Showing results by narrator "Andrea Giordani" in All Categories

The Romans hated Pompey’s greedy father, Strabo, with a vengeance. Yet when Pompey rose in prominence, Plutarch notes that he developed the opposite character, and the Romans loved him for it. Pompey had many great accomplishments in his military and political life, but his legacy lies in forming the First Triumvirate with Crassus and Caesar. When the alliance eventually dissolved, and Pompey fled from Caesar to his death, the Roman world would never be the same.

A dark story of love, paradise, and hell. This is the life of Mala’ik. An angel who was outcast from paradise for his love for a mortal. He has wandered the earth for centuries searching for the reborn soul of the women he had condemned to hellfire. This is his story. His life as an immortal imprisoned among humanity.

Apologia Pro Vita Sua (A Defence of One's Own Life), John Henry Newman's defense of his religious beliefs, was published in 1864 in response to Charles Kingsley of the Church of England after Newman quit his position as the Anglican vicar of St. Mary's, Oxford. From 1833 to 1841 there was friction in the Church of England which culminated in Newman's 1845 resignation as an Anglican vicar and his conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman's essay responded to attacks from Charles Kingsley of the broad church party, who criticised Newman's conversion.

Cato the Younger was one of the many biographies documented by Plutarch in his series called Parallel Lives. Related to Cato the Elder, Cato the Younger was also a student of philosophy as well as a Roman Statesman. After his father died and he gained his inheritance, Cato the Younger began his life as philosopher, warrior, and political leader. His life ended, as so many Roman lives did back then, in tragedy.

Caligula’s father was a beloved military leader, so the Romans were initially glad to see his son take the throne, but Suetonius recounts the less flattering aspects of Caligula’s life and rule that followed his ascension. The narcissistic Caligula believed he was a god, and often replaced the busts of deities with his own. A devoted fan of gladiator fights, he also often had people assassinated, covered up the deed, and then claimed the deceased had committed suicide. Suetonius concludes this biography by detailing the omens that foreshadowed Caligula’s eventual assassination.

Feudalism denotes the relationships which existed in the Middle Ages - especially from the ninth and 10th to the 12th and 13th centuries - between the members of the fighting and landowning class. In a broader sense, it also covers the life of the subjugated peasantry upon the land dominated by the warriors and all the other economic, social, political, and intellectual results of feudalism. Local officials and great landholders became a law unto themselves, and the former tried to hand on their political power to their sons as the latter did their lands.

The Analects or Selected Sayings is an ancient Chinese text comprising sayings and wisdom teachings attributed to Confucius and his contemporaries, as well as fragmentary dialogues between the philosopher and his students. The Analects has been one of the most influential books in China for the last two millennia, and continues to contribute to Chinese and East Asian culture and thought.

Arthur Machen’s novella explores the disturbing consequences of toying with the line between the earthly world and the spiritual realm. The Great God Pan centers around an ominous woman named Helen, who lives in the woods and invites morbid happenings. The book faced harsh censure upon its publication in 1894 for its explicit content, but today it is considered a hallmark of horror fiction. Stephen King himself called it “one of the best horror stories ever written”, making it essential reading for any dedicated fans of the genre.

Alcibiades was brilliant beyond his time and ambitious beyond his own safety. Was he traitor or true patriot? Even his own historian was not sure.

Julius Caesar peaked as one of the most powerful generals in Roman history. In “The Life of Caesar", Plutarch attempts to capture the greatness of this man on paper. With stirring prose, he documents Caesar’s military might and rousing spirit. The biography ends with the details of Caesar’s assassination, but Plutarch assures us that the murderers eventually paid for the deed.

The Cherry Orchard (1903) is the final play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It is considered as one of four outstanding plays by Chekhov, along with The Seagull, Three Sisters, and Uncle Vanya. The narrative recounts an aristocratic landowner who returns to her family estate just before it is auctioned to pay the mortgage. It dramatizes the socio-economic developments in Russia at the turn of the 20th century, including the rise of the middle class after the abolition of serfdom and the waning power of the aristocracy.

Calm the Mind and the Body Will Follow is your trusted, uplifting guide toward fully embracing calmness and clarity! With patience, compassion, and commitment, you’ll soon find yourself making sounder decisions and developing more genuine relationships with others.

Gaius Marius was pivotal to many of the ways in which we know Rome today. His impact on Rome is noted in Plutarch’s The Life of Marius, from his time served as General to his time served as Statesman. His blessed life began as a child with a legend - that he found a clutch of eagles containing seven chicks, and therefore Jupiter was assuring his seven elections to senate. Though, all the war and political unrest that ensued his six elections followed him only 17 days into his seventh election - when he died of Pleurisy.

After a year living in lavish boredom within Ivywood Castle, sarcastic and witty Moira Finglas is tired of her repetitive life. Summoned to court by her betrothed, Moira is trapped in an endless cycle of monotony. Moira survives on foul language and small adventures, primarily thanks to her brother, Amis, and her love of reading.

An Enemy of the People is an 1882 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, who wrote it in response to the public outcry against his previous play, Ghosts, which challenged the hypocrisy of 19th-century morality. An Enemy of the People tells the story of a man who dares to speak an unpalatable truth and is punished for it. Ibsen uses the language of comic exaggeration through the mouth of his spokesman, the idealist Doctor Thomas Stockmann, who rejects all absolute principles of either wisdom or morality.

John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, wrote this homily against prevalent heresies of his time. Marcionism was an early Christian dualist belief system that originated in the teachings of Marcion of Sinope around the year 144, while Manichaeism taught an elaborate dualistic cosmology describing the struggle between a spiritual world of light and a material world of darkness.

Meno is a Socratic dialogue written by Plato. In it, the two characters, Meno and Socrates, discuss "arete", or virtue. This dialogue is also famous for introducing "Meno's Paradox".

Mark Antony’s personal life was almost as storied as his immensely successful political career. In Plutarch’s biography, the most striking sections revolve around Antony’s relationship with Cleopatra. Plutarch’s characterization inspired Shakespeare, whose play "Antony and Cleopatra" would not be the same without its influence. With such close ties to Shakespeare, it’s no wonder that the The Life of Antony holds great literary merit all its own.

A young orphan seeks vengeance against the Yakuza man who killed her parents…. A jaded Ronin seeks out an old colleague before enacting a last ritual…. And an ancient demon taunts a former Knight of a holy order from the blade of her ancient samurai sword.

If you do not already have a love affair with your friendly veggies, it is about time that you learn how to take advantage of the many benefits they offers. Veganism is not a fad it is a lifestyle - and you are getting the best guide through the whole journey, with this audiobook. In this beginner's vegan guide and cookbook, you will learn how to start and transition into a vegan diet and lifestyle. It will reveal all the basics of eating vegan and how to avoid some of the common pitfalls.