Part political disquisition, part travel journal, part self-exploration, Seek is a collection of essays and articles in which Denis Johnson essentially takes on the world. And not an obliging, easygoing world either; but rather one in which horror and beauty exist in such proximity that they might well be interchangeable. Where violence and poverty and moral transgression go unchecked, even unnoticed. A world of such wild, rocketing energy that, grasping it, anything at all is possible.

Whether traveling through war-ravaged Liberia, mingling with the crowds at a Christian Biker rally, exploring his own authority issues through the lens of this nation's militia groups, or attempting to unearth his inner resources while mining for gold in the wilds of Alaska, Johnson writes with a mixture of humility and humorous candor that is everywhere present.

With the breathtaking and often haunting lyricism for which his work is renowned, Johnson considers in these pieces our need for transcendence. And, as readers of his previous work know, Johnson's path to consecration frequently requires a limning of the darkest abyss. If the path to knowledge lies in experience, Seek is a fascinating record of Johnson's profoundly moving pilgrimage.

A veteran journalist speaks truth to power on issues that matter to the nation. In this collection of columns spanning the years 2000-2019, veteran journalist Bill Maxwell tackles important issues faced by Florida and broader American society that remain as relevant as ever today. Demonstrating the courage to take on controversy and the signature pithy style that have won him a nationwide readership, Maxwell offers his opinion on a wide variety of questions with a focus on race, agricultural labor, education, and the environment. Maxwell writes from the vantage point of a Florida native who grew up as a migrant farmworker at the end of the Jim Crow era; a Black man who participated in the civil rights movement to help make the state more equitable; a college professor who lectured about the harms of racial discrimination; and an environmentalist who has lived in the Everglades as artist-in-residence. Grounding his social criticism in firsthand knowledge of the contradictions of life in the American South, Maxwell uses reason and research to highlight uncomfortable realities and injustices that persist in the twenty-first century. Believing that informed citizens will make decisions that positively impact society, Maxwell prompts readers to examine their own perspectives, question their assumptions, and come to a deeper understanding of their state and nation. Publication of this work made possible by a Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Bringing together Susan Sontag's most fearless and incisive writing, On Women examines the oppression of women and the tools necessary for liberation. 'Sontag is one of the most influential critics of her generation' New York Review of Books First written in the 1970s during the height of second-wave feminism, Sontag's essays examine the 'biological division of labour', the double standard for ageing and the struggle for real power, topics which are strikingly relevant to our contemporary conversations. For any Sontag fan, this collection of lost essays is a revelation into her achievements as an essayist. 'One of America's greatest public intellectuals' Observer 'Susan Sontag offers enough food for thought to satisfy the most intellectual of appetites' The Times 'At the time she died, she was America's best-known public intellectual. To my mind, she was also the most exemplary' John Gray, New Statesman WITH A PREFACE BY MERVE EMRE

From the New York Times bestselling author of H is for Hawk and winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize for nonfiction, comes a transcendent collection of essays about the human relationship to the natural world. Animals don't exist in order to teach us things, but that is what they have always done, and most of what they teach us is what we think we know about ourselves. In Vesper Flights, Helen Macdonald brings together a collection of her best loved essays, along with new pieces on topics ranging from nostalgia for a vanishing countryside to the tribulations of farming ostriches to her own private vespers while trying to fall asleep. Meditating on notions of captivity and freedom, immigration and flight, Helen invites us into her most intimate experiences: observing the massive migration of songbirds from the top of the Empire State Building, watching tens of thousands of cranes in Hungary, seeking the last golden orioles in Suffolk's poplar forests. She writes with heart-tugging clarity about wild boar, swifts, mushroom hunting, migraines, the strangeness of birds' nests, and the unexpected guidance and comfort we find when watching wildlife. By one of this century's most important and insightful nature writers, Vesper Flights is a captivating and foundational book about observation, fascination, time, memory, love and loss and how we make sense of the world around us.

Op 29 April 1963 stuur die 29-jarige digter Ingrid Jonker ’n telegram aan André P. Brink. Sy bedank die 27-jarige skrywer vir blomme en ’n brief wat hy aan haar besorg het. In die meer as tweehonderd skrywes wat hierna tussen die twee volg, ontvou sekerlik die bekendste liefdesverhouding in die Afrikaanse literêre geskiedenis. Jonker se finale brief aan Brink is gedateer 18 April 1965 – drie maande voordat sy die see in loop by Drieankerbaai.

’n Halfeeu later word lesers se verbeelding steeds aangegryp deur die hartstog van dié teer, dikwels stormagtige verhouding.

In Desember 2014, drie maande voor sy dood, het André P. Brink die liefdesbriewe tussen hom en Ingrid Jonker vir publikasie aangebied. Die briewe is nog nooit voorheen gepubliseer nie en sluit onbekende persoonlike foto’s in.

Politics looked straightforward when Patrick Kidd took over the reins of the daily political sketch in The Times in 2015. David Cameron had just won a general election and would clearly be Prime Minister for as long as he wanted; George Osborne was his obvious successor (rather than the editor of a free London evening newspaper); Theresa May was a slightly underwhelming Home Secretary and Jeremy Corbyn an anonymous Labour backbencher best known as a serial rebel against his own party. Then suddenly everything went a bit strange. In this anthology of his best columns from the past four years, Kidd plays the role of parliamentary theatre critic, chronicling the collapse of Cameron, the nebulous clarity of May, the rise and refusal to fall of Corbyn and Boris Johnson's repeated failure to keep his foot out of his mouth. Featuring a menagerie of supporting oddballs, such as Jacob and the Mogglodytes, Failing Grayling, Gavin `Private Pike' Williamson and the simpering lobby fodder that are Toady, Lickspittle and Creep, this is a much-needed antidote to the gloom of the Brexit years.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER The brilliant new book from the multiple Sunday Times bestselling author that will explain the principles behind maintaining a healthy mind and body. The mind and body are often talked about as separate entities, but it's only when they work in harmony with one another that one can truly push oneself to the highest heights. In his new book, Ant Middleton lays out and explains the principles that he lives by to best keep his mindset and body as strong as they can possibly be.

De-Nigerianization is palpably endued with a force of conviction, which aims to exhort the chloroformed peoples of Southern Nigeria and the Middlebelt to embrace their historical destiny. The book is written with a resoluteness that the consciousness of the dehumanised and subjugated must be awakened to meet the demands of historical necessity.

When Roland Regan and Frederick Mauriello went off to fight the Germans in World War II, they packed cameras and notepaper and documented their experiences, Roland with photos, Frederick with letters to his family. Roland's photos, developed after the war, never went through Army censorship and show an honest firsthand view of the war from the eyes of an enlisted man. Frederick's letters show a young man's devotion to his family, his good-will, and his growing distrust of military authority. As a whole, this collection is a testimony to the courage, faith, and loyalty of all the men who served during World War II. These priceless documents, presented by their sons in this book, offer readers an intimate glimpse at a unique aspect of the American experience.

One of the most famous novelists in the English literary canon, the likes of Middlemarch and Silas Marner are household names, but Eliot's essays are often overlooked. This collection brings together some of her most important essays and seeks to celebrate her non-fiction writing. In 'Silly Novels by Lady Novelists' Eliot states a desire - some few years before her best-known works - to turn her hand to novel-writing, and decries the trivial nature of contemporary writers, setting out a manifesto for good writing. In 'Woman in France' she considers the history of women's writing, and the complications women face in order to write - something Eliot knew much about herself, adopting a male name to publish the work she did not publish anonymously. Taken together, this collection gives a rare and valuable insight into the author's writing, and shines a light on her pioneering subtle form of feminism.

Jeremy Clarkson takes us into the pitfalls (and pratfalls) of his new life as gentleman farmer in this thigh-slapping collection of stories from a lockdown spent on a farm.

Welcome to Clarkson's farm. It's an idyllic spot, offering picturesque views across the Cotswolds, bustling hedgerows, woodlands and natural springs. Jeremy always liked the idea being a farmer. But, while he was barrelling around the world having more fun with cars than was entirely reasonable, it seemed obvious that the actual, you know, farming was much better left to someone else

Then one day he decided he would do the farming himself. After all, how hard could it be?

Many of the ideas that appear in Arnold's Preface of 1853 to his collection of poems and in his later essays are suggested in the letters that Arnold wrote to his friend Arthur Hugh Clough. Analysis of the Preface reveals a poet who found a theoretical basis for poetry (by which he means literature in general) in the dramas of the Greek tragedians, particularly Sophocles: action is stressed as an indispensable ingredient, wholes are preferred to parts, the didactic function of literature is promoted -- in short, the Preface reads like the recipe for a classical tragedy. It is a young poet's attempt to establish criteria for what poetry ought to be. He found the Romantic idiom outworn. Literature was, in Arnold's perception, meant to communicate a message rather than impress by its structure or by formal sophistication. Modern theories of coalescence between content and form were outside the contemporary paradigm. T S Eliot's ambivalent attitude to Arnold -- now reluctantly admiring, now decidedly patronizing -- is puzzling. Eliot never seemed able to liberate himself from the influence of Arnold. What in Arnold's critical oeuvre attracted and at the same time repelled Eliot? That question has led to an in-depth analysis of Arnold as a literary critic. This book begins with an examination of Arnold's letters to Clough, where "it all started" and proceeds with a close reading of the 1853 Preface. A look at some of the later literary essays rounds off the picture of Arnold as a literary critic. This work is the result of Reader and Review comments of the author's well received Eliot's Objective Criticism: Tradition or Individual Talent? "Yet he is in some respects the most satisfactory man of letters of his age." -- T S Eliot, The Use of Poetry and the Use of Criticism.

Reconciliation is an open and urgent question. We do not agree about what reconciliation means, or how it works. We certainly do not agree about what it has done or the ways in which it can be brought to bear on the problems that confront South Africa today. In short, reconciliation keeps us off balance. In the balance opens a space for critical and imaginative reflection on the contested legacy, contemporary meanings, and future possibilities of reconciliation in South Africa. With essays from a diverse and leading set of commentators, the title aims to move beyond current thinking about reconciliation. Presenting the good news with the bad, the staunch advocates of reconciliation along with its sharpest critics, it seeks to provide individuals, citizens and publics with ideas about how and why they might wish to undertake their own discussions and deliberations about the meaning and value of reconciliation. Direct and thought-provoking, the essays here offer staunch defenses and pointed criticisms of reconciliation. Together, they challenge the conventional wisdom and sound an important call: once again, it is time to ask after reconciliation's meaning, practice and value.

"When I moved to Oxford, as an Academic Visitor at the African Studies Centre, University of Oxford, I screened my biopic of Emeka Ojukwu, on November 4th, 2021 at Lincoln Colleqe. When I stood there to give my speech, I could visualise myself as Shashi Tharoor, speaking at the Oxford Union Society, of which I joined much later as a member. Mr. Tharoor is one of the most brilliant men I know, and I thought, his brilliance shone through and would anyone be as eloquent and gracious? I could try with my speech at the screening of Other Side of History, which was jampacked. I will reproduce the speech I gave that very night here".

The best-selling radical diary and weekly planner is back for the new year! The 2024 Verso Radical Diary and Weekly Planner is a beautifully designed week-to-view planner where you can keep track of your coming year.   Alongside illustrations, it features significant dates in radical history, drawn from events such as the English Civil War and Black Panther movement, through to the protests of 1968 and feminist emancipation, touching on the lives of revolutionaries such as Angela Davis, Rosa Luxemburg and Martin Luther King Jr., and includes movements such as Black Lives Matter and the Suffragettes.

Drawn from over 50 years of writing, this anthology includes Michael Moorcock's most recent work and writings from sources now unobtainable, including: 'London Peculiar', an impassioned statement of Moorcock's memories of wartime London and the architectural 'improvements' wrought by the rebuilding of the city after the Second World War.

*THE TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER* 'This book might just change your life' Sunday Times 'Wise, wonderful, moving and brilliant... will leave your heart in a much better place' Stylist After years of feeling that love was always out of reach, journalist Natasha Lunn set out to understand how relationships work and evolve over a lifetime. She turned to authors and experts to learn about their experiences, as well as drawing on her own, asking: How do we find love? How do we sustain it? And how do we survive when we lose it? In Conversations on Love she began to find the answers: Philippa Perry on falling in love slowly Dolly Alderton on vulnerability Stephen Grosz on accepting change Candice Carty-Williams on friendship Lisa Taddeo on the loneliness of loss Diana Evans on parenthood Emily Nagoski on the science of sex Alain de Botton on the psychology of being alone Esther Perel on unrealistic expectations Roxane Gay on redefining romance and many more... 'A gorgeous, richly layered book about all forms of love. You can pick it up and turn to any page - literally any - and find a gem to soothe and fortify your soul' Pandora Sykes, Sunday Times bestselling author of 'How Do We Know We're Doing It Right?' 'Hopeful and uplifting... this deep dive into the human heart will expand and enrich your perspective on love' Evening Standard 'I underlined passages on almost every page of this wide-ranging, tender-hearted book' The Times, Books of the Year 'Uplifting... You'll laugh, cry and recommend it to your friends' Refinery29 'Wonderful' Julia Samuel, bestselling author of GRIEF WORKS and THIS TOO SHALL PASS 'This eclectic and heartwarming collection explores love in all its forms, from romantic and parental love to friendship and loss' Observer 'Conversations on Love made me laugh, shed tears, think deeply. I want every person I love to read this book' Dr Kathryn Mannix, Sunday Times bestselling author of WITH THE END IN MIND

This volume is an in-depth and exquisitely illustrated guide to the Second Age of Middle-earth, one of the least-explored periods of Arda's history. The Illustrated World of Tolkien: The Second Age, is the follow up companion to the best-selling The Illustrated World of Tolkien, and gathers together artwork, charts, and fascinating and scholarly writing from renowned Tolkien expert David Day. Exploring the languages, poetry and elements of the heroic ages of Norse, Greek and Roman mythologies that may have influenced Tolkien's writing, it is a reference guide for any fan of Tolkien's work, Tolkien's world and the imaginative brilliance his vision inspired. The Second Age is made up of two great narrative channels: on the one hand the rise and cataclysmic downfall of the island-kingdom of Númenor and its aftermath, and on the other the forging of the Rings of Power and the rise to power of the new dark lord. Tolkien's sources for his Second Age are, of course, as rich and varied as ever and this book delves into some of these influences and shows how the power of Tolkien's imagination is manifest even in the lesser-known parts of his legendarium. This work is unofficial and is not authorised by the Tolkien Estate or HarperCollins Publishers.

A brilliant collection of personal, meditative and investigative essays on all that we lose in a virtual world; a joyous book about the nature, grace and importance of everyday, face-to-face human interactions.

In Modern American Memoirs, two very discerning writers and readers have selected samples from 35 of the finest memoirs written in this century, including contributions by such diverse writers as Margaret Mead, Malcolm X, Maxine Hong Kingston, Loren Eisely, and Zora Neale Hurston. Chosen for their value as excellent examples of the art of biography as well as for their superb writing, the excerpts present a broad range of American life, and offer vivid insight into the real-life events that shaped their authors. Here, readers can learn about the time when Harry Crews, playing as a boy, fell into a vat of boiling water with a dead hog; Chris Offutt joined the circus and watched a tattooed woman swallow a fluorescent light; and Frank Conroy practiced yo-yo tricks.

'Leon's elegant, witty prose . . . is a joy. One of the best European novelists around' Amanda Craig In a series of vignettes full of affection, irony, and good humor, Donna Leon narrates a remarkable life she feels has rather more happened to her than been planned. From a childhood in the company of her New Jersey family, with frequent visits to her grandfather's farm and its beloved animals and summers spent selling homegrown tomatoes by the roadside, Leon has long been open to adventure. In 1976, she made the spontaneous decision to teach English in Iran, before finding herself swept up in the early days of the 1979 Revolution. After teaching stints in China and Saudi Arabia, she finally landed in Venice. Leon vividly animates her decades-long love affair with Italy, from her first magical dinner when serving as a "chaperone" to a friend, to the hunt for the perfect cappuccino, to the warfare tactics of grandmothers doing their grocery shopping at the Rialto Market. Some things remain constant throughout the decades: her adoration of opera, especially Handel's vocal music, her advocacy for the environment, embodied in her passion for bees - which informs the surprising crux of the Brunetti mystery in Earthly Remains - and her eager imagination for crime as she watches unsuspecting travelers on trains. Yet as Leon inspects the cracks in the wall of a friend's bedroom, caused by the seven-story cruise ships making their way down Venice's canals, she admits regretfully that the thrill may be gone as mass tourism renders the city less and less appealing to its longtime chronicler. Having recently celebrated her eightieth birthday, Leon now confronts the dual challenges and pleasures of aging. Complete with a brief letter dissuading those hoping to meet Guido Brunetti at the Questura, and always suffused with music, food, and her fierce sense of humor, Wandering Through Life offers Donna Leon at her most personal. 'Few detective writers create so vivid, inclusive and convincing a narrative as Donna Leon, the expatriate American with the Venetian heart' Washington Post

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat . . . but 1.4 million NHS staff are heading off to work.

In this perfect present for anyone who has ever set foot in a hospital, Adam Kay delves back into his diaries for a hilarious, horrifying and sometimes heartbreaking peek behind the blue curtain at Christmastime.

This is a love letter to all those who spend their festive season on the front line, removing babies and baubles from the various places they get stuck, at the most wonderful time of the year.

A magazine of new writing featuring fiction, essays and art by NICOLE TRESKA, GARY LUTZ, VICTORIA LANCELOTTA, JASON SCHWARTZ, KATHRYN SCANLAN, RUSSELL PERSSON, CATHERINE FOULKROD, ROBB TODD, ROSIE SNAJDR, DARYL SCROGGINS, JULIE REVERB, STEPHEN MORTLAND, KATE WYER, GORDON LISH, WAYNE HOGAN, LILY HACKETT, MICHAEL CUGLIETTA, CATHY SWEENEY, BRAD PHILIPS, CARRIE COOPERIDER, CHRIS KOHLER, NICOLETTE POLEK, BABAK LAKGHOMI, NATALIE FERRIS