Reimagining myth, history, and literature, this compilation draws upon the poet's remarkable travels and experiences as a doctor while working in some of the most remote parts of the world. As it brings Rimbaud, Dante, and 17th-century picaresque into play, this compilation explores the ultimate journey of crossing into another world or another life.

Insightful essays exploring the art of living in a complex world.Following on the explorations of culture and politics in his previous collection The Good European, the writings in Zest delve into less obvious but important aspects of social life—into manual work and 'dolce far niente,' into ancient vernacular craft traditions, and the data stockpiles of modernity. Early in the collection, we visit the Garden of Eden with Hieronymus Bosch, where we share w...

A thought-provoking exploration of medicine's intersection with culture and the humanities.In this collection of essays, Iain Bamforth, a doctor and poet, delves into the complex relationship between medicine, culture, and society. Drawing on his experiences around the world, Bamforth examines the ethical dilemmas, historical context, and cultural impact of medical practice. From the mysterious "Stendhal's syndrome" to the influence of technology, he offers insight...

Thrown into a deep identity crisis by Bismarck's victories against the French in 1870, Alsace's divided loyalties have affected the nature of Europe itself. In this authoritative new discussion, Iain Bamforth reports from 15 years of travel, taking him from Berlin, when the wall fell in 1989, to Strasburg—the heart of aboriginal Europe. With his ear attuned to the complexities of culture and politics, Bamforth attempts to discover Europe through extra-diplomatic channels, offering essays o...

One of the most important works of cultural theory ever written, Walter Benjamin's groundbreaking essay explores how the age of mass media means audiences can listen to or see a work of art repeatedly – and what the troubling social and political implications of this are.Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves – and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provo...

In this fascinating journey Claudio Magris, whose knowledge is encyclopaedic and whose curiosity limitless, guides his reader from the river's source in the Bavarian hills through Austro-Hungary and the Balkans to the Black Sea. Along the way he raises the ghosts that inhabit the houses and monuments - from Ovid and Marcus Aurelius to Kafka and Canetti - and in so doing sets his finger on the pulse of Central Europe, the vital crucible of a culture that draws on influences of East and West...

Friedrich Reck might seem an unlikely rebel against Nazism. Not just a conservative but a rock-ribbed reactionary, he played the part of a landed gentleman, deplored democracy, and rejected the modern world outright. To Reck the Nazis were ruthless revolutionaries in Gothic drag, and helpless as he was to counter the spell they had cast on the German people, he felt compelled to record the corruptions of their rule. The result is less a diary than a sequence of stark and astonishing snapsh...

In this remarkable collection of 100 manifestos from the last 100 years, Alex Danchev presents the cacophony of voices of such diverse movements as Futurism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Feminism, Communism, Destructivism, Vorticism, Stridentism, Cannibalism and Stuckism, taking in along the way film, architecture, fashion, and cookery.Artists' manifestos are nothing if not revolutionary. They are outlandish, outrageous, and frequently offensive. They combine wit, wisdom, and world-shaking...

'The general uncertainty as to what is really happening makes it easier to cling to lunatic beliefs'Biting and timeless reflections on patriotism, prejudice and power, from the man who wrote about his nation better than anyone.Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to...

This searing memoir of the author's concentration camp experience "is the autobiography of an extraordinarily acute conscience" ( Newsweek)."Whoever has succumbed to torture can no longer feel at home in the world."At the Mind's Limits is the story of one man's incredible struggle to understand the reality of horror. In five autobiographical essays, Amery describes his survival—mental, moral, and physical—through the enormity of t...

The most breathtaking work of history since Paris 1919.Europe, early in the 20th century: a world adrift, a pulsating era of creativity and contradictions. The hot topics of the day — terrorism and globalization, immigration, consumerism, the lack of moral values, and rivaling superpowers — could make one forget that it is a century ago that this era vanished into the trenches of the Somme and Vimy Ridge.Or did it? The closer one looks, the more this world seems like ours, ...

Like many others of my generation, I first read Camus in high school. I carried him in my backpack while traveling across Europe, I carried him into (and out of) relationships, and I carried him into (and out of) difficult periods of my life. More recently, I have carried him into university classes that I have taught, coming out of them with a renewed appreciation of his art. To be sure, my idea of Camus thirty years ago scarcely resembles my idea of him today. While my admiration and att...