DescriptionIn the late 1970s, Michael Ondaatje, author of The English Patient, returned to his native island of Sri Lanka. Recording his journey through the drug-like heat and intoxicating fragrances of that "pendant off the ear of India", Ondaatje simultaneously retraces the baroque mythology of his Dutch-Ceylonese family. It is a story of broken engagements and drunken suicide attempts, of parties where exquisitely dressed couples tango in the jungle; a tale whose actors pursue lives of Baudelairean excess with impeccable decorum. Lyrical and witty, tragic and deliriously romantic, Running in the Family is an inspired marriage of travel narrative and family memoir by one of our most poetic writers.
DescriptionFor more than 50 years, Ed McMahon has been one of America's most popular, recognizable and respected television personalities. Now, hear Ed share his personal reminiscences and hilarious Hollywood stories about being inside the entertainment industry. As Johnny Carson's sidekick on the legendary Tonight Show, Ed McMahon became a regular visitor to American homes, and as the host of Star Search he introduced the country to new talents including Rosie O'Donnell and Sinbad. In this warm, very funny audiobook, Ed reveals not only his most memorable show business experiences, but offers personal insights into his family life and the breadth of his career. And now, to tell you his own story as no one else can, "Heeerree's Ed."…
DescriptionBoth in her personal life and in her literature, Doris Lessing broke the rules. Born in Iran to a critical mother and a father who was shell-shocked during the First World War, she was brought up in Rhodesia. Marrying and divorcing twice, she moved with one of her children to Britain, with little more than an unpublished novel in her suitcase. An ardent Communist before and during the Second World War - when she was married to a German - she distanced herself from the movement long before Communism's attraction faded for others. Always prolific, Lessing continued to explore uncharted territory with her series of science-fiction novels, further unsettling the literary world when her work was submitted under a pseudonym. Based on numerous interviews and sources, this book is a timely portrait of a fascinating woman.
DescriptionHonesty, self-acceptance, and unconditional love - these are just a few qualities that I, as a human, have aspired to have in my life and in my relationships, says author Kevin McCourt. "A seeker of wisdom and enlightenment, I have wrestled with life…
DescriptionAnton Chekhov's life was short, intense, and dominated by battles, both with his dependents and with the tuberculosis that was to kill him at age 44. He was one of the greatest playwrights and short-story writers ever born, but he was torn between medicin…
DescriptionThis is the story of how four people, grouped together inside a set of offices five floors above a greengrocer's shop on Shepherd's Bush Green in West London, scaled the heights of British comedy. On any weekday morning, if you dared to clamber over th…
DescriptionThe life of the artist whose Saturday Evening Post illustrations captured the spirit of Middle America and were beloved by generations of Americans.
DescriptionThings are looking up for Major Matthew Hervey: news of a handsome legacy should allow him to purchase command of his beloved regiment, the 6th Light Dragoons. He is resolved to marry, and, rather to his surprise, the object of his affections, the widow of the late Sir Ivo Lankester, has readily consented. But he hasn't reckoned with the opportunism of a fellow officer with ready cash in hand.
DescriptionAn entertaining look at the life of the French author of such fanciful travel and science fiction tales as 20, 000 Leagues under the Sea and Around the World in Eighty Days . Includes interviews with Count Piero Gondolo della Riva, vice president of the Jules Verne Society; author Walter Miller; and Verne's great-grandson, Jean.
DescriptionThe triumphant and tragic story of the great poet, short story writer, and master of the macabre. Blessed by a genius that brought him many successes as a writer, including "The Raven" and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", Poe was plagued by alcoholism, gambling debts, and lost loves.
