Great Art

Making Oscar Wilde reveals the untold story of young Oscar's career in Victorian England and post-Civil War America. Set on two continents, it tracks a larger-than-life hero on an unforgettable adventure to make his name and gain international acclaim. Combining new evidence and gripping cultural history, Michele Mendelssohn dramatizes Wilde's rise, fall, and resurrection as part of a spectacular transatlantic pageant. With superb style and an instinct for storytelling, she brings to life the charming young Irishman who set out to captivate the US and Britain with his words.

Do you want to learn more about how the great literary detective Sherlock Holmes was born and how Arthur Conan Doyle came to create him, but don’t have time to listen to huge, long biographies? Then let The History Journals take you on an hourly history tour of his life. Now fascinating as Sherlock Holmes undoubtedly is, and this journal will certainly take you on a journey of discovery following in the great man’s footsteps, there’s another story here, most certainly worthy of your attention.

The story of F. Scott Fitzgerald's creation of Jay Gatsby - war hero and Oxford man - at the beginning of the Jazz Age, when the City of Dreaming Spires attracted an astounding array of intellectuals, including the Inklings, W. B. Yeats, and T. S. Eliot.

William Wordsworth wrote the first great poetic autobiography. We owe to him the idea that places of outstanding natural beauty should become what he called ‘a sort of national property’. He changed forever the way we think about childhood, about the sense of the self, about our connection to the natural environment and about the purpose of poetry. He was born among the mountains of the English Lake District. He walked into the French Revolution and had a love affair and an illegitimate child before witnessing horrific violence in Paris.

Of all the famous Dutch masters during the Late Renaissance and Early Baroque periods, none surpass Rembrandt van Rijn in either historical importance or artistic merit. His aesthetic has been much-imitated, a testament to the inspirational grip they exert on their viewer. Key aspects of his style are instantly recognizable to even the casual fine art enthusiast.

The Great Gate of Kiev resounds to the tumultuous bell rings that end Pictures an an Exhibition, one of the most magnificent and virtuosic of all piano pieces. However, to some of his contemporaries, Modest Mussorgsky was ‘insane’ and ‘a perfect idiot’. Born into a wealthy land-owning family, what drove this tormented man and why did he suffer psychological breakdowns and alcoholism? How did he achieve his command of the realist idiom in his stage works? d, of course, Pictures at an Exhibition.

Esta é uma viagem sonora e literária por apresentações ao vivo inesquecíveis dos maiores nomes da música brasileira de todos tempos. Do encontro dos geniais Tom Jobim, Vinícius de Moraes e João Gilberto, em 1962, à turnê histórica dos Titãs, em 2023, o jornalista Luiz Felipe Carneiro e o pesquisador Tito Guedes, do canal Alta Fidelidade, colocam você na primeira fila dos shows dos mais consagrados artistas do Brasil - devidamente contextualizados em seu tempo e espaço.

Gustave Flaubert is one of the major figures of French literature. He was made famous by his first novel, "Madame Bovary", and is also remembered for his Correspondance, full of precise introspection and reflections about realism in literature. Flaubert was known for his unvelievably scrupulous devotion to his style. He believed in the possibility and necessity of finding "le mot juste" ("the right word"), and would devout weeks to the achievement of sometimes a single page. Flaubert decisively established what most readers and writers now think of as modern realist narration, and his influence today is almost too familiar to be visible.

The purpose of this insider's account is to provide an answer to all these questions and more. Andrew Marr's brilliant, and brilliantly funny, book is a guide to those of us who read newspapers, or who listen to and watch news bulletins but want to know more. Andrew Marr tells the story of modern journalism through his own experience.

It's the songs that take you back. It's the music that celebrates the joys and hopes of the Holiday Season. Welcome to The 25 Songs of Christmas: The Greatest Holiday Songs Ever Made. In this audiobook, we will embark on a musical journey through some of the most beloved and iconic Christmas songs of all time. From the traditional carols that have been sung for centuries to the modern classics that dominate the airwaves, these songs capture the spirit and joy of the holiday season. Join me as we explore the history, lyrics, and enchanting stories behind each of these 25 timeless treasures.

The year is 1851. It's a time of radical change in Britain, when industrial miracles and artistic innovations rub shoulders with political unrest, poverty and disease. It's also a turbulent time in the private life of Charles Dickens, as he copes with a double bereavement and early signs that his marriage is falling apart. But this formative year will become perhaps the greatest turning point in Dickens' career, as he embraces his calling as a chronicler of ordinary people's lives and develops a new form of writing that will reveal just how interconnected the world is becoming.

Explore the captivating story of Julius Caesar, the military genius and political mastermind whose actions reshaped the Roman Republic and laid the foundations for the Roman Empire. Julius Caesar was a figure of immense ambition and strategic brilliance, and a complex personality who blended political acumen with unmatched military prowess. This book lets you look into Caesar's life in more detail, exploring his motivations, explaining his rise to power, and considering his enduring legacy. From his early days in Rome to his dramatic assassination, Caesar's journey is a testament to the ...

Everyone who knows music understands Ginger Baker was, and is, perhaps the greatest rock-jazz fusion drummer ever. Author Giuliano was close to both Ginger and Jack Bruce in the 1990s and presents us with the very best of his extended three-week daily interview sessions with Mr. Baker. Here, you will meet the real man behind the never-ending drum kit. Neither myth, legend, nor spurious gossip can ever equal the true measure of the man, and this tempestuous audiobook proves it once and for all.

Over the years, Stan Munslow has worked with hundreds of professional singers, students and colleagues alike. He has seen it all, from "wow" to "oh dear." If there is one thing (well, six, actually) Munslow would tell all of them, it would be the six high-level pro tips you'll learn on this audio program. May each and every tip help you become the kind of singer you really want to be!

Known as the High Renaissance period, the philosophy of the 1500s leaned towards establishing the relationship between the human body and the human soul. Logic was waning as a philosophical ideal and, instead, the focus fell on human nature. ‘500 Quotations from the Great Philosophers of the 16th Century’ cherry-picks some of the most profound and insightful observations from some of the finest minds of that era. A superb gift for history buffs and philosophy fans alike.

Al Silverman, a noted figure in American publishing, has written a wonderful chronicle of book publishing for all who cherish books. The Time of Their Lives is not only a love song to the industry's golden age, an era that began after World War II and lasted for three-plus decades, but it is also a reflection of the tastes and cultural appetites of the American public.

Unlocking Your Inner Songwriter: A Guide to Writing Great Lyrics is a comprehensive guidebook for aspiring songwriters who want to improve their lyrical skills and take their writing to the next level. Written by seasoned songwriter and music industry expert, this book offers a wealth of practical advice, exercises, and insights to help you tap into your creativity, find your unique voice, and write lyrics that resonate with your audience.

It is the most famous year in English poetry. Out of it came The Ancient Mariner and ‘Kubla Khan’, as well as Coleridge’s unmatched hymns to friendship and fatherhood, Wordsworth’s revolutionary verses in Lyrical Ballads and the greatness of ‘Tintern Abbey’, his paean to the unity of soul and cosmos, love and understanding.

An immigrant from Hong Kong, Jimmy O. Yang is now a bona fide American comedian and actor. In his debut stand-up special, Good Deal, Jimmy will tell you all about his take on Asian representation, how he learned to speak English from rap videos, dating tall women, and pursuing his dreams only to disappoint his old school Chinese parents.

600 Quotations from the Great Writers of the 20th Century features the wit and wisdom of some of the 20th Century’s greatest writers and minds. A cherry-picked selection, the collection includes quotes from the likes of famous Irish poet and playwright, Oscar Wilde, American-Lebanese writer and poet Khalil Gibran, Winston Churchill, Britain’s celebrated prime minister, and many more.