Into the rarefied atmosphere of the Hotel du Lac timidly walks Edith Hope, romantic novelist and holder of modest dreams. Edith has been exiled from home after embarrassing herself and her friends. She has refused to sacrifice her ideals and remains stubbornly single. But among the pampered women and minor nobility Edith finds Mr Neville, and her chance to escape from a life of humiliating spinsterhood is renewed ... Winner of the Booker Prize in 1984, �Hotel du Lac� was described by The Times as �A smashing love story. It is very romantic. It is also humorous, witty, touching and formidably clever�.
In an extraordinary period immediately before the first non-racial election and the beginning of majority rule in South Africa, Vera Stark, the protagonist of Nadine Gordimer's passionate novel, weaves a ruthless interpretation of her own past into her participation into the present as a lawyer representing blacks in the struggle to reclaim the land. None to Accompany Me is arresting and reverbant - perhaps the most powerful novel to date by one of the world's most commanding writers.
This biography of the Nobel Prize-winning novelist and playwright offers a monumental scholarly work that is also captivating reading. It explores Beckett's rich life, from his upper-middle-class Irish childhood to his early years in Paris and his complex relationship with Joyce. The narrative reveals Beckett's psychological struggles through over 300 previously unknown letters to his confidant, Thomas McGreevy, and highlights his heroic service in the French Resistance. It delves into the post-World War II period, during which Beckett created the masterpieces that established his fame, and examines his growing involvement in theater while he sought to maintain his privacy amidst increasing celebrity.
The biography chronicles Beckett's tumultuous family relationships, the psychosomatic illnesses that hindered his writing, and the autobiographical elements in his work. It also details his interactions with publishers, actors, directors, and friends, ultimately portraying him as the enigmatic artist who transformed modern despair into artistic expression. Despite Beckett's initial refusal to authorize the project, Deirdre Bair conducted extensive research and interviews across multiple countries, resulting in a remarkable literary biography that is a significant contribution to the field. Bair, a scholar with a background in journalism and teaching, has crafted a work that scholars and readers alike will find invaluable.
