Book Description

With deft, picturesque prose, Aubrey presents biographical sketches for an intriguing and colorful parade of statesmen, poets, philosophers, and scientists, including Walter Raleigh, Francis Bacon, William Shakespeare, John Milton, Thomas Hobbes, and Rene Descartes, as well as a host of lesser known but equally fascinating figures. This anecdotal, gossipy collection brings to life the tumultuous world of Elizabethan and Stuart England and its revolutions in politics, science and morality. At the same time, Aubrey revels in the sheer variety of human nature and in the detailed, intimate, and sometimes scandalous aspects of his subjects' lives. An antiquarian, Aubrey began his collection as source material for his friend Anthony Wood's histories of Oxford University. In this new edition, more faithful to the original text than previous versions, Brief Lives emerges as a revolution in the art of English biography, a mixture of entertainment and erudition, and a lively portrait of an age. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Rambling 17th century gossip
It's fun reading this collection of digressive informal anecdotes about famous (and some obscure) Englishmen. If you enjoyed "An Instance of the Fingerpost" (where some of thc characters appear) you'd like this. As a primary source for information it gets less reliable the further back it goes. Aubrey was born in 1626 so his accounts of Shakespeare and Elizathans are a generation removed, but he had met Harvey and Penn and had been through the Civil War and the rule of Cromwell.

A unique gleaning of 17th century English history and gossip
Because its author never completed most of the entries for this biographical work, and never published it, what he did set down about his varied noble and ignoble subjects is uncensored, gossipy, perhaps unsubstantiated, and delightful. If you like browsing in Pepys' diary, or are fascinated by English life in the 17th century, this is the book to leave about for the occasional free moment. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

A Personal Glimpse at a Favorite Author
This is a most enjoyable book allowing a glimpse into the life of one of my favorite authors. It was interesting to learn about the situations that molded the life of James Herriot (Alf Wight).

The Real James Herriot
-James Herriot was a country animal doctor who recanted his life into stories, which became All Creatures Great and Small and other books and audios. His son, Jim Wight, upon his father's death, composed a tribute to a man we all thought we knew in The Real James Herriot. The abridged audio version is narrated by TV's James Herriot, actor Christopher Timothy. His familiar tramping of the characters and Herriot's words makes him the perfect choice to read this veneration. ... Read more

Book Description

The celebrated author of the bestsellers, A MAN IN FULL, THE RIGHT STUFF, and BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES discusses his unique approach towriting during a lecture at The Smithsonian Institution. Approximate length: 90 minutes; 1 cassette. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Write Stuff
This tape is an interview with Tom Wolfe that was recorded at the Smithsonian. The interview lasts about an hour and Wolfe talks about his life, how he became a journalist, how he became a novelist and his philosopy of the novel.

The interview is much too short. Wolfe could probably talk on any one of those four things for an hour at a time. Many times on this tape the interviewer is getting to the "meat" of the issue - and then he changes the subject!

The best part of the tape is Wolfe's ideas on the state of writing. Too many novelists' today belong to what Wolfe calls the "Thumbsucking" school of writing - only concerned with what is immediately surrounding them and unwilling to go out and engage the world. Wolfe sums it up nicely as thus: "Emerson said that 'every person has a great autobiography to write'. The problem is he didn't say 'every person has TWO great autobiographies' to write"!

The box says this is "Volume Two" of some kind of some kind of lecture series. Somewhat odd as Volume One and Volume Three don't seem to exist! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Poor writing manages to make an interesting life boring
This book covers an interesting life story and has great detail, but unfortunately much of that detail has nothing to do with Mr. Fleming's life, instead focusing on the bloodlines of every British person he ever met. A typical sentence would read "While at the party Ian met John Blankenship of Eddileshile, who would later become the Duke of Ipswitch and marry the Dutchess of Flem, whose mother, the Dame of Foppishnich, once had lunch with Sir Henry Handllberg" - and NONE of these people would have had anything to do with the story, the party, or Ian Flemming. It is as if a Flemming biography was inadvertantly been mixed with a "Complete Peerage of the Brittish Isles" and they went ahead and published it anyway. If you must, get the print version, so you can skim over the irrelevant stuff that pops up every other sentence - if you listen to the Audible audio version (like I did) you will find it had to follow and boring to boot.

Nicely done
In a fashion, Mr. Lycett's biography is as detailed as Carlos Baker's biography of Ernest Hemingway. Nearly every movement of Ian Fleming's adulthood is covered. What is revealed is not a pleasant personality. Ian Fleming was a selfish, egocentric fellow who was very much a rake and a cad, especially in the years before World War Two. Scion of a wealthy family, he was a true-to-life example of England's decadent ruling class as much as the Marchmont family was in Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited.(Interestingly, Fleming's wife, Ann, was friends with Waugh though Waugh did not know Fleming very well when Brideshead was written). Lycett paints an unflattering portrait of this ruling class. The ruling circle which Fleming was part specialized in divorce, arrogance, selfishness, the lapping up of assorted luxuries. They lacked fidelity and self-discipline. It is also noteworthy that in the middle of the Depression, Fleming was so set in society that he seemed to be able to vacation at a whim and not lose his job. Fleming would have died a spoiled cad if not for the discipline of war, in which he served well as an intelligence officer. Egocentric as always, Fleming later claimed to have drawn up the blueprint for the American O.S.S., later known as the C.I.A.. During the war, Fleming fell in love with Jamaica. This love led eventually to Fleming's routine of writing a James Bond novel each winter at his place, Goldeneye, in Jamaica during his ordinarilly 2-3 month winter vacations. The James Bond pop phenomenon was slow to take off and by the time that it did, Ian Fleming's health was in severe decline due to years of a diet of cigarettes, large amounts of alcohol and greasy foods. The Bond novels will never be known as great literature but they are tersely written in fine, spare prose. The plots are usually ridiculous but, after all, they were to be fun books, not serious literature. Sadism is laced within many for Fleming was a sexual sadist. What is most fascinating about the biography is the chummy relationships within the British ruling class where Fleming would have the homosexual Noel Coward as his best man, rent Goldeneye to Prime Minister Eden after the Suez fiasco and Fleming's wife, Ann, would carry on an affair with Labor Party boss Hugh Gaitskill with Fleming's acceptance.

This was a throroughly delightful and interesting read.
Lycett gives great insight into Fleming's character and also the world he lived and wrote in. Also, this book gives a great overview of World War II and the Cold War. I highly recommend this book to Bond fans and anyone else who enjoys reading about exciting persons, such as Fleming.

007's creator revealed
This was an excellent book. The research was excellent, and Lycett's ability to portray characters from the early to mid 19th century should not be overlooked. My only gripe was there seemed to be two oft-repeated phrases: "In a letter to Evelyn Waugh, Ann..." and "En route to Jamaica in New York, Ian...." But all things considered, this is an essential read for any 007 fan - casual or the vodka-martini drinking type.

Delve a bit deeper into the origins of 007
This biography of Ian Fleming by Andrew Lycett is an essential read for anyone wanting to learn more about the creative forces behind one of popular culture's enduring icons, James Bond. Fleming's childhood, wartime exploits, travels - any element which helped develop 007 - are explained in great detail. The book jacket describes Fleming as "a more interesting" man than his creation, and it's true ten times over. This book is about as readable as a biography can get - due no doubt to Fleming's action-packed, turmoil-filled life. As an added bonus, Lycett offers fascinating bits of information on each of the Bond novels - character name origins, methods of research, etc. Any and every 007 enthusiast should take in this commendable work, obviously researched extensively. If nothing else, "Ian Fleming: The Man Behind James Bond" could pass as a "How NOT to Live to be One Hundred Years Old" how-to guide. Given Fleming's terrible health habits, it's a wonder he lived to see fifty-six years. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Selena Forever and Eternity
This book was a shocking wake up call for me. I love Selena with everything that is real and unreal. Joe Nick Patoski is a pure genious! It documented how shocking and sad the death of Selena Quintanilla Perez was. I miss her terribly and if i could, i would read this book over and over again. This is truly a keepsake and all selena fans will cherish it.

Perfect! Lots of good info!
I LUV this book. I own it and I read it. Selena had a really fabulous life. Fabulous and exciting. But it was cut short by you-know-who. Anyway, It's a great book. You guys must read it, or you don't know what you're missing!

good
When I got this book I was so happy because I needed to know more about Selena and this book has it all. Great pictures and it get you the inside scoop on Tejano Leading Lady.

Still the Best Biography on Selena in Print!
Although it's an unauthorized biography, "Selena: Como La Flor" remains the definitive book about the life and death of Selena. Patoski does a good job of explaining the history and development of Tejano, or Tex-Mex, music prior to Selena y los Dinos' arrival on the scene. Patoski also covers in detail, much of what the 1997 film bio skipped over: primarily the decade between Selena's beginnings as a regional performer, and her signing with EMI Latin/Capitol Records.

Patoski also covers the rather strange goings-on during the final months of Selena's life: her relationship to her fan club president and murderer Yolanda Salvidar; her possible infatuation with a doctor in Mexico; and the possibility that Selena may have been ready to ditch her singing career to persue her interest in selling fashion.

Of course, Selena's murder and Yolanda's trial are also dealt with in the book, but it was the events immediately preceeding her death that intrigued me the most. It's clear from "Como la Flor" that, unlike the movie, everything wasn't coming up roses for Selena near the end of her life. Although Patoski gives a balanced portrayal of Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., it's pretty clear that Mr. Quintanilla figuratively sacrificed his daughter to fuel his own stiffled musical ambitions.

As other reviewers have already mentioned, Mr. Patowski has done an excellent job of researching the slain singer's life. There are comments from many past associates of Selena in the book, and raises interesting questions of what directions Ms. Quintanilla's life may have taken if she hadn't died.

If your only source of information about Selena is the Jennifer Lopez film, you owe it to yourself to read "Como la Flor," because this book is far more interesting. (In case you're wondering, I think JLo doesn't hold a candle to Selena in terms of singing!)

What a work of art!
I first became a fan of Selena's when she was killed. I was, at that time, 15 years old. I have been extremely interested in anything I could find about her since then. I got Dreaming Of You for Christmas that year and constantly listened to it. She just totally changed my life. Ever since then i'd done everything I could to find out as much as I could about her, and after a while I thought I knew pretty much everything there was to know about her. She lived a life I only could have dreamt about. But when I bought this book and read it, I realized I knew practically nothing about her. It really touched me how down-to-earth she really was. She never let fame get to her head like a lot of celebrities do. For that I honor her. She was a real inspiration to other latinas out there. Viviras Selena! We always have and always will love you. ... Read more

Book Description

Mozart's own words, taken from his letters and diaries, offer an intimate view od history's greatest ,usical genius, while James Galway, Zubin Mehta, Isaac Stern and Peter Schikele explore his legacy.

Documentary, approx. 50 mins. ... Read more

Book Description

Times were hard for English workers in the 1930s when George Orwell dramatized their plight in this documentary expose of the underclasses. THE ROAD TO WIGAN PIER is a trek back through time to an experience suffered by many of our parents and is an unrecognized masterpiece by the author of 1984 and ANIMAL FARM. Always courageous and original, Orwell gives us a feeling for what it must have been like to have had to cope with the grinding poverty of half a century ago. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Very Lively
There's no point to defending Orwell's attitude towards the progressive rich (as expressed in this book). But his point is really quite simple: the working classes are more old-fashioned and less academic than the upper classes; therefore, if the stereotypical socialist is a "bearded fruit-juice drinker" who discusses Marx over tea, the movement is not going to collect members. Not revolutionary, but true enough and expressed with enough vigour to make it an entertaining polemic.

That said, I prefer the first half of the book, where Orwell describes his stint in the coal-mining districts of the north of England. He is excellent on the squalor and awfulness of life in the mining towns, as well as the unemployment question and the general effects of the Depression. The chapter on working-class houses in Sheffield, though less vivid, is also excellent. Orwell isn't too much of a graphic artist, but he gives you enough detail that it's a minor imaginative task to reconstruct the lifestyle he's writing about.

And, having reconstructed this landscape, it's difficult not to half-agree with his evocation of the dignity of a working man's life before the war, or to feel with him that "it is not the triumphs of modem engineering ... but the memory of working-class interiors - especially as I sometimes saw them in my childhood before the war, when England was still prosperous - that reminds me that our age has not been altogether a bad one to live in."

A vividly written book, controversial in its own day
It's worth knowing that this book was originally commissioned by the Left Book Club, a Socialist book club in the UK, and when the manuscript arrived they realized Orwell had delivered more than they'd bargained for. In part one, Orwell brilliantly reports on the atrocious living and working conditions in northern England in the 1930s. His chapter covering his visit to a coal mine has been often anthologized, but the entire section consists of equally vivid portraits. In part two, Orwell discusses Socialism with such a jaundiced eye that it had the editors of the Left Book Club wondering if they could get away with printing only the first half of the book! Orwell did not fully believe in Socialism until he fought in the Spanish Civil War after "Wigan Pier" was printed, and contrary to the right-wingers who have claimed him as one of their own, Orwell was a dedicated Socialist to the day he died, but a skeptical one. Read "Wigan Pier," and for more information, read Orwell's diary he kept during his trip to the north in Volume 1 of the Collected Essays.

The novelist, not the analyst, speaks...
This 1937 book is a political and social commentary about aspects of working life in 1930s England, and an endorsement by the author of socialism as the best way forward.

The title is 'The Road to Wigan Pier'. But at the end of Chapter 4, we are told: 'Alas! Wigan Pier has been demolished, and even the spot where it used to stand is no longer certain.' Presumably the book title is the author's joke, and was intended to mean, 'the road to nowhere certain'?

The book:

Part 1 (of 2): Images. We are told that many 1930s working people are dreadful people, and that many live dreadful lives. We are shown how unpleasant 1930s lodging houses are, how hard the life of a miner is, how poor the quality of British housing is; we are told about overcrowding, about the horrendous 1930s unemployment situation in England, about the poor diet of the working classes, trying to live on a budget, and about poor people having to scramble after pit trucks to get coal; we are told of the north-south divide. The writer does not spare his criticisms of the nature of working people, as well as criticising their situations.

Part 2 (of 2): Endorsement of socialism. We are told about the division of British society into 'classes' in the 1930s: that people are brought up to perceive themselves as divided into certain 'classes' in which they tend to stay; we are told the history of the author's life as a policeman in Burma as part of the machinery of oppression there, and of his experience living as a pretend-tramp. We are told that the future, for the worker, lies in socialism (despite many socialists being an unappealing lot), and that workers ought to unite against the 'bourgeoisie', through socialism, by reference to their common status as exploited workers, rather than by reference to other factors (i.e that all paid workers should unite as one group against those controlling/paying them).

This peculiar book is interesting, thought-provoking and intelligently written, but it is somewhat half-baked in places, rants a lot, is very rude about a lot of people, especially about manual workers; is unfocussed and unclear in what it wants to say, and the book leads nowhere certain except to endorse some vague form of socialism as the appropriate way forward, at the end. Noticeably absent from Part 2 is any analysis of how economics work, or consideration by the author of any impracticalities inherent in socialism. The book is a rant rather than a more incisive analysis.

A lot of people will probably find themselves reading this book after reading some of Orwell's fine fiction works. If so, they will probably find this book a little disappointing. His fine style of writing and his brilliant mind shine through, but the analysis itself disappoints, particularly in Part Two, the second half of the book.

The bookshop clerk hid it from the other customers
I found this book when I was living in Sydney, Australia. When I brought the book to the front to pay for it, the clerk kept tucking it under a paper bag, hiding it from the other customers milling around the desk. Everytime I took it out from under the bag, the clerk hid it again. This happened several times, until I finally left. It gave me the immediate feeling that I was buying something a little bit illegal, a little dangerous, something that I shouldn't have, because the clerk had never done that to me before or after.

The first thing I noticed about my little copy of the Road to Wigan's Pier is that is said it was not for sale in the U.S.A.. I recognize now that it was because of copyright issues, but at the time, I thought maybe the reason I had never seen this book in the States, is because it was somewhat suppressed for some reason.

I was expecting more 1984, not a documentary of life in Northern England, not a political commentary. Since then, I have read the book perhaps ten times. It seems that Orwell (Blair) wrote the populist 1984 and Animal Farm simply to get readers to read his earlier works, like this one. Orwell is clearly a master of words, of pacing and of emotion. He can manipulate the reader transparently. By about the fifth reading of Pier, I began to feel that Orwell could have written bestsellers like 1984 and Farm much more easily than this one.

So why is the book important, if for half of it he simply analyses the now-historical beginnings of the Socialist movement? Maybe because it doesn't matter in what direction Socialism has headed since he wrote this book, he wasn't analysing socialism or class issues as much as was busy digging up the truth of socialists, of the unemployed, of the homeless, of the middle class and the upper class. This analysis is still just as valid in 2004, as it was in 1930, even if the names of the political parties and the occupations have changed.

This book was witten by a truthful person, who perhaps stretched the truth a bit, or condensed it, or altered it. These are literary devices. But the meaning of the book, as is most valuable today, is about a poverty-stricken middle class that gets itself into debt to keep up the appearance of a higher class. And it is about a lower class that is essentially better off, even with the hungry belly and the dirty rooms, than this affected middle class from which Blair came.

Maybe this is the message that is so dangerous, the one that bookshop clerk tried to hide from the other customers. This book brings the poverty to light, and finds that the poverty-stricken can redeem themselves. But when Orwell unearths the truth of the middle class, the true subversive nature of this book spills all over the floor like a drunk puking on stage. What has not changed in almost a century is that the middle class may never be redeemed so long as we think that a "plate of strawberries and cream" is somehow our key to salvation. It fills our guts with something other than what we genuinely hunger.

To toss that plate onto the floor and stomp around the house for a piece of black bread with hard crust will wake the babies. But more dangerous, it may force the owner of the strawberry farm and the owner of the dairy farm to get their own hands dirty. "And what of the farmhands, if these soft-hands are doing the work they once did?" As Blair points out, it can only get better when you're already living at the bottom.

Mixed Emotions
The first half of this book was very consuming. I found myself caught up in the mines of England and could relate to the characters with Orwell's great descriptions. But the second half of the book was totallu different. It was Orwell writing a paper about how he felt about socialism and class destinctions in England. To some this may be a very appealing subject, but to me, I had trouble understanding what Orwell wanted to say to the reader. Part one of this book is great and I highly reccommend it, but once I began to read part two I had trouble picking the book up to finish it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A noted scholar of the art of Anton Chekhov nowturns to his life (1860-1904), with equally revelatory results. Rayfield's densely documented account avoids general statements in favor of quiet accumulation of detail that gradually creates a multifaceted impression of Chekhov's contradictions. Witty, charming, and an ardent lover of women, Russia's greatest dramatist was also coolly detached, capable of capriciousness and considerable cruelty. In Anton Chekhov,Rayfield does not attempt to tidy up a messily complex psyche or to downplay the faults that were as intrinsic to Chekhov's genius as were his merits. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Sadly, the only comprehensive biography
I say sadly because Rayfield really isn't a very good writer.His style is clumsy, and he has no idea how to maintain any sort of narrative.He just throws facts at you.People are mentioned for a few lines and then reintroduced chapters later as if we're supposed to remember who they are.All over the book sentences crop up that are near impossible to figure out.Also, considering how much of Chekhov's personal writing survives, there aren't nearly enough excerpts from his notebooks and letters.The few quotes that are there are so fascinating that they're worth the slog through Rayfield's masses of detail.

The worst sin that he commits is that he doesn't much seem to like his subject, and invests most of his energy in making Chekhov look bad.To some extent, Chekhov needs some demythologizing, because too many people have made a saint out of him. Rayfield provides plenty of evidence that Chekhov wasn't the kindhearted conscience of Russian literature that people make him out to be - he led on a lot of women, wasn't particularly faithful to the people that loved him, and had a cruel streak.But there are lots of times when Rayfield goes out of his way to push a certain interpretation on the reader."Chekhov's response was brutal," he insists, without providing any evidence - or, on occasion, actually quoting a letter that doesn't seem to justify his interpretation of Chekhov's bad behavior at all.

In fact, Rayfield really doesn't know how to marshall his evidence to support his statements.He seems also to dislike Olga Knipper, Anton's wife, and keeps insisting that the marriage was unhappy, and that Chekhov really didn't seem to love her, without showing us why this has to be true.Indeed, much of the material that he gives us seems to indicate the opposite.

But now comes the Sadly.This is really the only biography that gives you the entire story about Chekhov.Too much about Chekhov sexual drives is left out of other biographies, and as Rayfield pretty conclusively demonstrates, this drive was a major part of Anton's life and motivations.And, for all of his faults, Rayfield really has dug deeper and found out more than any other biographer.From the teachers at Chekhov's school in Taganrog to, well, a host of other occasionally interesting trivia, Rayfield just has more.Until someone else comes along and tries to animate all this material into a biography that's actually enjoyable to read, Rayfield is all there is.Chekhov's letters provide a better introduction to his life, but anyone that really wants to go behind the mask needs to read this book.

A superb biography!
This is a book that grows and grows on the reader.At first I was put off by the book's clumsy style and by the brutality (really unforgivable) of Chekhov's father Pavel.Then I got "hooked" on Anton's fierce ambition joined to his extraordinary sweetness of temper; until, when he contracts TB and finally marries Olga Knipper, I was wholly sympathetic to him, his milieu, and his struggle to create masterpieces like THE CHERRY ORCHARD.A friend said of him, "Why are such precious contents locked up in such a frail vessel?" (p. 581).The author provides little interpretation of personalities and events; rather, he uses letters (thousands of them) to create, like a mosaic, the rich beauty of Chekhov's personality and the flowering of his genius.Highly recommended. -- Michael Squires, Ph.D.

Chekhov in Detail
Review ofAnton Chekhov: A Life. Donald Rayfield. NY: Henry Holt, 1997. 603 pp.

There are many good biographies of Chekhov available, and if a person has not read any,I would suggest another before reading DonaldRayfield's Anton Chekhov: A Life. Rayfield says that he has received accessto much previously classified information. Unfortunately this loads hisbiography with an over-abundance of undigested detail, as if we werereading Chekhov's engagement calendar for each year or an encyclopedia ofthe minutiae of Chekhov's life. The material needs to be pruned down andfocused. No where do I feel a biographer's point of view towards hissubject -- unless it be to include as many facts as possible. And althoughit is interesting to read about the lives of those with whom Chekhov wasmost closely involved, we do not need to learn about every tart he sleptwith or every family problem encountered by one of his brother's wives.When these influence his writing, they are an interesting bonus, when theydo not, a stronger hand at selection would have been appreciated. Indeed,the most interesting parts of the biography to me were those areas whichshowed how Chekhov transformed the details of his life into his work.However, too little of these connections were shown, and too many detailswere simply superfluous. I also miss the author's awareness of Chekhov'sironic humor, and I feel disappointed at the lack of discussion of theshort farces. I recommend this book for Chekhov affectionados rather thanfor Chekhov novices.

BARBARA MACKEY, Ph.D. University of Toledo ... Read more

Book Description

The fifth book in the bestselling Penguin Lives -- Penguin Lives pairs celebrated writers with famous Great writers on great figures individuals who have shaped our thinking.

With all the earthy sensuality and majestic storytelling that have made her one of Ireland's preeminent writers, award-winning novelist Edna O'Brien paints the most passionate, personal, and sensuous portrait of her fellow countryman yet written.James Joyce is a return journey to the land of politics, history, and the saints and scholars that shaped this creator of the twentieth century's most groundbreaking novel, Ulysses.

In her beautiful, poetic telling, O'Brien traces Joyce's early days as the rambunctious young Jesuit student; his falling in love with a tall, red-haired Galway girl named Nora Barnacle on Bloomsday; and his exile to Trieste where he met with success, love, and finally, despair. Only Edna O'Brien, with her deft, supple prose, her rebel Irish heart, and her kindred spirit, could capture the brilliance and complexity of this great modern master. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A Joycean Primer
As is almost consistently the case, the series of biographies produced under the collection of Penguin Lives has once again succeeded in providing a palatable doorway through which the hungry but busy reader can find the substance of an important if historically tough writer or artist. Edna O'Brien, herself an accomplished writer, here provides us with a fellow Irishman's view of the incredibly important writer James Joyce. Though most of us have at least read his 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man' and have seen plays and film adaptations of some of his other works, few of us feel we understand this complexly brilliant mind enough to say that approaching 'Ulysses' or 'Finnegan's Wake' would be easy reading. O'Brien gives us not only the chronology of Joyce's life, she also picks up on individual instances in his youth and manhood that served as fodder for his detailed novels of his Irish heritage. The writing is brisk, acerbic, challenging, and ultimately rewardingly educational. Finish this brief history and you most probably will run to the book shelf for another go at the master!

A perceptive account of a monster of a writer
Irish writer Edna O'Brien's brief (179 page) biography of James Joyce was aimed at people like me who are curious about Joyce's life, but not curious enough to undertake Richard Ellman's definitive but massive biography. O'Brien venerates Joyce's writing, but recognizes the high cost to most everyone who had any contact with Joyce.

Although she argues (without convincing me) that Joyce was not a misogynist, she does not attempt to defend him from being viewed as a monster; instead, she answers her question "Do writers have to be such monsters in order to create? I believe that they do."

O'Brien provides interesting responses to Joyce's life and lifework. Hard-core Joyceans will already have processed Ellman's biography--regarded by some as the best biography of any writer ever written. The somewhat curious have a fine guide in O'Brien. Her book is generally readable, and I am inclined to trust her sense (as a novelist, as an Irish novelist) of what in Joyce's fiction is autobiographical.

The volume is an excellent match of biographer and subject, like Edmund White's biographical meditation on Marcel Proust that began the series of Penguin Brief Lives, a welcome antidote to the mountains of details that make so many biographies daunting.

a great writer on a great writer
Biographies in this series are the perfect fun size. Light, but long enough to have a lot of real stuff in them, more than a mere introduction.

The very first sentence of this book invites you into Joyce with an imitation of his writing style, & after that Edna O'Brien shares generously & mellifluously her great understanding of the man, his life, & his work, drawing on scholarly commentary of his books & from the journals & letters of him & the people around him so that you know how they all felt about his life & their lives in themselves & for the purposes of this biography in relation to him. It's so well-written & so interesting -- what a life he had, crazy as he was, that -- I could hardly put it down. Edna O'Brien's great interest in him comes across truly.

Short but sweet
I read this book at the Jersey shore. Joyce's life was as bizarre as his fiction. This book gives you an insight into what Joyce was trying to do with "Ulysses" and later "Finegan's Wake." Of course, the Ellmann bio is still the definitive. This is a great little read with sand and roasted peanuts.

A Singular Genius
This is one of several volumes in the Penguin Lives Series, each of which written by a distinguished author in her or his own right. Each provides a concise but remarkably comprehensive biography of its subject in combination with a penetrating analysis of the significance of that subject's life and career. I think this is a brilliant concept. My only complaint (albeit a quibble) is that even an abbreviated index is not provided. Those who wish to learn more about the given subject are directed to other sources.

When preparing to review various volumes in this series, I have struggled with determining what would be of greatest interest and assistance to those who read my reviews. Finally I decided that a few brief excerpts and then some concluding comments of my own would be appropriate.

On Joyce and Ireland: "Of all the great Irish writers, Joyce's relationship with his country remains the most incensed and yet the most meditative. Beckett, a much more cloistered man, was unequivocal; he made France his home and eventually wrote in French and though his elegiac works carry the breath of his native land, he did not expect Foxrock, his birthplace, to be etched in the consciousness of the world. Joyce did. He determined to reinvent the city where he had been marginalized, laughed at and barred from literary circles. he would be the poet of his race." (page 15)

On criticisms of his portrayal of Dublin: Joyce "said he was not to be blamed for the odor of ash pits and rotted cabbage and offal in these stories [i.e. in Dubliners] because that was how he saw his city. 'We are foolish, comic, motionless, corrupted, yet we are worthy of sympathy too,' he laughed haughtily and added that if Ireland were to deny that sympathy to its characters, the rest of the world would not. In this he was mistaken." (page 78)

On his deteriorating health: "The strains were beginning to show. he had endocrine treatment for his arthritis, had to have all his teeth removed and was fitted with permanent plates. His eyesight so worsened that he had only one-seventh normal vision. He was given iodine leeches for his bad eye but soon it was clear that they would have to operate." (page 130)

On his enigmatic nature: "The truth is that the Joyce [others] saw was a fraction of the inner man. No one knew Joyce, only himself, no one could. His imagination was meteoric, his mind ceaseless in the accruing of knowledge, words crackling in his head, images crowding in on him 'like the shades at the entrance to the underworld.' What he wanted to do was to wrest the secret from life and that could only be done through language because, as he said, the history of people is the history of language." (pages 165-166)

As is also true of the other volumes in the "Penguin Lives" series, this one provides all of the essential historical and biographical information but its greatest strength lies in the extended commentary, in this instance by Edna O'Brien. She also includes a brief but sufficient "Bibliography" for those who wish to learn more about Joyce. I hope these brief excerpts encourage those who read this review to read O'Brien's biography. It is indeed a brilliant achievement. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

A keeper
I've read the book and listened to the audio cassette, and it's hard for me to pick which one I like more. The book has more stories, it's true, but the cassette has Donald's lovely Southern drawl. He has an infectious manner of telling that makes car trips--no matter how long or short--out and out fun. I've never laughed or cried so hard as at Listening for the Crack of Dawn. The last story, "A Different Drummer," is by far my favorite, since it makes me do both. Donald Davis is truly one of America's best storytellers, for kids, teenagers, and adults. Buy this title, in whatever format, and you won't be sorry!

Donald Davis is wonderful`
I have read and listened to several of Donald Davis' books. He is the best story teller I have ever listened to. He makes you laugh, cry and remember. I encourage anyone who loves to hear a good yarn, listen to any of D. Davis's works. He is awesome.

My favorite audiobook of all time
I don't think anyone can listen to Donald Davis tell his Different Drummer story and not be touched by it. Just it alone is worth the price of the set of cassettes. You also get to hear LSMFT (yes, that's the title of the story), which has a nearly perfect ending. Each is a story so good that you wish you could forget it, so that you'd have the pleasure of listening to it again for the first time.

Donald Davis is a Great Storyteller!
Listening to the story is better than reading it. His accent and voice make the vivid stories come alive. His stories, about growing up in western North Carolina are nostalgic, yet the issues will appeal to anyone of any age. My children 9 and 15 love his tapes along with my 70 year old parents. He is one of our favorite people to listen to in the car on trips.

Donald Davis--Storyteller Extrordinaire!
I am buying Donald Davis' cassette, "THE CRACK OF DAWN" for the second time. I owned my first copy for many years until by stereo was stolen from my car and had Mr. Davis' tape in it. I had the privilege of meeting him at a storytelling festival at Cal State University, Los Angeles and heard this story in person. It is every bit as good on tape. Mr. Davis spins his yarn in such a mesmerizing way that you can almost see his Aunt Laura and hear the "Crack of Dawn." ... Read more

Book Description

Samuel Goldwyn was the premier dream-maker of his era, and in this lavishly-praised biography, the author of Lindbergh and Max Perkins: Editor of Genius offers a life story as rich with drama as anything found on the silver screen... ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Rags to riches
What a story! A remarkably easy to read account of Sam Goldwyn's rags-to-riches life. Did you know "Goldwyn" was not his real name? Did you know he was thrown out of the MGM company after a few years?! Goldwyn worked at some stage or other with just about every famous name in the business, and also fell out with just about everybody he ever met. A cantankerous and perverse character who loved contradicting people. When people quit because he made their lives intolerable, he sometimes felt personally attacked and betrayed. The book is full of colourful characters, and Scott Berg has done a wonderful job of using quotations and dialogues to really bring these people alive: Gary Cooper, Marlon Brando, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Lillian Hellman, William Wyler, Billy Wilder, and the remarkable Hilda Berl. It reads like a movie! By tracing Goldwyn's history, the book also covers the story of many of the other famous movie companies that are still famous today: United Artists, Universal, Paramount, Warner Brothers, RKO and of course MGM. Goldwyn also came across many young actors and actresses before they were stars: Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, David Niven, Marlon Brando, John Wayne, etc. And of course the famous Goldwyn malapropisms are here, though limited to the ones actually traceable (as far as possible) to Goldwyn himself: "Anyone who sees a psychiatrist should have their head examined! Include me out! A verbal agreement isn't worth the paper it's written on," to pick just a few.

A remarkably well-written and well-researched biography that brings this vigorous, infuriating, yet oddly attractive ugly duckling to vibrant life. This must rank amongst the best biographies, up there with Ron Chernow's book about the Morgans. Anyone at all interested in movies and movie history will enjoy this.

Great bio of a genius's life
Great book! I enjoyed reading about a man who literally came from poverty to be on of Hollywood's pioneer filmmakers. He was a rough man to work with no doubt, but knew what worked and lasted in an industry that is hard to last in! A. Scott Berg did a wonderful job of writing a respectful book about this man!

Exceptional Hollywood Bio - the best of the bunch
A most compelling, intricate, mesmerizing, passionate, heartfelt and respectful account of Goldwyn's life! A. Scott Berg has created a profound work as equal an opus to any of Goldwyn's best stuff. The neat thing is that you feel as if you were there - the birth, growing pains and maturity of Hollywood - brutally recreated for our pleasure. Bravo!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Short and snappy as it is, Stephen King's On Writing really contains two books: a fondly sardonic autobiography and a tough-love lesson for aspiring novelists. The memoir is terrific stuff, a vivid description of how a writer grew out of a misbehaving kid. You're right there with the young author as he's tormented by poison ivy, gas-passing babysitters, uptight schoolmarms, and a laundry job nastier than Jack London's. It's a ripping yarn that casts a sharp light on his fiction. This was a child who dug Yvette Vickers from Attack of the Giant Leeches, not Sandra Dee."I wanted monsters that ate whole cities, radioactive corpses that came out of the ocean and ate surfers, and girls in black bras who looked like trailer trash." But massive reading on all literary levels was a craving just as crucial, and soon King was the published author of "I Was a Teen-Age Graverobber." As a young adult raising a family in a trailer, King started a story inspired by his stint as a janitor cleaning a high-school girls locker room. He crumpled it up, but his writer wife retrieved it from the trash, and using her advice about the girl milieu and his own memories of two reviled teenage classmates who died young, he came up with Carrie. King gives us lots of revelations about his life and work. The kidnapper character in Misery, the mind-possessing monsters in The Tommyknockers, and the haunting of the blocked writer in The Shining symbolized his cocaine and booze addiction (overcome thanks to his wife's intervention, which he describes). "There's one novel, Cujo, that I barely remember writing."

King also evokes his college days and his recovery from the van crash that nearly killed him, but the focus is always on what it all means to the craft. He gives you a whole writer's "tool kit": a reading list, writing assignments, a corrected story, and nuts-and-bolts advice on dollars and cents, plot and character, the basic building block of the paragraph, and literary models. He shows what you can learn from H.P. Lovecraft's arcane vocabulary, Hemingway's leanness, Grisham's authenticity, Richard Dooling's artful obscenity, Jonathan Kellerman's sentence fragments. He explains why Hart's War is a great story marred by a tin ear for dialogue, and how Elmore Leonard's Be Cool could be the antidote.

King isn't just a writer, he's a true teacher. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Reviews (589)

Will the real Stephen King stand up?
This was money well spent. This book is more than the title implies. First it is a selected biography of Stephen King. I enjoyed the poison ivy episode. This is not a deviation but an explanation of why he writes the way he does and the background that he draws on. Secondly this is a "how to write like Stephen King" book it reflects his likes and dislikes. I agree with most of them. I suppose that that is why I like his novels.

However I can only guess that he must spend a lot of time around people that cuss. It is not like he is not aware of it. I feel that he is somewhat proud of the fact that he cusses a lot. Luckily he said it is not necessity to be excessive.

I share his dislike for flashbacks. And he also expresses several dislikes for other stilting crutches, including excessive description of Back-story.
An added bonus is his description of the van accident that a certain comedian commented about saying that Stephen lost his Tommyknockers. Stephen forgot to mention that he bought the van that hit him for destruction purposes. Talk about revenge.

Over all after reading this I was compelled to try my hand at writing.

One man's treasure is another man's junk
About the only thing in common between King and myself is our first name. Other than that, our views on writing (based on those expressed in this book) could be worlds apart.

It's not necessarily true that I disagree with the points he raised. Just that writing is such an individual undertaking that no hard-and-fast rule can ever hold true. And King imposes several such rules in his book.

An example is King's insistence on the use of adverbs in dialogue attribution "only in the rarest and most special of occasions". This may actually compromise a writer's individual style. The point here is that not everybody aspires to be a good dialogue writer. Imagine populating a 30-page dialogue with purely "he/she said".

While many of his advice are spot-on indeed, you can't help but wonder if it makes sense to follow them. After all, not everybody wants to write fiction. And certainly not everybody wants to write fiction the way King does.

For instance, King harbours a deep distrust for plot. Instead, he prefers to start with a situation and mould the character from there. This approach may not work for writers whose strength lies elsewhere.

True, the story should always be the boss. But if your characters were shallow, readers would have a hard time developing a sense of association. And if readers cannot associate with the character, think of how they would feel about the story itself.

Part of the problem with "On Writing" is that you need to be familiar with King's work in order to understand the points he's driving at. I wouldn't consider this approach as a shameless plug on the part of the author, but it does make it more difficult for non-fans to align themselves to his ideas.

All in all, "On Writing" is a good read if you want to gain insight into the thought processes of one of the most successful fiction writers of our times. But if you follow the tips to a T, you may end up as another Stephen King, which may not exactly be a good thing.

The most inspiring book on writing
Quite simply, this is the most inspiring book on the writing craft that you will ever read. First, because Stephen King gives you a glimpse into the early stages of his career as a writer, when he struggled as hard as anyone to get something published. He is brutally candid about the shortcomings of his early work, yet clear about how much he loved to write and the sheer volume of writing necessary to improve.

And second, because he gives you an honest description of his method of approaching a story. But he does so not in a pedantic, academic way but rather with the storytelling magic for which he's become so famous. It's the most entertaining look at the writer's craft that you're ever likely to read.

Buy it to learn about the craft. Buy it to simply enjoy. It's as much fun to read as his novels.

Educational, Disappointing
I wish I'd have read this Stephen King title before I wrote my first piece of published work.This book helped me to overcome writer's block, which was caused by excessive plotting, and motivated me to begin working an a new novel.

The thing I found very disappointing was King's invitation for his readers to write six or seven pages about a scenario he outlined and email the work to him through his website.He said he wouldn't respond to everyone, but he'd read them all.I spent several hours doing so, and although it helped me as a writer, it bothered me to read his webmaster's response.Basically, King didn't expect anyone to respond and doesn't fulfill his promise of reading them.

A Work of Inspiration
I was also afraid of being a writer. The ideas and words in my mind were and in many ways are puzzles I have a hard time connecting. One thing about being a writer is that you can and you sould be expressive; it is your god given rite. Although I'm sure a lot of people would argue that with me. I read half his book in one three hour sitting, savoring each and every work as though it was psychology to my confustion. Years of college instruction on writing couldn't make up for one six hour reading that King offeres here. Now, I look at my existance in a much brighter, less frightning way. King paves your way with his steps and by the time you are through reading this mastepiece you find your way in the seat of a writer. ... Read more

Book Description

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith narrates this authorized biography of the band The Chieftains. The Chieftains career and music virtually defines traditional Irish music and culture and here, for the first time, is the bestselling recording act's story told in their own words.This program features audio interviews with band members and the musical superstars who they have worked with (including Sarah McLachlan, Tom Jones, Marianne Faithfull, Jackson Browne, Nanci Griffith, etc.). (approximate length: 4.5 hours; 3 cassettes) ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great access but absurdly disorganized
Mr. Glatt appears to have enjoyed carte blanche access to these fabulous musicians but his book reads like he spilled his notes and put them in the book in random. One moment he's praising founder Paddy Moloney for his computer-like brain, the next we're supposed to laugh that Paddy is five hours late for a major recording session.

There's some fun stuff here, but the weeds are thick!

Nanci and the Chieftains
I purchased this CD because of my interest in Nanci Griffith as a songwriter, musician, and performer. Nanci does not disappoint as she breathes life into the narrative of fellow musicians and collaborators, the Chieftains. It is her familiarity with them as friends and musicians which adds to the excitement of the performance. Nanci has already won three grammies, been nominated for seven, and this should have been her fourth.

Nanci the Narrator
Nanci Griffith does a fabulous job narrating the audio version of the Chieftain's autobiography. Her voice is as sweet and flowing as the melodious tunes she sings.

The Royalty of Irish Music
Irish music is very hot. It is amazing how many successful Irish bands (of all types) have emerged from this tiny Island of 5 million. Yet in no small way can they all point to a single pioneering band that helped put Irish music on the map.

The Chieftains are more than simply a successful collection of great musicians who have toured the world for over 30 years. When they started, in the mid 1960's, there was little interest in traditional music in Ireland. In Ireland, Irish music wasn't considered to be "hip" and broadcasts were limited to relatively unimaginative ceili music. The most famous Irish musicians of time, the Clancy Brothers, were not even living in Ireland when they began.

The Chieftains took traditional Irish music and infused it with a new energy and style. They soon developed a cult following, but after doing the sound track for the movie Barry Lyndon (early 70's) their popularity exploded. Even after upwards of 30 albums, they and constant touring, their popularity never falters.

The Chieftains : The Authorized Biography by John Glatt tells the story of how it all happened. If it weren't all true, it would sound wildly improbable.

For anyone interested in Irish music, this book is a must.

audio book disappointing
The story of the Chieftains is fascinating, but unfortunately, I don't think the audio book version does it justice. I found Nanci Griffith's reading of the story to be very rushed and lacking in feeling and emotion. At various times, interviews with different band members are inserted. Many of the interviews are full of background noise, sounding like they were conducted at a party. I really don't know much about the editing process, but it seems that some of this superfluous noise could have been removed to make the speaker's voice more audible. I found it hard to believe that this recording was nominated for a Grammy. I was eager to listen to a great book, but was disappointed. I recommend sticking to the print version. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

meaningful, emotional and mystical
i continue to feel a sense of awe as i read. what ever was in the background of the story, the truth on the surface is that, motown's blessing was berry gordy. consider being locked in a destiny filled with certain failure and uncertain success. your vision emerges beyond your wildest dreams to change the landscape of the music sceen. memories of yesterday and statements of today are still reflected in the music of motown. magic or god? determination or wisdome? for a black man, this was uncharted teritory. for the white man it was thought to be protected. there was no sense of invasion or conquest as fun and joy mixed with sorrow and sadness. the success and accomplishment mingled with struggle and desension. survival slowly became the motto of the day. the reality of the entertainment world and the almighty dollar loured conflict like vultures to rob the safety of the domain. berry gordy was chosen for this at birth and only god understands for surely god has been and is with this man and his vision. the music has been and still is a wonderful and joyful pleasure.the world has become a wonderful place full of riches and promise for so many people because of how god used and still is using this man. i pray god will always be his strength.

Interesting, though a little self-centered.
It is always hard to believe autobriographies, especially in the music-biz where people are fighting others constantly for power, money and all those things. Since Berry Gordy is a controversial figure, we have to doubt it.

Doesn't take away the fact that is interesting seeing the rise of his Motown label through his eyes. He discoverd many acts and also wrote and produced many hits in the 50's through 80's. Jackie Wilson, Martha Reeves, Mary Wells, The Supremes, Four Tops, Temptations and Miracles all are very much part of the Gordy legacy.

He started as a boxer, admiring Joe Louis before turning to music. One of his earliest friends was Smokey Robinson, someone who he also admired and who never turned his back to him. Something the Jackson 5 did, though they were almost part of his family.

His familymember were often married to people from his company. Jermaine Jackson and Marvin Gaye for example. He himself married often and had more than 8 children with 4 different wives, including Diana Ross.

It is very interesting to read about how he felt about the music business and Motown, but doubt the honesty

Awesome Book
This was one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. I couldn't put it down. So many awesome characters and people that everyone knows. Definately recommended. Highly

Oh please
I'm amazed at the almost uniformly positive reviews of this book by other readers here. Berry Gordy accomplished a great deal by founding Motown Records, no question about it (what he did for African American culture in general is immeasurable); what I object to is his (predictible, but no less shocking) glossing over of many unpleasant facts in this book. The fact is, Gordy was a mean and ruthless businessman who stomped on countless others in his rise to the top (the part he played in the downfall of Florence Ballard alone is unforgivable); his warm and fuzzy recounting of his and Motown's story simply reads false to me. Better books on this subject are J. Randy Taraborelli's Motown book, his biography of Diana Ross, and the two Mary Wilson autobiographies. Those read quite a bit more convincingly.

A GREAT BOOK
Glad to hear from the man who made Motown. If you are a fan of the music than this is a must read!!!!! ... Read more

Book Description

In 1936 Eric Blair, a novelist, critic and political satirist known by the pseudonym George Orwell, went to Spain to write about the Spanish Civil War. This book is his eyewitness account of that conflict. Nothing written since is as moving and alive with the terrors and triumphs of that time past. Orwell battled totalitarianism through his novels ANIMAL FARM and 1984, but for immediacy and passion nothing surpasses this chronicle. ... Read more

Reviews (61)

probably Orwell's most important book
Although the book published the year before this one, _The Road to Wigan Pier_, is a more in-depth gauge of Orwell's politics, I still feel closer to _Homage to Catalonia_, a truly fascinating account of his months in the Spanish Civil War and an unwitting allegory for right vs. left, freedom vs. slavery, and other "big ideas."

It was with this book that I realized that Orwell was more than the apparently cynical curmudgeon who wrote _Animal Farm_ and _1984_. In fact, he was even more than an important political thinker. In all his writings, but especially _Homage to Catalonia_, one gets a sense of complete honesty and decency, completely unfeigned, that is impossible not to admire. His unflinching portrayal of all that was good and bad in revolutionary Spain makes this book one of those rare documents that can give you a slightly different way of looking a the world. I don't mean a conversion to radical socialism, but a sense that there is genuine wisdom in Orwell's uncomplicated, sincere way of looking at the world. His style, for me, disarms the most clever intellectual sophistry of those who are really nothing more than overeducated windbags.

I don't always agree with Orwell, and I don't think he was by any mans the smartest Brit of the century. But I always admire what he says, and the way he says it, right or wrong.

In a word: invaluable.

Insightful on Stalinist foreign policy, Spanish Civil War
I actually wrote this an extra credit book report:
A Homage to Homage to Catalonia
Homage to Catalonia is an account of Orwell's personal story of his experience in the Spanish Civil War and some reflections on the complex political situations involved. He wrote it in 1938 (I think so; the introduction didn't bother to mention when it was actually written as its author was obviously not a historian), only months after his experience. The reader is put the exciting situation of Europe before World War II. The fact he was writing about contemporary subjects makes it all the more interesting, because he did not have the advantage of knowing what was going to happen next making his opinions of what should be done more valid.
I started reading the book thinking it was going to be about Orwell's disillusionment with Stalinist Russia. If he ever did admire the USSR, he does not admit to it. He does however admit to only joining the POUM because that was the first group he found, though I do not believe he would have ever joined what he referred to as a right-wing Socialist group (though he was tempted at one point, as it was the only way to get to Madrid). It is certain he was disillusioned by several other things. The degree to which USSR-backed groups were not revolutionary, but only wished to perpetuate the "bourgeoisie democracy" I think did surprise them. He thought that this antirevolutionary policy may have been detrimental to anti-Franco cause, because, for example, it meant the Moors of Morocco could not be effectively allied with. This policy was similar to the USSR insisting the Chinese Communists allied with the moderates long after this made sense, though there they had the excuse that unindustrialized China was not ready for a revolution. One thing Orwell was certainly disillusioned about was journalism, due to the coverage of the Spanish Civil War and its disparity with what he was witnessing. On both sides he found simplifications and outright lies.
Orwell obviously cannot be fully objective about the topic. However, he is a journalist and does try. Orwell sums up this possibly downfall fairly well in saying "... beware of my partisanship, my mistakes of fact and the distortion inevitably caused by my having seen only one corner of events." His politics can be described as Marxist. He thought that a revolution was the only way to help the proletariat; it could not happen within the constraints of democracy. Outside of some the political commentary, the book is in fact a primary document and in this respect it is good to read regardless of his subjectivity, as his opinions are valuable in their own right.
I traveled to Spain a few years ago and found I agreed with his reflections on Spanish culture. He pointed out from time to time things in "typical Spanish fashion." Orwell noted how laid-back the Spanish are, the word incompetent could almost be used. For instance, it was often a hassle to pay the bill at a restaurant. It is like they did not want our money. I had attributed this as a reaction to Fascism, though it apparently predated it. In one of his few optimistic statements, he predicted Fascism would not be as bad as in Italy and Germany because of the inefficiency of the Spanish culture; they would just not be able to pull it off. From the little I know of the following decades, this was more or less bore out.
Homage to Catalonia remains an excellent read to anyone interested into this facet of the Spanish Civil War or Stalinist foreign policy in general. It gives a first person account of the soldier's view of the war; I think a fairly average one. Most accounts of war seem to be by people who take down their story because something unique happened to them. Orwell was probably planning to write a book regardless. So Orwell complains much more about boredom then he does carnage, as he was stationed where both he and the Fascists did not have enough firepower to go on the offensive.

A well told true story
Unlike 1984 or Animal Farm there is a constant upbeat current in this revealing account of his participation in the Spanish Civil War. Although a very political affair, Orwell's participation is not tied to the tenets of one particular party as much as his desire to do good in the world by helping to stop Fascism. So he brings his wife to Spain, enlists in the militia, is sent to the front, wounded, chased by the police, engaged in street fighting gun battles between different political parties that are on the same side of the war. An amazing account so very well told. There is a chapter in the middle that has to do with the complexities of the political parties at the time, at the very end of the previous chapter Orwell writes that if you are not interested in the politics to skip the chapter, so I skipped the chapter, preferring to stay with the adventure story. It is an adventure story, a war story, a comedy, a sad tragedy, but heartfelt and so real. Great book if you like good writing, or war stories, or politics or Spain. Above all, a well told story made more interesting that when Orwell finishes he is still assuming Franco would be defeated, which was not the case at all.

Extraordinary account of the Spanish Civil War
I was put off Orwell at an early age by reading 1984 and Animal Farm, both of which I found terribly depressing. Thirty years later, I finally got around to reading 'Homage to Catalonia' and I wish I hadn't waited so long because it is absolutely fascinating. Orwell's account of fighting on the front line during the war is really reamrkable. It is astonishing to earn what an absolute shambles the war was, with soldiers armed with hopleessly antiquated weapons. The Republican and Nationalist front lines were so far apart that most of the time they can't even fire at each other, being too far apart to score a hit, so they are reduced to shouting propoganda at each other through megaphones. I had no idea Orwell could be funny, at times reading this book is like reading a scenario for a farcical comedy. You get a good sense of the privations and squalor of life in the front line, also, surprisingly, the cold (it had honestly never occured to me that Spain was ever cold). There is an incredibly vivivd description of how Orwell felt when he got shot in action. Away from the front, Orwell is shocked to discover that the Republicans seem to be more interested in fighting each other than the Nationalists. The Communists begin to act vindictively towards the Trotskyists and members of POUM, the organisation under whose banner Orwell had fought. He describes his horror as he sees men who had given up everything to go and fight for the Republic, treated as criminals by the Republican army. There is a very funny scene where he describes how his hotel room is searched by police looking for evidence of subversive activity. they search the room for about an hour, looking everywhere, but they never touch the bed, because his wife is lying in it, even though,as Orwell reflects, there could be a ton of Trotskyist literature under the pillow, and machine guns under the mattress. Hilarious in parts, heartbreaking in others, this is an unforgettable book.

Getting Shot in the Neck in the Name of Anarcho-Syndicalism
Ever wonder what it is like be shot right through the neck? Ever wonder what it is like to stare over open sights at an enemy soldier with his pants down (literally) relieving himself? Would you shoot? Ever wonder what it is like to fight with allies that may be as worse than the common enemy?

Orwell experienced all of this and more as a member of one of the more obscure Spanish militias fighting for the Spanish Republic during the bloody internecine Spanish Civil War. He also became incredibly dissillusioned in the process. Finding his beliefs in revolutionary socialism, he was already jaded by communism and the cynical use it was put to serve Stalin's interests. He opted for a more loose organisation and therefore choose to enroll with the Anarcho-Syndicalists as a foreign volunteer in the Spanish Civil War. His particular group was called the POUMists (an acronym that I need not summarize here).

Ill-equipped and with no training, they showed what raw idealism can do against Franco and his fascist oppression -- they stopp