Focusing on Shakespeare's influence across cultures, this book delves into his works as a reflection of global themes and human experiences. It examines how his plays and poetry resonate with diverse audiences, transcending geographical and temporal boundaries. Through critical analysis, the author highlights the universal relevance of Shakespeare's characters and narratives, showcasing his enduring legacy as a poet who speaks to the complexities of the human condition in various cultural contexts.
Investigating the literary culture of the early interaction between European countries and East Africa, Edward Wilson-Lee uncovers an extraordinary sequence of stories in which explorers, railway labourers, decadent émigrés, freedom fighters, and pioneering African leaders made Shakespeare their own in this alien land. Exploring the unexpected history of Shakespeare's global legacy, Shakespeare in Swahililand is a breathtaking combination of travel, history, biography and satire. It traces Shakespeare's influence in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan and Kenya - where Cambridge lecturer Edward Wilson-Lee was raised. From Victorian expeditions in which the Bard's works were the sole reading material, Wilson-Lee shows how Shakespeare's works have been a vital touchstone throughout the region. The Plays were printed by liberated slaves as one of the first texts in Swahili, performed by Indian labourers while they built the Uganda Railway, used to argue for native rights, and translated by intellectuals, revolutionaries and independence leaders. Revealing how great works can provide a key insight into modern history, these stories investigate the astonishing poignancy of beauty out of place.
"Created in 1539, the Biblioteca Colombina in Sevilla contains over 3000 books. This is but a fraction of one man's life spent collecting every book on every subject - including antique and modern worlds, science and law, as well as playing cards, pornography, and popular music. Who was Hernando Columbus and how did he achieve this? Set to the backdrop of Christopher Columbus' paradigm-defining explorations of the New World and beyond, and cutting across events of the Renaissance and Reformation, this book follows Hernando Columbus' bibliomania and curation of the first ever library of its kind. As the `natural son' of Christopher, Hernando had a complex relationship to his father and an acute need to validate his position. While originally from Liguria, Italy, it is in Spain that Christopher found travel patronage. The newly united Spain was under the rule of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. Due to this special rapport, Hernando spent his formative years as a page boy for Prince Juan, setting himself up as part of the royal inner circle. In his time assisting with the various minute as menial tasks necessary for the care of the Infante, he learned how to devise various organisational systems that would inform his future librarianship. By the time of his death in 1539 Hernando possessed the largest book collection of Europe - yet it was but a fraction of his collection, which he had envisioned as `everything' on every topic. Hernando had built an immortal engine capable of withstanding the return to dust that awaited all humans, creating not only a repository for books but also a proposition for how they would fit together. In this book, Wilson-Lee chronicles his extraordinary journey."-- Provided by publisher
A Search for the Sublime and the Magical Power of Language
352 pages
13 hours of reading
Exploring the concept of persuasive speech, the book delves into the potential for language to influence and manipulate the listener's thoughts and actions. It examines the psychological mechanisms behind communication and the ethical implications of wielding such power. Through various examples and theoretical insights, it raises questions about autonomy, control, and the impact of rhetoric on human behavior.
