Book picks similar to
The World of Alphonse Allais by Alphonse Allais
humor
france
2
q-uotidian
I'll Always Have Paris
Art Buchwald - 1996
. . . A GREAT READ."--Larry King, USA TodayIn 1948, an American innocent named Art Buchwald set sail for Paris, France, determined to crash Hemingway's moveable feast and make himself famous. What's more, he did it.Now he remembers those golden years--when he wrote for the Paris Herald Tribune, fell in love, spoofed Hemingway, dined with gangsters, and crashed costume balls in Venice. Everything that has made Buchwald one of the world's best-loved writers is in this funny, enchanting, poignant book. "HONEST AND MOVING . . . A CONSUMMATE STORYTELLER."--The New York Times Book Review"ROLLICKING . . . The book gallops and gambols along. . . . Buchwald is a master of the anecdote."--The Baltimore Sun
Alien Hand Syndrome and Other Too-Weird-Not-To-Be-True Stories
Alan Bellows - 2009
This collection of too-weird-not-to-be-true stories gives the freakish details behind odd curiosities, from unusual drug side effects to the Alien Hand Syndrome--a disorder wherein a person's hand develops a will of its own.
Once in a Lifetime
Moss Hart - 1960
(doubling possible.) / 5 ints. or unit set. Recently revived on Broadway to great acclaim, this is the rollicking tale of three down and out troupers who decide to head for Hollywood and try their luck with the newly invented talkies. Due to a series of consistent blunders, the most stupid of the three is carried to pinnacles of fame and fortune until he's literally made a god of the industry. It's a fast paced and wild romp and a marvelous spoof of tinsel land.
The Psychoanalysis of Fire
Gaston Bachelard - 1938
But, within the French context, he is almost as important as they are because he has a pseudo-religious force, without taking a stand on religion. To define him as briefly as possible – he is a philosopher, with a professional training in the sciences, who devoted most of the second phase of his career to promoting that aspect of human nature which often seems most inimical to science: the poetic imagination ..." – J.G. Weightman, The New York Times Review of Books
The Facts of Winter
Paul Poissel - 2005
It is historical fiction once removed: an account of events that were imaginary even from the point of view of an invented past — although Poissel claimed (in a letter to his friend Bartholomeo Facil, August, 1905) that "the characters in this book are all true — all persons who really lived and slept that winter."
Yé-Yé Girls of '60s French Pop
Jean-Emmanuel Deluxe - 2013
This book may well be the Bible of Yé-Yé .”—Boyd Rice
The Cities Book
Holly Alexander - 2005
More than half the world's population now lives in cities, and for travelers they hold an endless fascination.
The Barber of Seville / The Marriage of Figaro
Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais - 1964
A highly engaging comedy of intrigue, The Barber of Seville portrays the resourceful Figaro foiling a jealous old man's attempts to keep his beautiful ward from her lover. The Marriage of Figaro — condemned by Louis XVI for its daring satire of nobility and privilege — depicts a master and servant set in opposition by their desire for the same woman. With characteristic lightness of touch, Beaumarchais created an audacious farce of disguise and mistaken identity that balances wit, frivolity and seriousness in equal measure.John Wood's lively translation is accompanied by an introduction discussing the author's turbulent life and multifarious careers, and examines each play in detail. This edition also includes Beaumarchais's notes on the characters and costumes.'He has everything — pleasantry, seriousness, reason, vigour, pathos, eloquence of every kind' VOLTAIRE
Finding Forrester
James W. Ellison - 2000
And that's the last the world heard of William Forrester.That is until Jamal Wallace, a brash 16-year-old with a secret passion for writing, invades Forrester's sheltered existence in the South Bronx and re-ignites the dreams of this literary legend in the winter of his life.Known as the neighborhood recluse, Forrester is a man whose mystery and eccentricity border on the mythical. When Jamal—a talented African-American scholar-athlete who is recruited by an elite Manhattan prep school for his brilliance on and off the basketball court—sneaks into his apartment and accidentally leaves behind his backpack full of writings, they both get something unexpected in return.Forced to look past skin color and suppositions, Jamal encounters not only his first fan, but a mentor who will challenge and change him forever, and Forrester has his first reason in years to emerge from his self-imposed solitude.
Out of Sorts
Aurélie Valognes - 2014
Many years ago, he was a grumpy young man. Now he’d much rather spend time with his canine companion, Daisy, than any of his nosy neighbors. But as his behavior becomes increasingly peculiar, his daughter grows concerned and begins to consider moving him into a retirement home.In order to maintain his freedom, Ferdinand must submit to an apartment inspection by his longtime enemy, the iron-fisted concierge, Mrs. Suarez. Unfortunately, he’s never tidied up a day in his life. His neighbors, precocious ten-year-old Juliette and vivacious ninety-two-year-old Beatrice, come to the rescue. And once he lets these two into his life, things will never be the same. After an eighty-three-year reign of grouchiness, Ferdinand may finally learn that it’s never too late to start living.
James Clavell His Three Epic Novels: Shogun, Tai Pan, And King Rat
James Clavell - 1975
Cabinets of Wonder
Christine Davenne - 2012
A centuries-old tradition developed in Europe during the Renaissance, cabinets of wonder (also known as curiosity cabinets) are once again in fashion. Shops, restaurants, and private residences echo these cabinets in their interior design, by making use of the eclectic vintage objects commonly featured in such collections. "Cabinets of Wonder "showcases exceptional collections in homes and museums, with more than 180 photographs, while also explaining the history behind the tradition, the best-known collections, and the types of objects typically displayed. Offering both a historical overview and a look into contemporary interior design, this extravagantly illustrated book celebrates the wonderfully odd world of cabinets of wonder.
The Letters of Abélard and Héloïse
Pierre Abélard
It is told through the letters of Peter Abélard, a French philosopher and one of the greatest logicians of the twelfth century, and of his gifted pupil Héloïse. Through their impassioned writings unfolds the story of a romance, from its reckless, ecstatic beginnings through to public scandal, an enforced secret marriage and its devastating consequences. These eloquent and intimate letters express a vast range of emotions from adoration and devotion to reproach, indignation and grief, and offer a fascinating insight into religious life in the Middle Ages.This is the revised edition of Betty Radice's highly regarded translation, in which Michael Clanchy, the biographer of Abélard, updates the scholarship on the letters and the lovers. This volume includes Abélard's remarkable autobiography and his spiritual advice to Héloïse and her nuns, as well as a selection of the 'lost love letters' of Abélard and Héloïse, letters between Héloïse and Peter the Venerable, two of Abélard's hymns, a chronology, notes and maps.
Wartime Writings 1939-1944
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - 1982
Translated by Norah Purcell; Introduction by Anne Morrow Lindbergh; Index.
Horace
George Sand - 1842
Translated by the winner of the 1994 BOMC-PEN Translation Award. "A courageous work, nowadays unjustly neglected." -- Renee Winegarten "Sand develops her most advanced political, social and sexual views in this classic work." -- Feminist Bookstore News