Tell Them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants

Tell Them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants

Author: Mathias Énard

Publisher: New Directions Publishing

Published: 2019-10-29

Total Pages: 157

ISBN-13: 0811227057

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Michelangelo’s adventure in Constantinople, from the “mesmerizing” (New Yorker) and “masterful” (Washington Post) author of Compass In 1506, Michelangelo—a young but already renowned sculptor—is invited by the sultan of Constantinople to design a bridge over the Golden Horn. The sultan has offered, along with an enormous payment, the promise of immortality, since Leonardo da Vinci’s design was rejected: “You will surpass him in glory if you accept, for you will succeed where he has failed, and you will give the world a monument without equal.” Michelangelo, after some hesitation, flees Rome and an irritated Pope Julius II—whose commission he leaves unfinished—and arrives in Constantinople for this truly epic project. Once there, he explores the beauty and wonder of the Ottoman Empire, sketching and describing his impressions along the way, as he struggles to create what could be his greatest architectural masterwork. Tell Them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants—constructed from real historical fragments—is a thrilling page-turner about why stories are told, why bridges are built, and how seemingly unmatched fragments, seen from the opposite sides of civilization, can mirror one another.


Book Synopsis Tell Them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants by : Mathias Énard

Download or read book Tell Them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants written by Mathias Énard and published by New Directions Publishing. This book was released on 2019-10-29 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Michelangelo’s adventure in Constantinople, from the “mesmerizing” (New Yorker) and “masterful” (Washington Post) author of Compass In 1506, Michelangelo—a young but already renowned sculptor—is invited by the sultan of Constantinople to design a bridge over the Golden Horn. The sultan has offered, along with an enormous payment, the promise of immortality, since Leonardo da Vinci’s design was rejected: “You will surpass him in glory if you accept, for you will succeed where he has failed, and you will give the world a monument without equal.” Michelangelo, after some hesitation, flees Rome and an irritated Pope Julius II—whose commission he leaves unfinished—and arrives in Constantinople for this truly epic project. Once there, he explores the beauty and wonder of the Ottoman Empire, sketching and describing his impressions along the way, as he struggles to create what could be his greatest architectural masterwork. Tell Them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants—constructed from real historical fragments—is a thrilling page-turner about why stories are told, why bridges are built, and how seemingly unmatched fragments, seen from the opposite sides of civilization, can mirror one another.

Compass

Compass

Author: Mathias Enard

Publisher: New Directions Publishing

Published: 2018-03-27

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13: 0811226638

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Winner of the 2015 Prix Goncourt, an astounding novel that bridges Europe and the Islamic world On the shortlist for the 2017 Man Booker International Prize As night falls over Vienna, Franz Ritter, an insomniac musicologist, takes to his sickbed with an unspecified illness and spends a restless night drifting between dreams and memories, revisiting the important chapters of his life: his ongoing fascination with the Middle East and his numerous travels to Istanbul, Aleppo, Damascus, and Tehran, as well as the various writers, artists, musicians, academics, orientalists, and explorers who populate this vast dreamscape. At the center of these memories is his elusive, unrequited love, Sarah, a fiercely intelligent French scholar caught in the intricate tension between Europe and the Middle East. With exhilarating prose and sweeping erudition, Mathias Énard pulls astonishing elements from disparate sources—nineteenth-century composers and esoteric orientalists, Balzac and Agatha Christie—and binds them together in a most magical way.


Book Synopsis Compass by : Mathias Enard

Download or read book Compass written by Mathias Enard and published by New Directions Publishing. This book was released on 2018-03-27 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the 2015 Prix Goncourt, an astounding novel that bridges Europe and the Islamic world On the shortlist for the 2017 Man Booker International Prize As night falls over Vienna, Franz Ritter, an insomniac musicologist, takes to his sickbed with an unspecified illness and spends a restless night drifting between dreams and memories, revisiting the important chapters of his life: his ongoing fascination with the Middle East and his numerous travels to Istanbul, Aleppo, Damascus, and Tehran, as well as the various writers, artists, musicians, academics, orientalists, and explorers who populate this vast dreamscape. At the center of these memories is his elusive, unrequited love, Sarah, a fiercely intelligent French scholar caught in the intricate tension between Europe and the Middle East. With exhilarating prose and sweeping erudition, Mathias Énard pulls astonishing elements from disparate sources—nineteenth-century composers and esoteric orientalists, Balzac and Agatha Christie—and binds them together in a most magical way.

Street of Thieves

Street of Thieves

Author: Mathias Énard

Publisher:

Published: 2015-08

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 9780992974763

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A superb coming of age novel that delves deep into the experience of immigrant experience.


Book Synopsis Street of Thieves by : Mathias Énard

Download or read book Street of Thieves written by Mathias Énard and published by . This book was released on 2015-08 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A superb coming of age novel that delves deep into the experience of immigrant experience.

Magma

Magma

Author: Thora Hjörleifsdóttir

Publisher: Grove Press

Published: 2021-06-13

Total Pages: 127

ISBN-13: 0802157408

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

“The provocative Icelandic poet’s debut novel . . . urgently explores the challenges and costs of a young woman’s passionate yet toxic relationship.” —Time, Best Books of Summer 2021 As a young university student, Lilja is quickly smitten with the intelligent, beautiful young man from school who quotes Derrida and reads Latin and cooks balanced vegetarian meals. Before she knows it, she’s moved into his cramped apartment, surrounded by sour towels and flat Diet Cokes. As the newfound intimacy of sharing a shower and a bed fuels her desire to please her partner, his subtle abuses continue to mount undetected. Lilja desperately tries to meet his every need, slowly losing her sense of self in the process. In her debut novel, Thora Hjörleifsdóttir sheds light on the commonplace undercurrents of violence that so often go undetected in romantic relationships. She deftly illustrates the failings of psychiatric systems in recognizing symptoms of cruelty, and in powerful, poetic prose depicts the unspooling of a tender-hearted woman desperate to love well.


Book Synopsis Magma by : Thora Hjörleifsdóttir

Download or read book Magma written by Thora Hjörleifsdóttir and published by Grove Press. This book was released on 2021-06-13 with total page 127 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The provocative Icelandic poet’s debut novel . . . urgently explores the challenges and costs of a young woman’s passionate yet toxic relationship.” —Time, Best Books of Summer 2021 As a young university student, Lilja is quickly smitten with the intelligent, beautiful young man from school who quotes Derrida and reads Latin and cooks balanced vegetarian meals. Before she knows it, she’s moved into his cramped apartment, surrounded by sour towels and flat Diet Cokes. As the newfound intimacy of sharing a shower and a bed fuels her desire to please her partner, his subtle abuses continue to mount undetected. Lilja desperately tries to meet his every need, slowly losing her sense of self in the process. In her debut novel, Thora Hjörleifsdóttir sheds light on the commonplace undercurrents of violence that so often go undetected in romantic relationships. She deftly illustrates the failings of psychiatric systems in recognizing symptoms of cruelty, and in powerful, poetic prose depicts the unspooling of a tender-hearted woman desperate to love well.

The Arab of the Future 3

The Arab of the Future 3

Author: Riad Sattouf

Publisher: Metropolitan Books

Published: 2018-08-07

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 1250216672

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In the third installment of the acclaimed series, the Sattouf family begins to implode under the pressure of Hafez al-Assad's regime and the suffocation of their rural Syrian village. The Arab of the Future is the widely acclaimed, internationally bestselling graphic memoir that tells the story of Riad Sattouf’s peripatetic childhood in the Middle East. In the first volume, which covers the years 1978–1984, his family moves between rural France, Libya, and Syria, where they eventually settle in his father’s native village of Ter Maaleh, near Homs. The second volume recounts young Riad’s first year attending school in Syria (1984–1985), where he dedicates himself to becoming a true Syrian in the country of Hafez al-Assad. In this third volume, (1985–1987), Riad’s mother, fed up with the grinding reality of daily life in the village, decides she cannot take it any longer. When she resolves to move back to France, young Riad sees his father torn between his wife’s aspirations and the weight of family traditions.


Book Synopsis The Arab of the Future 3 by : Riad Sattouf

Download or read book The Arab of the Future 3 written by Riad Sattouf and published by Metropolitan Books. This book was released on 2018-08-07 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the third installment of the acclaimed series, the Sattouf family begins to implode under the pressure of Hafez al-Assad's regime and the suffocation of their rural Syrian village. The Arab of the Future is the widely acclaimed, internationally bestselling graphic memoir that tells the story of Riad Sattouf’s peripatetic childhood in the Middle East. In the first volume, which covers the years 1978–1984, his family moves between rural France, Libya, and Syria, where they eventually settle in his father’s native village of Ter Maaleh, near Homs. The second volume recounts young Riad’s first year attending school in Syria (1984–1985), where he dedicates himself to becoming a true Syrian in the country of Hafez al-Assad. In this third volume, (1985–1987), Riad’s mother, fed up with the grinding reality of daily life in the village, decides she cannot take it any longer. When she resolves to move back to France, young Riad sees his father torn between his wife’s aspirations and the weight of family traditions.

The Pine Islands

The Pine Islands

Author: Marion Poschmann

Publisher: Coach House Books

Published: 2020-04-14

Total Pages: 125

ISBN-13: 1770566287

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE 2019 AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER "Readers who like quiet, meditative works will enjoy this strangely affecting buddy story." —Publishers Weekly "Rather than tying up the loose ends, she leaves them beautifully fluttering in the wind, and you do not feel lost in that experience. The writing is poetic and it’s worth savouring." —Angela Caravan, Shrapnel A bad dream leads to a strange poetic pilgrimage through Japan in this playful and profound Booker International-shortlisted novel. Gilbert Silvester, eminent scholar of beard fashions in film, wakes up one day from a dream that his wife has cheated on him. Certain the dream is a message, and unable to even look at her, he flees - immediately, irrationally, inexplicably - for Japan. In Tokyo he discovers the travel writings of the great Japanese poet Basho. Keen to cure his malaise, he decides to find solace in nature the way Basho did. Suddenly, from Gilbert's directionless crisis there emerges a purpose: a pilgrimage in the footsteps of the poet to see the moon rise over the pine islands of Matsushima. Although, of course, unlike the great poet, he will take a train. Along the way he falls into step with another pilgrim: Yosa, a young Japanese student clutching a copy of The Complete Manual of Suicide . Together, Gilbert and Yosa travel across Basho's disappearing Japan, one in search of his perfect ending and the other a new beginning. Serene, playful, and profound, The Pine Islands is a story of the transformations we seek and the ones we find along the way.


Book Synopsis The Pine Islands by : Marion Poschmann

Download or read book The Pine Islands written by Marion Poschmann and published by Coach House Books. This book was released on 2020-04-14 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE 2019 AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER "Readers who like quiet, meditative works will enjoy this strangely affecting buddy story." —Publishers Weekly "Rather than tying up the loose ends, she leaves them beautifully fluttering in the wind, and you do not feel lost in that experience. The writing is poetic and it’s worth savouring." —Angela Caravan, Shrapnel A bad dream leads to a strange poetic pilgrimage through Japan in this playful and profound Booker International-shortlisted novel. Gilbert Silvester, eminent scholar of beard fashions in film, wakes up one day from a dream that his wife has cheated on him. Certain the dream is a message, and unable to even look at her, he flees - immediately, irrationally, inexplicably - for Japan. In Tokyo he discovers the travel writings of the great Japanese poet Basho. Keen to cure his malaise, he decides to find solace in nature the way Basho did. Suddenly, from Gilbert's directionless crisis there emerges a purpose: a pilgrimage in the footsteps of the poet to see the moon rise over the pine islands of Matsushima. Although, of course, unlike the great poet, he will take a train. Along the way he falls into step with another pilgrim: Yosa, a young Japanese student clutching a copy of The Complete Manual of Suicide . Together, Gilbert and Yosa travel across Basho's disappearing Japan, one in search of his perfect ending and the other a new beginning. Serene, playful, and profound, The Pine Islands is a story of the transformations we seek and the ones we find along the way.

99 Nights in Logar

99 Nights in Logar

Author: Jamil Jan Kochai

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2019-01-22

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 0525559205

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

“Funny, razor-sharp, and full of juicy tales that feel urgent and illicit . . . the author has created a singular, resonant voice, an American teenager raised by Old World Afghan storytellers.” —New York Times Book Review “More than well crafted; it’s phenomenal. . . . Kochai’s book has a big heart.” —The Guardian A dog on the loose. A boy yearning to connect to his family's roots. A country in the midst of great change. And a vibrant exploration of the power of stories--the ones we tell each other and the ones we find ourselves in. Twelve-year-old Marwand's memories from his previous visit to Afghanistan six years ago center on his contentious relationship with Budabash, the terrifying but beloved dog who guards his extended family's compound in the rural village of Logar. But eager for an ally in this place that is meant to be "home," Marwand misreads his reunion with the dog and approaches Budabash the way he would any pet on his American suburban block--and the results are disastrous: Marwand loses a finger, and Budabash escapes into the night. Marwand is not chastened and doubles down on his desire to fit in here. He must get the dog back, and the resulting search is a gripping and vivid adventure story, a lyrical, funny, and surprisingly tender coming-of-age journey across contemporary Afghanistan that blends the bravado and vulnerability of a boy's teenage years with an homage to familial oral tradition and calls to mind One Thousand and One Nights yet speaks with a voice all its own.


Book Synopsis 99 Nights in Logar by : Jamil Jan Kochai

Download or read book 99 Nights in Logar written by Jamil Jan Kochai and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2019-01-22 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Funny, razor-sharp, and full of juicy tales that feel urgent and illicit . . . the author has created a singular, resonant voice, an American teenager raised by Old World Afghan storytellers.” —New York Times Book Review “More than well crafted; it’s phenomenal. . . . Kochai’s book has a big heart.” —The Guardian A dog on the loose. A boy yearning to connect to his family's roots. A country in the midst of great change. And a vibrant exploration of the power of stories--the ones we tell each other and the ones we find ourselves in. Twelve-year-old Marwand's memories from his previous visit to Afghanistan six years ago center on his contentious relationship with Budabash, the terrifying but beloved dog who guards his extended family's compound in the rural village of Logar. But eager for an ally in this place that is meant to be "home," Marwand misreads his reunion with the dog and approaches Budabash the way he would any pet on his American suburban block--and the results are disastrous: Marwand loses a finger, and Budabash escapes into the night. Marwand is not chastened and doubles down on his desire to fit in here. He must get the dog back, and the resulting search is a gripping and vivid adventure story, a lyrical, funny, and surprisingly tender coming-of-age journey across contemporary Afghanistan that blends the bravado and vulnerability of a boy's teenage years with an homage to familial oral tradition and calls to mind One Thousand and One Nights yet speaks with a voice all its own.

Zone

Zone

Author: Mathias Enard

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 528

ISBN-13: 9780992974701

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

One of the truly original books of the decade, and written as a single, hypnotic, propulsive, physically irresistible sentence, Mathias Enard's Zone is an Iliad for our time, an extraordinary and panoramic view of violent conflict and its consequences in the twentieth century and beyond.


Book Synopsis Zone by : Mathias Enard

Download or read book Zone written by Mathias Enard and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the truly original books of the decade, and written as a single, hypnotic, propulsive, physically irresistible sentence, Mathias Enard's Zone is an Iliad for our time, an extraordinary and panoramic view of violent conflict and its consequences in the twentieth century and beyond.

50 Art Ideas You Really Need to Know

50 Art Ideas You Really Need to Know

Author: Susie Hodge

Publisher: Greenfinch

Published: 2023-05-05

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 1529429277

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

From Romanesque to Realism; Pop Art to Pluralism, in this series, Susie Hodge introduces the most important art ideas and concepts that form the foundations of Western art.


Book Synopsis 50 Art Ideas You Really Need to Know by : Susie Hodge

Download or read book 50 Art Ideas You Really Need to Know written by Susie Hodge and published by Greenfinch. This book was released on 2023-05-05 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Romanesque to Realism; Pop Art to Pluralism, in this series, Susie Hodge introduces the most important art ideas and concepts that form the foundations of Western art.

Beverly

Beverly

Author: Nick Drnaso

Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly

Published: 2021-04-22

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13: 1770463682

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A darkly funny portrait of Middle America seen through the stunted minds of its children The modern lost souls of Beverly struggle with sexual anxieties that are just barely repressed and social insecurities that undermine every word they speak. Time passes, bodies change sizes, realities blur with fantasies, truths disintegrate, childhood comforts turn uncomfortable. Again and again, the civilized façades of Nick Drnaso’s pitch-perfect suburban landscapes crack in the face of violence and quiet brutality. Drnaso's debut graphic novel leaves you haunted and squirming and longing for more.


Book Synopsis Beverly by : Nick Drnaso

Download or read book Beverly written by Nick Drnaso and published by Drawn & Quarterly. This book was released on 2021-04-22 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A darkly funny portrait of Middle America seen through the stunted minds of its children The modern lost souls of Beverly struggle with sexual anxieties that are just barely repressed and social insecurities that undermine every word they speak. Time passes, bodies change sizes, realities blur with fantasies, truths disintegrate, childhood comforts turn uncomfortable. Again and again, the civilized façades of Nick Drnaso’s pitch-perfect suburban landscapes crack in the face of violence and quiet brutality. Drnaso's debut graphic novel leaves you haunted and squirming and longing for more.