Stefano Massini is an Italian writer, playwright, and essayist. His work is characterized by a profound exploration of the human condition and societal themes. Through compelling narratives and sharp observations, he often delves into the complexities of relationships and the dilemmas of modern life. His style is both poetic and direct, allowing readers to connect deeply with his stories.
One of the great imaginative novels of the century, a fierce political satire, filled with the most dazzling surreal humour. The devil makes a personal appearance in Moscow accompanied by two demons, a naked girl and a huge black cat. When he leaves, the asylums are full and the forces of law and order in disarray. Only the Master, a man devoted to truth, and Margarita, the woman he loves, remain undiminished. The Master and Margarita is Bulgakov's last and most celebrated novel, completed in 1938 at the height of Stalin's purges and published for the first time in Russia in 1966.
"How many times have words not been enough? How many complex feelings don't have a corresponding noun that properly describes them in the dictionary? How many times has a language left us like an archer without arrows in the labyrinth of our emotions? Award winning author Stefano Massini found himself feeling this way too often. With great surprise, he began to feel that the ancient rules of language were not a flowing palette of colors he could use to paint all things, but instead a limiting force robbing him of the freedom of expression. So, he returned to the wondrous mechanism that has fed our dictionaries from time immemorial. If a word was missing, he created one. Every chapter mentions a new word that comes from a story about a real person, from Louis XIV to an American gangster. The result is a flowing, beautifully-illustrated collection of linguistic origin stories wrought from the mind of an internationally renowned storytelling icon. In doing so, Massini effectively liberates the human capacity for using language creatively, and for embracing storytelling to fine tune our way of being in the world. If the language in the dictionary doesn't feel adequate to deal with reality here and now, he inspires readers to create new words that ring true"--
The novel in verse that inspired the sensational West End and Off-Broadway
play, The Lehman Trilogy is the story of a family and a company that changed
the world.
