Bøker av Jay Parini

A powerful and moving novel recounting the life and death of Walter Benjamin from the award-winning author

From the author of the international bestseller The Last Station, a superb historical novel of the Apostle Paul, whose tireless and epic preaching of the message of Jesus brought Christianity into existence and changed human history forever.In the years after Christ's crucifixion, Paul of Tarsus, a prosperous tentmaker and Jewish scholar, took it upon himself to persecute the small groups of his followers that sprung up. But on the road to Damascus, he had some sort of blinding vision, a profound conversion experience that transformed Paul into the most effective and influential messenger Christianity has ever had. In The Damascus Road novelist Jay Parini brings this fascinating and ever-controversial figure to full human life, capturing his visionary passions and vast contradictions. In relating Paul's epic journeys, both geographical and spiritual, Parini unfolds a vivid panorama of the ancient world on the verge of epochal change. And in the alternating voice of the Gospel writer Luke, Paul's travel companion, scribe, and ghostwriter, a cooler perspective on his actions and beliefs emerges--ironic but still filled with wonder at Paul's unshakable commitment to the Christ and his divinity.

When Alex Massolini's brother is killed in Vietnam, he drops out of Columbia University and leaves his conservative family behind for Capri to become secretary to Rupert Grant, a famous British novelist and poet who dominates the island like a latter -- day Prospero. Alex soon finds himself ensnared in a web of love affairs, friendships, and rivalries within the eccentric community that inhabits the idyllic beauty of the isolated Italian island.The Apprentice Lover traces a young American's enchantment and disenchantment -- with his American past, his new European mentor, and the various inhabitants on an island famous for its characters.

The definitive - and uproariously funny - biography of one of the twentieth century's foremost thinkers and writers.

Examines the importance of the poetic voice and the mysteries of metaphor. This book argues that a poet's originality depends on a deep understanding of the traditions of political poetry, nature poetry, and religious poetry. It is suitable for those interested in a fresh introduction to an art that lies at the centre of Western civilization.

By 1910, Leo Tolstoy had become an almost religious figure, surrounded on his lavish estate by family and followers alike. Too ill to continue beyond the tiny station of Astapovo, he believes he is dying alone. This book centres on the battle for his soul waged by his wife and his leading disciple.