each country started out with rational war aims, the fighting rapidly spiralled out of control, with great battles giving way to marauding bands of starving soldiers spreading plague and murder. The war was both a religious and a political one and it was this tangle of motives that made it impossible to stop. Whether motivated by idealism or cynicism, everyone drawn into the conflict was destroyed by it. At its end a recognizably modern Europe had been created but at a terrible price. Peter Wilson's book is a major work, the first new history of the war in a generation, and a fascinating, brilliantly written attempt to explain a compelling series of events.Wilson's great strength is in allowing the reader to understand the tragedy of mixed motives that allowed rulers to gamble their countries' future with such horrifying results. The principal actors in the drama (Wallenstein, Ferdinand II, Gustavus Adolphus, Richelieu) are all here, but so is the experience of the ordinary soldiers and civilians, desperately trying to stay alive under impossible circumstances.
"Reading Brodsky's essays is like a conversation with an immensely erudite, hugely entertaining and witty (and often very funny) interlocutor". ("Wall Street Journal"). "Watermark" is Joseph Brodsky's witty, intelligent, moving and elegant portrait of Venice. Looking at every aspect of the city, from its waterways, streets and architecture to its food, politics and people, Brodsky captures its magnificence and beauty, and recalls his own memories of the place he called home for many winters, as he remembers friends, lovers and enemies he has encountered. Above all, he reflects with great poetic force on how the rising tide of time affects city and inhabitants alike. "Watermark" is an unforgettable piece of writing, and a wonderful evocation of a remarkable, unique city. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.
'Literature is not innocent', stated Georges Bataille in this extraordinary 1957 collection of essays, arguing that only by acknowledging its complicity with the knowledge of evil can literature communicate fully and intensely. These literary profiles of eight authors and their work, including Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights", Baudelaire's "Les Fleurs du Mal" and the writings of Sade, Kafka and Sartre, explore subjects such as violence, eroticism, childhood, myth and transgression, in a work of rich allusion and powerful argument.
Anna, 18 and independent both by circumstance and by character, has exchanged the West Indian island of her childhood for the cold, grey island of England, with its narrow streets and narrow rules. She comes to understand a world where people offer you no help unless there
Ben is an ambitious young executive charged with persuading 500 employee shareholders to agree to a merger that will save their company. But despite his best efforts, he can't convince anyone to buy in to the deal. During his week at the company, Ben realizes that his aggressive style is actually making it harder to reach his goals.
Introducing Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith. Celebrating the range and diversity of Penguin Classics, they take us from snowy Japan to springtime Vienna, from haunted New England to a sun-drenched Mediterranean island, and from a game of chess on the ocean to a love story on the moon. Beautifully designed and printed, these collectible editions are bound in colourful, tactile cloth and stamped with foil. A countess with a card trick; love letters filled with deception; a desperate man with a pistol.'The Queen of Spades', one of Pushkin's most popular and chilling stories, is accompanied here by the thrilling 'Dubrovsky' and unforgettable 'Tales of Belkin'.
'Everyone wishes to be loved, but in the event, nearly no one can bear it'At the height of his theatrical career, the actor Leo Proudhammer is nearly felled by a heart attack. As he hovers between life and death, we see the choices that have made him enviably famous and terrifyingly vulnerable. For between Leo's childhood on the streets of Harlem and his arrival into the world of the theatre lies a wilderness of desire and loss, shame and rage. And everywhere there is the anguish of being black in a society that seems poised on the brink of racial war. In this tender, angry 1968 novel, James Baldwin created one of his most striking characters: a man struggling to become himself.
Consists of the popular classic }My Family & Other Animals{ and its delightful sequels, }Birds, Beasts & Relatives{ and }The Garden Of The Gods{. All three books are set on the enchanted island of Corfu in the 1930s, where Gerald and his eccentric family moved from England.
PREORDER Jamie Cooks Italy now to receive Jamie's latest cookbook the moment it comes out.Jamie Cooks Italy is a celebration of the joy of Italian food. Jamie wants to share his love of all things Italian with accessible, best-ever recipes for Classic Carbonara, Salina Chicken, Stuffed Focaccia, Baked Risotto Pie, Pot-Roasted Cauliflower and Limoncello Tiramisu. This is about bringing the pleasure and passion of the world's favourite cuisine to your kitchen at home.Featuring 140 recipes in Jamie's easy-to-follow style, the book has chapters on Antipasti, Salad, Soup, Meat, Pasta, Fish, Rice & Dumplings, Bread & Pastry, Sides, Desserts and all the Basics you need.The recipes are a mix of fast- and slow-cooking, familiar classics with a Jamie twist, simple everyday dishes and more indulgent labour-of-love choices for weekends and celebrations. Whether cooking for yourself or cooking for friends and family, the aromas and tastes will transport you straight to the landscapes of Italy. Viva Italia!Don't wait, PREORDER Jamie Cooks Italy now!
One of fifty new books at 1.00 pound each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry - all complete, standalone works, some never published in Penguin Modern Classics before.
To miss reading this book would be a deprivation Los Angeles Times Sheds remarkable light on the literature, culture and politics of the region...anyone coming fresh to the field will be captivated by the richness, variety, humour and p
Wilfred Thesiger was born in Addis Ababa in 1910 and educated at Eton and Oxford. Though British, he was repulsed by the softness and rigidity of Western life, "the machines, the calling cards, the meticulously aligned streets, etc." In the spirit of T.E. Lawrence, Thesiger spent five years exploring and wandering the deserts of Arabia. With vivid descriptions and colorful anecdotes he narrates his stories, including two crossings of the Empty Quarter, among peoples who had never seen a European and considered it their duty to kill Christian infidels.
From the internationally bestselling author of Netflix's hottest new show, One of Us is Lying, comes a new, page-turning thriller . . .True crime can leave a false trail.Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favourite teacher. The case was never solved, but she's sure that the three kids who found Mr. Larkin's body know more than they're telling, especially her ex-best friend Tripp Talbot. He's definitely hiding something.When Brynn gets an internship working on a popular true-crime show, she decides to investigate what really happened that day in the woods. But the further she dives into the past, the more secrets she finds.Four years ago someone got away with murder. Now it's time to uncover the truth . . .'Given that her high-school-based murder mysteries read like bingeworthy Netflix dramas, it's easy to see why queen of teen crime Karen McManus is a bestseller on both sides of the Atlantic' - Observer
We live in a Big Me culture: universities and businesses alike reward goal-oriented superstars and those who self-promote are most likely to thrive. But what does this say about us? This title argues that our hunger for wealth and status is eroding our ability to create meaningful inner lives.
Mother. Monarch. Murderer. Magnificent . . . meet Clytemnestra, the ancient world's most wronged woman . . .'Vivid with fury, passion and strength, this is a fabulous myth retelling' JENNIFER SAINT'A blaze of a novel, fiery and furious - and alight with murderous revenge' DAILY MAIL__________She is born to a king but marries a tyrant.She watches helplessly as he sacrifices her child to the gods.She bides her time. She plots revenge. She knows how to play this game.If power will not be given to her, then she will take it for herself.She is Clytemnestra.-----------------------'A passionate picture of a fiercely patriarchal society and her heroine's refusal to be bound by its rules'Sunday Times'A powerhouse of a novel. Clytemnestra's rage, heartbreak and determination radiate off the page' ELODIE HARPER'A thrilling tale of power and prophecies, and the fierce Queen who fought back at those who wronged her' COSMOPOLITAN
Pre-order Stephen Fry's bewitching retelling of the legend of Troy - a tale of love and war, passion and power - following his sensational bestsellers MYTHOS and HEROES'Troy. The most marvellous kingdom in all the world. The Jewel of the Aegean.Glittering Ilion, the city that rose and fell not once but twice . . .'The story of Troy speaks to all of us - the kidnapping of Helen, a queen celebrated for her beauty, sees the Greeks launch a thousand ships against that great city, to which they will lay siege for ten whole and very bloody years.It is Zeus, the king of the gods, who triggers war when he asks the Trojan prince Paris to judge the fairest goddess of them all. Aphrodite bribes Paris with the heart of Helen, wife of King Menelaus of the Greeks, and naturally, nature takes its course. It is a terrible, brutal war with casualties on all sides.The Greeks cannot defeat the Trojans - since Achilles, the Greek's boldest warrior, is consumed with jealousy over an ally's choice of lover, the Trojan slave Briseis, and will not fight . . .The stage is set for the oldest and greatest story ever told, where monstrous passions meet the highest ideals and the lowest cunning. In Troy you will find heroism and hatred, love and loss, revenge and regret, desire and despair. It is these human passions, written bloodily in the sands of a distant shore, that still speak to us today.Troy is a myth in which we seek the truth about ourselves, which Stephen Fry brings breathtakingly to life for our modern age. PRAISE FOR MYTHOS AND HEROES:'A romp through the lives of ancient Greek gods. Fry is at his story-telling best .. . the gods will be pleased' Times'A head-spinning marathon of legends' Guardian'An Olympian feat.The gods seem to be smiling on Fry - his myths are definitely a hit' Evening Standard'An odyssey through Greek mythology. Brilliant . .. all hail Stephen Fry' Daily Mail'A rollicking good read' Independent
One of fifty new books at 1.00 pound each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry - all complete, standalone works, some never published in Penguin Modern Classics before.
Although written over four hundred years after Alexander's death, Arrian's account of the man and his achievements is the most reliable we have. Arrian's own experience as a military commander gave him unique insights into the life of the world's greatest conqueror. He tells of Alexander's violent suppression of the Theban rebellion, his defeat of Persia and campaigns through Egypt and Babylon - establishing new cities and destroying others in his path. While Alexander emerges as a charismatic leader, Arrian succeeds brilliantly in creating an objective portrait of a man of boundless ambition, who was exposed to the temptations of power.
For decades, a single free market philosophy has dominated global economics. But this is bland and unhealthy - like British food in the 1980s, when bestselling author and economist Ha-Joon Chang first arrived in the UK from South Korea. Just as eating a wide range of cuisines contributes to a more interesting and balanced diet, so too is it essential we listen to a variety of economic perspectives.In Edible Economics, Chang makes challenging economic ideas more palatable by plating them alongside stories about food from around the world. He uses histories behind familiar food items - where they come from, how they are cooked and consumed, what they mean to different cultures - to explore economic theory. For Chang, chocolate is a life-long addiction, but more exciting are the insights it offers into post-industrial knowledge economies; and while okra makes Southern gumbo heart-meltingly smooth, it also speaks of capitalism's entangled relationship with freedom and unfreedom. Explaining everything from the hidden cost of care work to the misleading language of the free market as he cooks dishes like anchovy and egg toast, Gambas al Ajillo and Korean dotori mook, Ha-Joon Chang serves up an easy-to-digest feast of bold ideas.Myth-busting, witty and thought-provoking, Edible Economics shows that getting to grips with the economy is like learning a recipe: if we understand it, we can change it - and, with it, the world.
Lost in the swirling mists they fall asleep under glittering stars. It is spring by the time they emerge and while they sit watching a warm sun rise, it dawns on them that another magnificent adventure awaits . . . Beloved friends Big Panda and Tiny Dragon journey through the seasons of the year together. And, although they often get lost, it leads them to discover many beautiful things. They explore the hardships and happiness that connect us all. They learn how to live in the moment, how to be at peace with uncertainty and how to find the strength to overcome life's obstacles, together.Writer and artist James Norbury illustrates the adventures of Big Panda and Tiny Dragon, inspired by Buddhist philosophy and spirituality to share the ideas that have helped him through his most difficult times. He hopes they can help you too.
The sixth century was not a peaceful time for the Roman empire. Invaders threatened on all fronties, but they grew to respect and fear the name of Belisarius, the Emperor Justinian's greatest general. With this book, Robert Graves again demonstrates his command of a vast historical subject, creating a startling and vivid picture of a decadent era.
THE DEFINITIVE BOOK ON HOW THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND BITCOIN AND CRYPTOCURRENCY IS CHANGING THE WORLD -- MAJORLY EXPANDED WITH NEW MATERIAL ON CRYPTOASSETS, ICOs, SMART CONTRACTS, DIGITAL IDENTITY AND MORE.'This book has had an enormous impact on the evolution of blockchain in the world' Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft Corporation'What a spectacular book. Mind-blowing in its expansiveness and profundity. It makes me think we're at one of those times in technological, economic and social history where the sky is the limit' Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer and Chief Scientist at Prima Data'The Tapscotts have written the book, literally, on how to survive and thrive in this next wave of technology-driven disruption. Likely to become one of the iconic books of our time' Clay Christensen, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and author of The Innovator's Dilemma'Occasionally a book comes along that changes the global discourse. This is likely to be one of those books. Blockchains are at the heart of the fourth industrial revolution and the Tapscotts lucidity explain why and how to capture the opportunity and avoid dangers' Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum'Blockchain Revolution is a highly readable introduction to a bamboozling but increasingly important field' - Guardian------Blockchain is the ingeniously simple technology that powers Bitcoin. But it is much more than that, too. It is a public ledger to which everyone has access, but which no single person controls. It allows for companies and individuals to collaborate with an unprecedented degree of trust and transparency. It is cryptographically secure, but fundamentally open. And soon it will be everywhere.In Blockchain Revolution, Don and Alex Tapscott reveal how this game-changing technology will shape the future of the world economy, dramatically improving everything from healthcare records to online voting, and from insurance claims to artist royalty payments. Brilliantly researched and highly accessible, this is the essential text on the next major paradigm shift. Read it, or be left behind.-----Don Tapscott is one of the most influential living theorists on business and society. He is the bestselling author of Wikinomics, The Digital Economy, and a dozen other acclaimed books about technology, business, and society.Alex Tapscott is the CEO of NextBlock Global a digital asset company. Previously, he worked for seven years in investment banking in New York and Toronto.
Shows how the metaphors and myths surrounding certain illnesses, especially cancer, add greatly to the suffering of the patients and often inhibit them from seeking proper treatment. By demystifying the fantasies surrounding cancer, this book shows cancer for what it is - just a disease.
Erling Kagge, Norwegian adventurer and polymath, once spent fifty days walking solo in Antarctica with a broken radio. In this meditative, charming and surprisingly powerful book, he explores the power of silence and the importance of shutting out the world. Whether you're in deep wilderness, taking a shower or on the dance floor, you can experience perfect stillness if you know where to look.
Wilde was both a glittering wordsmith and a social outsider. His drama emerges out of these two perhaps contradictory identities, combining epigrammatic brilliance and shrewd social observation. Includes "Lady Windermere's Fan", "Salome", "A Woman of No Importance", "An Ideal Husband", "A Florentine Tragedy" and "The Importance of Being Earnest", which appears in full with the "Grigsby" scene which originally made up the fourth act.
On 24 February 2022, Russia shocked the world by launching an invasion of Ukraine. In the midst of checking on loved ones who were now on the front lines of Europe's largest conflict since the Second World War, acclaimed Ukrainian-American historian
'No true Democracy has ever existed, nor ever will exist.' In this selection from The Social Contract, the author asserts that a state's only legitimate political authority comes from its people.
Ramana Maharshi was one of the most significant spiritual teachers to emerge from India during the first half of the century, and remains widely admired. This recent collection of conversations between him and the many seekers who came to his ashram for guidance contains the essence of his teaching. His concern throughout his long life of imparting his experience to others was to convince his listeners that self-realisation - or enlightenment - is not an alien or mysterious state, but the natural condition of man. This state can be easily discovered by undertaking the self-investigation clearly described in these talks. The lucid instructions to each section provide further illumination of this greater seer's message.
From the bestselling author of Purple Cow and This is Marketing comes an elegant little book that will inspire artists, writers, and entrepreneurs to stretch and commit to putting their best work out into the world. Creative work doesn't come with a guarantee. But there is a pattern to who succeeds and who doesn't. And engaging in the consistent practice of its pursuit is the best way forward. Based on the breakthrough Akimbo workshop pioneered by legendary author Seth Godin, The Practice will help you get unstuck and find the courage to make and share creative work. Godin insists that writer's block is a myth, that consistency is far more important than authenticity, and that experiencing the imposter syndrome is a sign that you're a well-adjusted human. Most of all, he shows you what it takes to turn your passion from a private distraction to a productive contribution, the one you've been seeking to share all along. With this book as your guide, you'll learn to dance with your fear. To take the risks worth taking. And to embrace the empathy required to make work that contributes with authenticity and joy.
Headstrong chief priest of the god Ulu is worshipped by six villages, but finds his authority under threat. He is prepared to do anything to lead his people, even if it means destruction and annihilation.
A fascinating persuasive history of how sugar has shaped the world, from European colonies to our modern diets In this eye-opening study, Sidney Mintz shows how Europeans and Americans transformed sugar from a rare foreign luxury to a commonplac
Burroughs’ first novel, a largely autobiographical account of the constant cycle of drug dependency, cures and relapses, remains the most unflinching, unsentimental account of addiction ever written. Through junk neighbourhoods in New York, New Orleans and Mexico City, through time spent kicking, time spent dealing and time rolling drunks for money, through junk sickness and a sanatorium, Junky is a field report (by a writer trained in anthropology at Harvard) from the American post-war drug underground. A cult classic, it has influenced generations of writers with its raw, sparse and unapologetic tone. This definitive edition painstakingly recreates the author’s original text word for word.
"The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole" is the second book in Sue Townsend's brilliantly funny "Adrian Mole" series. Sunday July 18th. My father announced at breakfast that he is going to have a vasectomy. I pushed my sausages away untouched. In this second instalment of teenager "Adrian Mole's Diaries", the Mole family is in crisis and the country is beating the drum of war. While his parents have reconciled after both embarked on disastrous affairs, Adrian is shocked to learn of his mother's pregnancy. And even though at the mercy of his rampant hormones and the fickle whims of the divine Pandora, a victim of a broken home and his own tortured (though unrecognised) genius, Adrian continues valiantly to chronicle the pains and pleasures of a misspent adolescence. Bestselling author Sue Townsend has been Britain's favourite comic writer for over three decades. "Funny, moving and a poke in the eye for adult morality". ("Sunday Express"). "Written with great verve, and showing an uncanny understanding of the young, Sue Townsend holds the balance between innocence and precocity and the result is both hilarious and salutary". ("Daily Telegraph")."Life's no fun for an adolescent intellectual. For the reader it's a hoot". ("New Statesman"). Sue Townsend is Britain's favourite comic author. Her hugely successful novels include eight "Adrian Mole" books, "The Public Confessions of a Middle-Aged Woman (Aged 55 )", "Number Ten", "Ghost Children", "The Queen and I", "Queen Camilla" and "The Woman Who Went to Bed For a Year", all of which are highly acclaimed bestsellers. She has also written numerous well-received plays. She lives in Leicester, where she was born and grew up.
'To read Being Ecological is to be caught up in a brilliant display of intellectual pyrotechnics' P.D.Smith, GuardianWhy is everything we think we know about ecology wrong?Is there really any difference between 'humans' and 'nature'?Does this mean we even have a future?Don't care about ecology? This book is for you. Timothy Morton, who has been called 'Our most popular guide to the new epoch' (Guardian), sets out to show us that whether we know it or not, we already have the capacity and the will to change the way we understand the place of humans in the world, and our very understanding of the term 'ecology'. A cross-disciplinarian who has collaborated with everyone from Björk to Hans Ulrich Obrist, Morton is also a member of the object-oriented philosophy movement, a group of forward-looking thinkers who are grappling with modern-day notions of subjectivity and objectivity, while also offering fascinating new understandings of Heidegger and Kant. Calling the volume a book containing 'no ecological facts', Morton confronts the 'information dump' fatigue of the digital age, and offers an invigorated approach to creating a liveable future.
An exhilarating guide to the astonishing future of quantum computing, from the international bestselling physicist The runaway success of the microchip processor may be nearing its end, with profound implications for our economy, society and way of
Now in paperback, this is the true story of Hisham Matar's return to Libya, 22 years after his father was kidnapped and taken to prison there. He never saw his father again, but the fall of Gaddafi meant he could return to his homeland and try and reconnect with his past. From the author of "In The Country Of Men" and "Anatomy Of A Disappearance". 'A total work of art' James Rebanks
How can you revive and renew your relationship in just seven days?For the past fifty years, Drs. John and Julie Gottman have been studying love. This book distils their work into an accessible, bite-size, seven-day action plan for deeper intimacy. Taking you through their most foundational findings, the Gottmans will help you build a love that lasts in just seven days. Through small, immediately actionable daily steps, they will help you to shift your relationship for the better, providing trusted antidotes to common issues from loneliness and emotional and physical disconnection, to drifting apart and losing that loving feeling. These will teach you how to:· Connect and check in with each other· Ask each other big, open-ended questions · Show appreciation and gratitude by saying thank you· Give your partner a genuine compliment · Communicate what you need· Create moments of physical connection · Declare a date nightNo matter who you are, or what kind of relationship you want to strengthen, The Seven-Day Love Prescription is guaranteed to provide you with the practical tools to transform any relationship in your life for the better. The Gottmans prove that small frequent changes over just seven days can strengthen the foundations of all relationships, allow them to flourish, and create big, long-lasting change over time.
A NEW SCIENTIST BOOK OF THE YEAR'A true hero' Greta ThunbergA legendary conservationist. A lifetime spent fighting for nature. An indispensable message of hope. In a world that seems so troubled, how do we hold on to hope?Looking at the headlines?the worsening climate crisis, loss of biodiversity, political upheaval?it can be hard to feel optimistic. And yet hope has never been more desperately needed.In this urgent book, Jane Goodall, the world's most famous living naturalist, and Douglas Abrams, the bestselling co-author of The Book of Joy, explore through intimate and thought-provoking dialogue one of the most sought after and least understood elements of human nature: hope. In The Book of Hope, Jane focuses on her "Four Reasons for Hope": The Amazing Human Intellect, The Resilience of Nature, The Power of Young People, and The Indomitable Human Spirit. Filled with inspiring stories and original photographs, The Book of Hope is a rare and intimate look not only at the nature of hope but also into the heart and mind of a woman who revolutionized how we view the world and has spent a lifetime fighting for our future.There is still hope, and this book will help guide us to it.
Hendrik Groen may be old, but he is far from dead. So he writes an exposé: a year in the life of his care home in Amsterdam, revealing all its ups and downs - not least his new endeavour the anarchic Old-But-Not-Dead Club. And when Eefje moves in - the woman he has always longed for - he polishes his shoes (and his teeth), grooms what's left of his hair and makes something of the life he has left.
Spurred on by admiration for his novelist half-brother and irritation at the biography written about him by Mr Goodman ('his slapdash and very misleading book'), the narrator, V, sets out to record Sebastian Knight's life as he understands it. But buried amid the extensive quoting, digressions, seeming explanations and digs, Sebastian's erratic and troubled persona remains as elusive as ever. Nabokov's first novel written in English, "The Real Life of Sebastian Knight" is a nuanced, enigmatic potrayal of the conflict between the real and the unreal, and the futile quest for human truth.
Penelope Lively has always been a keen gardener. This book is partly a memoir of her own life in gardens: the large garden at home in Cairo where she spent most of her childhood, her grandmother's garden in a sloping Somerset field, then two successive Oxfordshire gardens of her own, and the smaller urban garden in the North London home she lives in today. It is also a wise, engaging and far-ranging exploration of gardens in literature, from Paradise Lost to Alice in Wonderland, and of writers and their gardens, from Virginia Woolf to Philip Larkin.
