Helen Constantine Books

Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in Europe, a multilingual capital of an autonomous region that longs to be independent of Spain. The city is famous for its painters, modernist architecture, style of football, and its history, but as Peter Bush reveals it has always been a major centre of literary talent and creativity.Barcelona Tales presents a selection of newly translated short stories by 14 writers, many of them Catalan. The stories explore the themes of migration and class conflict in a city renowned in world literature from the day rural innocents Don Quixote and Sancho Panza visited its streets at the beginning of the seventeenth-century, and witnessed the wonders of the printing press and the cruelties of slavery. Together, they open up the city in ironic, tragic, and lyrical ways, inviting readers to explore fictional lives and literary styles that reflect the dynamic, conflict-ridden character and history of this great European city.

Following on from Helen Constantine's hugely successful Paris Tales, the twenty-two short stories included in More Metro Tales take the reader on an fascinating journey around Paris by metro. The journey begins at the Gare du Nord, stops at twenty underground stations along the way, and ends at Lamarck-Caulaincourt. Some of these stories actually take place in the metro itself, but most are to be found when you emerge above ground. They range from the15th-century account of the miraculous Saint Genevieve, patron saint of Paris, through tales by favourite writers such as Zola, Simenon, and Maupassant, to Martine Delerm's evocation of the last hours of Modigliani's mistress, Jeanne Hébuterne. Gérard de Nerval evokes the thriving, bustling market in Les Halles in the 1850s;Colette recounts her involvement in a traffic accident near the Opéra; Boulanger describes a blackly funny experience in Père Lachaise.Each story is illustrated with a black-and-white photograph and there is a map and suggested itinerary round the metro system. Readers will find familiar and unfamiliar writers here, but all are masterly writers of the short story and each evokes a different aspect of this endlessly intriguing and much-loved city, whether the traveller is on the metro or at home sitting in an armchair.

French Tales is a collection of twenty-two translated stories associated with the twenty-two regions of France. The book, which includes both well-known and little-known writers, for example Prosper M--eacute--;rim--eacute--;e in the nineteenth century and Anne-Marie Garat in the twenty-first, affords readers a panoramic view of French society and culture, reflecting, as it does, its variety and diversity from Brittany to Corsica. Writers include among others Maupassant, Zola, Annie Saumont, Marcel Aym--eacute--;, Didier Daeninckx and Stephane --Eacute--;mond. The subject-matter ranges from stories about marriage, the First World War and homelessness to house-buying, childhood and honour-killing. Following the model of Paris Tales, also translated by Helen Constantine, each story is illustrated with a striking photograph and there is a map indicating the position of the French regions. There is an introduction and notes to accompany the stories and a selection of Further Reading. The book will appeal to people who love travelling or are armchair travellers, as much as to those who love France and things French.

If there is one city that captures the tragedy and euphoria of the twentieth century, it is Berlin. The scene of socialist revolution and Nazi oppression, invaded and occupied, divided and blockaded, it rose again after German reunification to become a thriving global cultural center. Not surprisingly, Berlin has been home to some of the finest writers in any language, who have rooted their tales in the nooks and neighborhoods of this fascinating place. In Berlin Tales, translator Lyn Marven and editor Helen Constantine offer a collection that reveals the literary brilliance and urban richness found in Berlin over the decades. The stories are grouped together by district--from the Jewish Mitte to Turkish Kreuzberg, from Alexanderplatz to individual streets--and layered on top of each other historically, providing a narrative palimpsest that tells us much about the city and its writers. The city's image, meaning, and appeal to immigrants and tourists find full expression here, in this remarkable array of work from across the decades.

Discover the astonishing, little-known stories of eight ordinary women who risked everything to save children caught in the atrocities of World War II. While much has been written about the horrors of the Holocaust, the stories of so many brave men and women are barely known, even now. Saving the Children of the Holocaust looks at the lives of eight remarkable women who gave thousands of innocent children caught up in the horrors of World War II a chance to live. They didn’t do it for fame or glory. They did it because it was the right thing to do. Helen Constantine explores the courageous acts of: Irena Sendler, who smuggled children out of the Warsaw ghetto to safety. Diana Budisavljević, who gave up her life in Austrian high society to help Serbian children in danger. Truus Wijsmuller, a key member of the Kindertransport movement who helped arrange safe passage from Nazi-occupied territories for thousands of children before and during World War II. Mary Elmes, a nurse who hid children in the trunk of her car and drove them out of French concentration camps to safety. Anna Essinger, a German headmistress who outwitted the Nazis and relocated her school to Britain, ensuring her pupils' safety and continued education. Andrée Geulen, a young non-Jew who worked with the Belgian Resistance, persuading families to part with their children and escorting them to safety. Hetty Voûte & Gisela Soehnlein, university students who worked in Holland, rescuing children and taking them to safety. Find hope and inspiration in the stories of these unsung heroes, and be reminded of the power of kindness and courage in the face of adversity. By sharing their stories, we can celebrate their achievements, weep at the devastation they witnessed, marvel at their courage, and ultimately smile at the thought of the children they saved.