MAGICAL TRAINS/STRANGE FIRE: A Collection of Old and New Poems


Book Description

Don't settle not for buses or hostages north winds or no names demand shower heads in slum baths drink not from the bottle but from the glass let warm food be hot throw back the cat fish take off your rubber reject electronic tranquilizers and lovers who just want to be friends satisfied like vice-presidents or dead tax payers waiting for a refund. -From "Don't Settle" (Magical Trains) Magical Trains/Strange Fire is a collection of poems written by the author since he first started writing poetry at the age of eighteen. This is a selection of some of the poems that have survived the elements and the years. The poems are on a variety of topics but mostly they are about matters of the heart. Gabriel Emanuel is a Canadian born writer and lawyer (Canada/Israel) and the author of two published stage plays "Children of Night", set in a Jewish orphanage in the Warsaw Ghetto, and "Einstein", a one man play about the famous physicist.




The Third Pillar


Book Description

Why should we be excluded from the history and literature of Judaism because the world of our fathers and mothers became a secularized one, Geoffrey Hartman asks, or because religious literacy, whatever our faith or community affiliation, has gone into relative decline? And why, he asks, do those who have no trouble finding pleasure and intellectual profit in the Greek and Roman classics or in the literary and artistic productions of two millennia of Western Christianity not easily find equal resonance and reward in the major texts in the Jewish tradition? For if Christianity and the classical inheritance stand as two pillars of Western civilization, surely the third pillar is the Jewish tradition. In The Third Pillar Hartman, one of the most influential scholars and teachers of English and comparative literature of recent decades, has brought together some of the most important and eloquent essays he has written since the 1980s on the major texts of the Jewish tradition. In three groupings, on Bible, Midrash, and education, Hartman clarifies the relevance of contemporary literary criticism to canonical texts in the tradition, while demonstrating what has been—and what still remains to be—learned from the Midrash to enrich the interpretation of commentary and art, sacred or secular. "The map of the discipline [of Jewish studies] is still being drawn," Hartman writes. "Barely known areas tempt the explorer, and major reinterpretations remain possible. This third pillar of our civilization . . . is only now being fully excavated: we have discovered something but not everything about its structure and upholding function."




Stranger Magic


Book Description

Our foremost theorist of myth, fairytales, and folktales explores the magical realm of the imagination where carpets fly, objects speak, dreams reveal hidden truths, and genies grant prophetic wishes. Stranger Magic examines the wondrous tales of the Arabian Nights, their profound impact on the West, and the progressive exoticization of magic since the eighteenth century, when the first European translations appeared. The Nights seized European readers' imaginations during the siècle des Lumières, inspiring imitations, spoofs, turqueries, extravaganzas, pantomimes, and mauresque tastes in dress and furniture. Writers from Voltaire to Goethe to Borges, filmmakers from Raoul Walsh on, and countless authors of children's books have adapted its stories. What gives these tales their enduring power to bring pleasure to readers and audiences? Their appeal, Marina Warner suggests, lies in how the stories' magic stimulates the creative activity of the imagination. Their popularity during the Enlightenment was no accident: dreams, projections, and fantasies are essential to making the leap beyond the frontiers of accepted knowledge into new scientific and literary spheres. The magical tradition, so long disavowed by Western rationality, underlies modernity's most characteristic developments, including the charmed states of brand-name luxury goods, paper money, and psychoanalytic dream interpretation. In Warner's hands, the Nights reveal the underappreciated cultural exchanges between East and West, Islam and Christianity, and cast light on the magical underpinnings of contemporary experience, where mythical principles, as distinct from religious belief, enjoy growing acceptance. These tales meet the need for enchantment, in the safe guise of oriental costume.







The Dragon Train


Book Description

The Dragon train is an alternative view of history, one which might have occurred in a parallel dimension. This book illustrates the birth of an alternative steam age. Famous men and women of science are re-created in this story, together with their achievements to describe the historical age of steam. I have suggested that all developmental science is the result of chance events pushed forward by people with curiosity and ambition. This alternative look at history can be applied as a teaching aid to many other subjects and offer a tool for discussion in a fun, accessible and creative way Any person represented in this book is purely intentional.




朱雀记 1(英文版)


Book Description

In the early summer of 1994, Gaoyang County, a small town in the west of the province, was scorched by the endless heat. This year, Yi Tianxing, a senior in high school, was seventeen years old. He was 1.70 meters tall and plain. His face was neither fat nor thin, and he undoubtedly belonged to an ordinary person who wouldn't even come out if thrown into a crowd.




Heavy Guns and Light


Book Description




Yale Required Reading - Collected Works (Vol. 2)


Book Description

Yale Required Reading - Collected Works (Vol. 2) presents a panoramic vista of the literary landscape that shaped the Western intellectual tradition. From the forensic oratory of Cicero to the epic poetry of Virgil, and from the stoic wisdom of Seneca to the biting satires of Juvenal, this anthology traverses the myriad forms and themes that embroidered the fabric of Roman literary and philosophical thought. The collection showcases the diversity within the Roman literary canon, embracing works that range from historical annals and dramatic plays to philosophical treatises and poetic elegies. The inclusion of seminal works such as Horace's Odes, Plautus's Comedies, and Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, among others, underscores the anthologys dedication to presenting the breadth of human experience and emotion rendered through the unique prisms of its authors. The contributors to this volume are icons of the classical world, each a master in their respective field. Their works collectively span the Golden and Silver Ages of Roman literature, capturing pivotal moments of historical transition and the evolution of Roman culture and society. These authors were not only witnesses to the zenith and decline of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Empire but were also integral voices in the literary, philosophical, and political discourses of their time. Their writings continue to influence modern thought, offering timeless insights into the human condition, governance, morality, and the arts. The backgrounds of these luminaries - senators, soldiers, philosophers, and poets - enrich the anthology by providing a mosaic of perspectives that reflect the complex socio-political fabric of their era. Yale Required Reading - Collected Works (Vol. 2) is an indispensable resource for both scholars and casual readers seeking to immerse themselves in the depth and diversity of classical literature. It offers a unique journey through the intellectual and moral landscapes navigated by the ancients, whose inquiries into virtue, justice, duty, and beauty remain profoundly relevant. This collection not only furnishes readers with a comprehensive understanding of the literary achievements of antiquity but also invites them to engage in an ongoing dialogue with the past, exploring timeless questions through the rich tapestry of classical thought. It is a testament to the enduring power of literature to bridge the past and present, providing insight, inspiration, and a deeper understanding of the human spirit.




Yale Classics (Vol. 2)


Book Description

This collection is based on the required reading list of Yale Department of Classics. Originally designed for students, this anthology is meant for everyone eager to know more about the history and literature of this period, interested in poetry, philosophy and rhetoric of Ancient Rome. Latin literature is a natural successor of Ancient Greek literature. The beginning of Classic Roman literature dates to 240 BC. From that point on, Latin literature would flourish for the next six centuries. Latin was the language of the ancient Romans, but it was also the lingua franca of Western Europe throughout the Middle Ages. Consequently, Latin Literature outlived the Roman Empire and it included European writers who followed the fall of the Empire, from religious writers like Aquinas, to secular writers like Francis Bacon, Baruch Spinoza, and Isaac Newton. This collection presents all the major Classic Roman authors, including Cicero, Virgil, Ovid and Horace whose work intrigues and fascinates readers until this day. Content: Plautus: Aulularia Amphitryon Terence: Adelphoe Ennius: Annales Catullus: Poems and Fragments Lucretius: On the Nature of Things Julius Caesar: The Civil War Sallust: History of Catiline's Conspiracy Cicero: De Oratore Brutus Horace: The Odes The Epodes The Satires The Epistles The Art of Poetry Virgil: The Aeneid The Georgics Tibullus: Elegies Propertius: Elegies Cornelius Nepos: Lives of Eminent Commanders Ovid: The Metamorphoses Augustus: Res Gestae Divi Augusti Lucius Annaeus Seneca: Moral Letters to Lucilius Lucan: On the Civil War Persius: Satires Petronius: Satyricon Martial: Epigrams Pliny the Younger: Letters Tacitus: The Annals Quintilian: Institutio Oratoria Juvenal: Satires Suetonius: The Twelve Caesars Apuleius: The Metamorphoses Ammianus Marcellinus: The Roman History Saint Augustine of Hippo: The Confessions Claudian: Against Eutropius Boethius: The Consolation of Philosophy Plutarch: The Rise and Fall of Roman Supremacy: Romulus Poplicola Camillus Marcus Cato Lucullus Fabius Crassus Coriolanus Cato the Younger Cicero




Yale Classics - Roman Classical Literature


Book Description

Yale Classics - Roman Classical Literature represents a formidable assembly of some of the most pivotal figures and texts that have shaped the Western literary tradition. This anthology traverses an expansive terrain of themes - from the philosophical musings and stoic reflections in Senecas works to the epic narratives of Virgil, and the keen satirical voices of Juvenal and Persius. The collection highlights a stunning array of literary styles, from the eloquent orations of Cicero to the intricate verse of Catullus and the potent histories penned by Tacitus and Sallust. Such diversity not only underscores the richness of Roman literature but also provides readers with a comprehensive insight into the ancient world's complexities and contradictions. The anthology encapsulates the evolution of Roman thought, presenting works that reflect upon love, power, ethics, and the human condition, making it an indispensable resource for scholars and enthusiasts alike. The contributing authors, ranging from poets and philosophers to historians and statesmen, bring with them not just their literary talents but also a mosaic of backgrounds that illuminate the socio-political and cultural tapestry of ancient Rome. These figures were instrumental in heralding significant literary and intellectual movements, offering insights into everything from the decadence of the late Roman Republic to the philosophical inquiries of the Empires twilight. The anthology effectively captures the zeitgeist of an era that is at once ancient and remarkably resonant with contemporary themes, bridging millennia through the enduring relevance of its subjects. Together, these works and authors exemplify the height of Roman literary achievement and its lasting influence on subsequent generations. Yale Classics - Roman Classical Literature is essential reading for anyone seeking a deep and varied exploration of Roman intellectual and cultural life. This anthology is not just a testament to the historical importance of Roman literature but also an invitation to engage with the timeless questions and narratives that continue to captivate the modern imagination. Offering both breadth and depth, it promises to enrich ones understanding of not only the Roman world but also the enduring human themes that connect us across time. Scholars, students, and general readers alike will find in this collection a rare opportunity to immerse themselves in the rich tapestry of Roman thought, brought to life by some of historys most influential voices.