Biografier

New Directions is proud to present Fleur Jaeggy's strange and mesmerizing essays about the writers Thomas De Quincey, John Keats, and Marcel Schwob. A renowned stylist ofhyper-brevity in fiction, Fleur Jaeggy proves herself an even more concise master of the essay form, albeit in a most peculiar and lapidary poetic vein. Of De Quincey's early nineteenth-century world we hear of the habits of writers: Charles Lamb "spoke of 'Lilliputian rabbits' when eating frog fricassse"; Henry Fuseli "ate a diet of raw meat in order to obtain splendid dreams"; "Hazlitt was perceptive about musculature and boxers"; and "Wordsworth used a buttery knife to cut the pages of a first-edition Burke." In a book of "blue devils" and night visions, the Keats essay opens: "In 1803, the guillotine was a common child's toy." And poor Schwob's end comes as he feels "like a 'dog cut open alive'": "His face colored slightly, turning into a mask of gold. His eyes stayed open imperiously. No one could shut his eyelids. The room smoked of grief." Fleur Jaeggy's essays-or are they prose poems?-smoke of necessity: the pages are on fire.

LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDSHORTLISTED FOR THE CROSS SPORTS BOOK AWARDS BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR The definitive biography of one of the greatest, most extraordinary runners and Olympic heroes of all time, from the author of running classic Feet in the Clouds.

Bill Bryson's first travel book opened with the immortal line, 'I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to.' In this deeply funny and personal memoir, he travels back in time to explore the ordinary kid he once was, in the curious world of 1950s Middle America.

Charting his rise to power, his struggle to unify the warring factions of his faith, and his battles to retake Jerusalem and expel Christian influence from Arab lands, Saladin explores the life and the enduring legacy of this champion of Islam, and examines his significance for the world today.

A thoroughly researched, balanced new biography of author, journalist and adventurer Ernest Hemingway.

The life and times of the great eighteenth-century judge and statesman, whose legacy continues to influence Anglo-American law and society.

An international bestseller, this is the extraordinary memoir of a German-Nigerian woman who learns that her grandfather was the brutal Nazi commandant depicted in Schindler's List.

A warm, intimate account of the love between Eleanor Roosevelt and reporter Lorena Hickok—a relationship that, over more than three decades, transformed both women''s lives and empowered them to play significant roles in one of the most tumultuous periods in American historyIn 1932, as her husband assumed the presidency, Eleanor Roosevelt entered the claustrophobic, duty-bound existence of the First Lady with dread. By that time, she had put her deep disappointment in her marriage behind her and developed an independent life—now threatened by the public role she would be forced to play. A lifeline came to her in the form of a feisty campaign reporter for the Associated Press: Lorena Hickok. Over the next thirty years, until Eleanor’s death, the two women carried on an extraordinary relationship: They were, at different points, lovers, confidantes, professional advisors, and caring friends.    They couldn''t have been more different. Eleanor had been raised in one of the nation’s most powerful political families and was introduced to society as a debutante before marrying her distant cousin, Franklin. Hick, as she was known, had grown up poor in rural South Dakota and worked as a servant girl after she escaped an abusive home, eventually becoming one of the most respected reporters at the AP. Her admiration drew the buttoned-up Eleanor out of her shell, and the two quickly fell in love. For the next thirteen years, Hick had her own room at the White House, next door to the First Lady.    These fiercely compassionate women inspired each other to right the wrongs of the turbulent era in which they lived. During the Depression, Hick reported from the nation’s poorest areas for the WPA, and Eleanor used these reports to lobby her husband for New Deal programs. Hick encouraged Eleanor to turn their frequent letters into her popular and long-lasting syndicated column "My Day," and to befriend the female journalists who became her champions. When Eleanor’s tenure as First Lady ended with FDR''s death, Hick pushed her to continue to use her popularity for good—advice Eleanor took by leading the UN’s postwar Human Rights Commission. At every turn, the bond these women shared was grounded in their determination to better their troubled world.  Deeply researched and told with great warmth, Eleanor and Hick is a vivid portrait of love and a revealing look at how an unlikely romance influenced some of the most consequential years in American history.

____________________________A moving celebration of what Bill Hayes calls 'the evanescent, the eavesdropped, the unexpected' of life in New York City, and an intimate glimpse of his relationship with the late Oliver Sacks.____________________________'A beautiful memoir in which Oliver Sacks comes wonderfully to life ... Exquisitely wrought, heartrending and joyous' - Joyce Carol Oates'A loving tribute to Sacks and to New York ... Read just 50 pages, and you'll see easily enough how Hayes is Sacks's logical complement' - Jennifer Senior, New York Times____________________________Bill Hayes came to New York in 2009 with a one-way ticket and only the vaguest idea of how he would get by. But, at forty-eight years old, having spent decades in San Francisco, he craved change. Grieving over the death of his partner, he quickly discovered the profound consolations of the city's incessant rhythms, the sight of the Empire State Building against the night sky, and New Yorkers themselves, kindred souls that Hayes, a lifelong insomniac, encountered on late-night strolls with his camera. And he unexpectedly fell in love again, with his friend and neighbor, the writer and neurologist Oliver Sacks, whose exuberance is captured in funny and touching vignettes throughout. What emerges is a portrait of Sacks at his most personal and endearing, from falling in love for the first time at age seventy-five to facing illness and death (Sacks died of cancer in August 2015). Insomniac City is both a meditation on grief and a celebration of life. Filled with Hayes's distinctive street photos of everyday New Yorkers, the book is a love song to the city and to all who have felt the particular magic and solace it offers.____________________________'A unique and exuberant celebration of life and love' - Kirkus Reviews

The follow-up to the phenomenal international bestseller, Letters of Note

Even after his death, Tupac Shakur maintains star status as his books and music are hotter than ever. Finally, fans can read this collection of letters which offers insight into the psyche of the rap icon.

One night in 1974, a young Frenchman secretly - and illegally - rigged a tightrope between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. At daybreak, he gave the high-wire performance of all time, making eight crossings over the course of an hour, 110 floors up above the earth, as a hundred thousand people gathered on the ground to watch.In To Reach the Clouds, now filmed as The Walk, Philippe Petit re-creates a six-year quest to realise his dream, an adventure as thrilling as the walk itself. In an unforgettable memoir he tells the story of how he conspired, connived, improvised, and insisted his way to this 'coup', abetted by a motley crew of accomplices, the occasional miracle, and his own unflagging passion. He reveals himself to be not only a virtuoso of the air but also a bold and inspired performer on the page. Animated by never-seen photographs and Petit's ingenious sketches, To Reach the Clouds is a tour de force of the imagination and a serenade to his beloved towers.

Offering a collection of personal and defining moments, this book offers insight into the Great War as it was experienced and as it was remembered.

Paul Hollywood is the charismatic face of Britain's most popular food show, wowing foodies with his consummate bakery skills and setting hearts aflutter with undeniable screen presence. This biography will give fans the inside story on the man himself.

The life of Syncletica is one of the oldest lives of a woman saint and provides rare testimony to the life of female sanctity in the fifth century. This translation of the life forms Part One of a two-part set, while Part Two provides the first full-length study of the teachings and spiritual background of this most remarkable woman. Anchored firmly in the Scriptures and in everyday, human experience, Syncletica's teachings are as pertinent today as they were fifteen centuries ago. Her meditations, based on astute psychological insights, still have the power to inspire, to encourage, and to challenge latter-day disciples to live authentic Christian lives.

Though a well-regarded physicist Carl Sagan is best-known as a writer of popular nonfiction and science fiction and as the host of the series Cosmos. In interviews and profiles, Sagan discusses with verve a wide variety of topics - the environment, nuclear disarmament, religion, politics, extraterrestrial life, astronomy, physics, robotics.

"I am disposed to regard as my duty to a faithful friend, as well as to the great community of which Mr. Tilden had been for full half a century a devoted servant and benefactor. "His public life spanned a larger portion of the history of our Republic than that of any other eminent American statesman, and he occupied the unique position in our history of being the only one selected by the nation for its chief magistracy, who was never clothed with its responsibilities. "Mr. Tilden's place among the foremost and wisest statesmen of our country will be cheerfully recognized. If, however, I owe to his memory, as I suppose I do, any further duty as a friend and patriot, it is a duty which my increasing years admonish me must not be deferred." ...John Bigelow, Author

Bergens Guttehjem (Boy''s home)The author of these memoirs, Olof A. Eriksen, was born in Norway 1936. In 1952 he moved to Karlskrona, Sweden to study Mechanical Engineering, and 1956 he immigrated to the United States. This book is his diary containing his true life memories. "A fascinating, unbelievable, and heart-rending story that will make you shake your head in disbelief."One publisher wrote: "If your accomplishments were not so well documented, readers would want to characterize your writings as a fictitious tale of adventure, filled with exaggeration and fantasy. But we are more amazed to know that this is not fiction, but rather an autobiographical account of, how through determination, creativity and sheer genius, you successfully overcame seemingly insurmountable odds, to live a life so special, most of us can only dream of or see in the movies. This extraordinary book deserves a wide audience, indeed."One Professional writer, Nina M. Sherwood wrote: "Olof''s life is riveting and inspiring. It is hard to imagine that one person could have gone through so much and still come out a "winner"! This definitely is a story that movies and dreams are made from."

The definitive biography of Tom Paine, published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of his death

Elizabeth Prout stands at both the heart and the crossroads of nineteenth-century history. From her birth in 1820 as the daughter of a cooper in a brewery, beside a cotton mill and an ironworks in the suburbs of Shrewsbury, to her death of tuberculosis, beside the glass and chemical works of St Helens, in 1864, she experienced the industrial, educational, social, economic and religious changes that transformed English society at that time. It was, however, her close friendships with those two giants of the spiritual life, the Passionists Blessed Dominic Barberi and Father Ignatius Spencer, that transformed her own life, enabling her, in turn, to transform her own environment. Slight in build, fragile in health, Elizabeth Prout spent her life in the service of the poor: the mill girls of Manchester, the refugees from the Irish Potato Famine, the needy of Sutton, St Helens and the unemployed of Ashton-under-Lyne during the Lancashire Cotton Famine. Through her work she implemented educational changes that raised up the Catholic population. She provided Homes for the motherly care of Catholic working girls. Most important of all, in partnership with Father Gaudentius Rossi CP and Father Robert Croskell of the Diocese of Salford, she founded a religious Order for the poor, the Sisters of the Cross and Passion - enabling others, too, to educate, to nourish family life in parish visitation and the instruction of converts and to enrich the drabness of people's lives with the beautiful vestments they made for their churches. In 1994 the Cause for the Canonisation of Elizabeth Prout (Mother Mary Joseph of Jesus) was opened by Archbishop Derek Worlock of Liverpool in the Church of St Anne and Blessed Dominic Barberi, Sutton, St Helens, where her remains are interred, like those of Father Ignatius Spencer CP, in the shrine of Blessed Dominic. In 2008 Archbishop Patrick Kelly completed the Liverpool Archdiocesan Process and forwarded Elizabeth Prout's Cause to Rome.