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L'auteur, à travers un conte ponctué de douze nouvelles inspirées de faits réels ou de récits fantastiques connus, tente de nous révéler ce qui se cache au-delà des apparences de l'existence, de la mort et du destin. Il questionne les limites de la vie pour relativiser cette frontière ténue entre le monde animé et le monde inerte. Si vous vous laissez emporter par le récit, vous assisterez à la métamorphose de l'existence. Ou comment une surface pliée devient un objet en trois dimensions, comment cet objet s'anime, comment l'eau, la pierre et les machines naissent, vivent, et meurent... Pour explorer ce livre, il vous faudra un compagnon de voyage, un aventurier prêt à plonger dans la folie du réel. Ce héros, ce sera "l'enfant monde". Plus qu'un enfant, il est l'enfance de la création. Il forge l'univers et ses différents astres. Il crée la vie. Mais dès lors, il engendre également la mort et la souffrance, à son grand désespoir. À la manière du Petit Prince, en quête de sens, il part visiter de nombreuses planètes et rencontrer les autochtones. Autant d'expériences qui vont façonner sa personnalité. Ce texte est un cheminement à travers les paradoxes de la vie qui participent à la construction de l'individu et vont jusqu'à structurer son esprit et révéler sa propre nature. Il en sera ainsi de notre enfant monde, qui devra grandir et se découvrir.

Fifty years on from her legendary kidnapping, the definitive novel has finally been written. On the night that Patty Hearst was kidnapped in 1974, journalist Roger D. Rapoport was a short drive away in his Bay Area home. He quickly became one of the primary reporters covering the saga as it unfolded in real time. His reporting gave local and national readers a window into one of the most bizarre and polarizing crimes in U.S. history. Now, fifty years later, he has written a novel that draws us back to that time. In this compelling new book, he explores alternative theories of the crime and delves into the complex psychology of many of the key actors in a drama that kept the country riveted. Using the techniques of fiction, Rapoport gives voice to much of the story that fell outside of the bounds of journalistic coverage. With Rapoport's wry sensibility and insider knowledge Searching for Patty Hearst is able to go beyond the tabloid headlines to tell the story in depth. Why did Patty participate in the kidnapping of a high school student hours before six of the SLA kidnappers were killed in a firefight with the Los Angeles police department? Did celebrity coroner Thomas Noguchi mishandle the autopsies of six SLA victims? Why did Patty's lawyers dump her fiance Steve Weed as a key witness at her trial at the last minute?Does the city of Stockholm having anything to do with this? It's often said that fiction can offer insights into the truth that reporting can't. If that is the case, the story of Patty Hearst, the SLA, and the kidnapping that carved them into the American psyche just may be told here for the first time.--James Sparling

I Malavoglia

L¿emozione che provai entrando in Costantinopoli mi fece quasi dimenticare tutto quello che vidi in dieci giorni di navigazione dallo stretto di Messina all¿imboccatura del Bosforo. Il mar Jonio azzurro e immobile come un lago, i monti lontani della Morea tinti di rosa dai primi raggi del sole, l¿Arcipelago dorato dal tramonto, le rovine d¿Atene, il golfo di Salonico, Lemno, Tenedo, i Dardanelli, e molti personaggi e casi che mi divertirono durante il viaggio, si sbiadirono per modo nella mente, dopo visto il Corno d¿oro, che se ora li volessi descrivere, dovrei lavorare più d¿immaginazione che di memoria.

J. Henri Fabre's "Insect Adventures" invites readers into a captivating world of small creatures and their remarkable lives. The narrative explores the lives, behaviors, and intricacies of insects through a series of engaging and insightful tales.Set against the backdrop of the natural world, the stories within the book offer a glimpse into the fascinating behaviors and habits of insects such as ants, bees, and beetles. Through Fabre's detailed observations and storytelling, readers gain a deeper understanding of the complex and often surprising lives of these tiny creatures.The novel delves into themes of curiosity, scientific discovery, and the interconnectedness of all living beings. As Fabre shares his experiences and insights, readers are inspired to view the insect world with new appreciation and to recognize the vital roles insects play in the ecosystem."Insect Adventures" captures the spirit of exploration and scientific inquiry. J. Henri Fabre's storytelling immerses readers in the wonders of nature, offering a unique perspective on the insect kingdom and the intricate relationships that shape the natural world.

Ne ridono tutti così: la gente istruita che pure lo vede che piango, e non se ne commuove; ne prova anzi fastidio, e: «Stupida! Stupida!» mi grida in faccia, perché non crede che possa esser vero che il figlio mio, la creatura mia... Ma voi dovete credere a me; vi porto le testimonianze; son tutte povere donne, povere madri come me, del mio vicinato, che ci conosciamo tutte e sappiamo ch'è vero...

What if . . . John Hinckley had been successful in his attempt to assassinate Ronald Reagan shortly after he took office in 1981? In his novel Shattered Destiny, General Jim Swanson explores how the world, and America, would almost certainly be very different had Reagan's eight-year presidency never happened. This entertaining and thought-provoking story not only captures the perspective of world leaders and actors dealing with the events and challenges of a changed reality, but also follows the lives and careers of two U.S. military officers coping with an America in which Reagan was little more than minor political footnote.

Historian Maggie Winegarden decides she needs to spend some time away from her partner Bethany, who is upset over Maggie's desire to be a painter. Maggie visits the seaside town of Hastings and while in St. Clement's Church discovers that poet Christina Rossetti and artist Elizabeth "Lizzie" Siddal had been frequent visitors to Hastings and the church. Agatha, the church caretaker, shows Maggie a chest of papers in the catacombs that the vicar said belonged to Dante Gabriel Rossetti.Maggie discovers the papers are actually the lost diaries of Christina and Lizzie. She learns that Christina's and Lizzie's lives are intertwined beyond being sisters-in-law, that they become intimate friends and establish a community of women artists and poets, a Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood in Lizzie's ancestral home, Hope Hall.Maggie is joined by Bethany and Agatha in the quest to solve the mystery of how the diaries were buried in the St. Clement's Church catacombs and uncover surprising revelations on the origins of Christina's most famous poem "Goblin Market."Wrapped in a modern-day mystery, The Rossetti Diaries is a historical re-imagining that explores the indomitable artistic aspirations and achievements of the poet Christina Rossetti and the artist Elizabeth Siddal.

As the Cold War rages, twelve-year-old Colette (Col) Schmidt, flees Leipzig with her mother after they discover her secret policeman father is a Nazi war criminal. Settled in England by MI6, the lies Col must tell to hide her true origins weigh down her budding friendships. She makes inadvertent slips that expose her origins to her friends, but these reinforce and deepen their relationships. After MI6 use the pair as bait to lure out communist agents, they ship Colette and her mother to Australia. There, she is forced to use her linguistic skills to spy on the migrant communities. The risk of exposure causes the lies to proliferate and her internal conflict intensifies. Masking her truth in necessary lies, she finds support from a school friend, a Russian émigré and a first World War Scottish soldier. But the lies she must tell and their cargo of guilt take her to the brink of a breakdown. Can Colette find a way past the lies - without bringing the communist assassins to her door? Finalist in the 2023 PageTurner Awards

Nel dar alla luce del pubblico le notizie sulla mia vita parmi già di vedere alcuni accigliati censori, ed udirli con le loro rispettabili bocche esclamare: oh ecco una nuova eroina, che viene a farsi vedere sulla grande scena dell'universo! Adagio, Signori miei; io non vengo a farmi vedere nel secolo della esagerazione e dell'impostura, ove non si affetta che filosofia, ed in cui le ragioni della mente prevalgono a quelle del cuore. Vengo solamente per farmi sentire qual ineducata figlia del bosco, come si compiacque di chiamarmi il cantore dell'Armonia, scrivendo e parlando di me al Cesarotti;

Anche quella notte, dunque, Paulo si disponeva ad uscire. La madre, nella sua camera attigua a quella di lui, lo sentiva muoversi furtivo, aspettando forse, per uscire, ch'ella spegnesse il lume e si coricasse. Ella spense il lume ma non si coricò. Seduta presso l'uscio si stringeva una con l'altra le sue dure mani di serva, ancora umide della risciacquatura delle stoviglie, calcando i pollici uno sull'altro per farsi forza; ma di momento in momento la sua inquietudine cresceva, vinceva la sua ostinazione a sperare che il figlio s'acquetasse, che, come un tempo, si mettesse a leggere o andasse a dormire. Per qualche minuto, infatti, i passi furtivi del giovane prete cessarono: si sentiv...

Scrivo queste pagine con disgusto, con rivolta dell¿anima: ma le scrivo colla coscienza serena, dopoché per più giorni, tentando il possibile, resistendo a provocazioni che avrebbero stancata la pazienza di un santo, ho sperato di evitare a me stesso la fatica amara di doverle scrivere. Tentativo di speranza di cui nessun merito avrei, se proseguissi un qualunque interesse mio o mi tentasse qualsiasi povera ambizione: perché sol chi vuol salire, naturalmente desidera trovar meno aspri i gradini. Ma, finito appena sia il compito, che verso il Paese m¿imposi, so di poter dimostrare la mia ambizione sola qual era...

Non ha conosciuto l¿antichità né migliore né più amato principe di Tito Vespasiano. Le sue virtù lo resero a tutti sì caro, che fu chiamato «la delizia del genere umano». E pure due giovani patrizi, uno de¿ quali era suo favorito, cospirarono contro di lui. Scoperta però la congiura, furono dal Senato condannati a morire. Ma il clementissimo Cesare, contento d¿averli paternamente ammoniti, concesse loro ed ä loro complici un generoso perdono...