"There was no writer like him. . . prophetic assurance mixed with surrealistic humour and hard-edged social satire: a unique combination" (Arthur Miller) This volume brings together fresh new translations of four of his most popular plays, more than ever relevant today. In R. U. R., the Robot - an idea Çapek was the first to invent - gradually takes over all aspects of human existence except procreation; The Insect Play is a satirical fable in which beetles, butterflies and ants give dramatic form to different philosophies of life; The Makropulos Case is a fantasy about human mortality, finally celebrating the average lifespan; The White Plague is a savage and anguished satire against fascist dictatorship and the virus of inhumanity.
"There was no writer like him. . . prophetic assurance mixed with surrealistic humour and hard-edged social satire: a unique combination" (Arthur Miller) This volume brings together fresh new translations of four of his most popular plays, more than ever relevant today. In R. U. R., the Robot - an idea Çapek was the first to invent - gradually takes over all aspects of human existence except procreation; The Insect Play is a satirical fable in which beetles, butterflies and ants give dramatic form to different philosophies of life; The Makropulos Case is a fantasy about human mortality, finally celebrating the average lifespan; The White Plague is a savage and anguished satire against fascist dictatorship and the virus of inhumanity.
And although originally written in Czech, the book was commissioned by Catbird Press and was therefore written with foreign readers in mind; in other words, no prior knowledge of Capek's writings or his milieu is required."--BOOK JACKET.
A lighthearted mock-treatise reflects upon the pains and rewards of tending a small garden plot. "This very entertaining volume with its delightfully humorous pictures should be read by all gardeners." — Nature.
George Bernard Shaw is one of the most famous and celebrated Irish playwrights and this new collection brings together the very best of his witty and entertaining comedies in one volume; Pygmalion, Major Barbara and Androcles and the Lion. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition has a preface by Oscar-winning actress Judi Dench. Pygmalion was first performed in 1914 and was an instant hit which then inspired the hit musical and award winning film, My Fair Lady. It tells the story of Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins, who tries to elevate a feisty flower girl out of her working-class roots and into high society. In Major Barbara, idealistic Barbara is a major in the Salvation Army, at odds with her millionaire father as they war over the best route to salvation. Androcles and the Lion is a clever retelling of the Bible story about a gentle Christian who pulls a thorn from a lion’s paw. All three plays are not only wonderfully amusing, they also showcase Shaw's intense concerns about poverty, class and inequality.
Humans have long turned to gardens - both real and imaginary - for sanctuary from the frenzy and tumult that surrounds them. Those gardens may be as far away from everyday reality as Gilgamesh's garden of the gods or as near as our own backyard, but in their very conception and the marks they bear of human care and cultivation, gardens stand as restorative, nourishing, necessary havens. With Gardens, Robert Pogue Harrison graces readers with a thoughtful, wide-ranging examination of the many ways gardens evoke the human condition. Moving from the gardens of ancient philosophers to the gardens of homeless people in contemporary New York, he shows how, again and again, the garden has served as a check against the destruction and losses of history. The ancients, explains Harrison, viewed gardens as both a model and a location for the laborious self-cultivation and self-improvement that are essential to serenity and enlightenment, an association that has continued throughout the ages. The Bible and Qur'an; Plato's Academy and Epicurus's Garden School; Zen rock and Islamic carpet gardens; Boccaccio, Rihaku, Capek, Cao Xueqin, Italo Calvino, Ariosto, Michel Tournier, and Hannah Arendt - all come into play as this work explores the ways in which the concept and reality of the garden has informed human thinking about mortality, order, and power. Alive with the echoes and arguments of Western thought, Gardens is a fitting continuation of the intellectual journeys of Harrison's earlier classics, Forests and The Dominion of the Dead. Voltaire famously urged us to cultivate our gardens; with this compelling volume, Robert Pogue Harrison reminds us of the nature of that responsibility - and its enduring importance to humanity.
"Letters from England" is a masterpiece of observation written by the famous Czech writer, Karel Capek. These humorous and insightful letters and drawings were designed to describe Europe's oldest democracy to the citizens of Europe's newest; Capek's countrymen. Within its pages he suggests the existence of a deep connection between his people and the those of his study, and writes with a bemused admiration for England and the English. A fascinating and important piece of Czech literature, "Letters from England" would make for a great addition to any bookshelf, and is one not to be missed by fans and collectors of Capek's work. The chapters of this book include: 'First Impressions', 'The English Park', 'London Streets', 'Traffic', 'Hyde Park', 'In the Natural History Museum', 'The Pilgrim Goes Over More Museums', 'The Pilgrim Sees Animals and Famous People', 'Clubs', 'The Biggest Samples Fair', 'The East End', 'In The Country', 'Cambridge and Oxford', etcetera. We are republishing this antiquarian volume now in an affordable, modern edition, complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.
