検索キーワード： 芸術・文学

In 1845, after years of literary and emotional struggle, friend and colleague Ralph Waldo Emerson invited Thoreau to build a cabin on his land near Walden Pond, the location of which became Thoreau's inspiration. Walden records the doctrines of transcendentalism that he lived, supported, and for which he became famous. He focuses on the concept of self-knowledge and encourages all people to find some way to learn more about themselves and the world around them. Thoreau is remembered as a major American essayist, poet, and practical philosopher.

What is the role of the writer? Prophet? High priest of art? Court jester? Or witness to the real world? Looking back on her own childhood and writing career, Margaret Atwood examines the metaphors which writers of fiction and poetry have used to explain - or excuse! - their activities, looking at what costumes they have assumed, what roles they have chosen to play. In her final chapter she takes up the challenge of the title: if a writer is to be seen as "gifted", who is doing the giving and what are the terms of the gift?

Anthony Trollope is among the best-loved novelists in the English language. This Very Short Introduction will place Trollope's work in the context of his life and times, drawing on recent scholarship to illuminate his central interests and literary strategies. The major series of novels (the six novels located in the fictional Barsetshire, and the six Palliser novels) are explored alongside the novels set in Ireland, his travel writing, and his less well-known fiction.

Unique insights into Shakespeare, from one of the world’s most revered theatre directors. Who was the man who wrote Shakespeare’s plays? Why does Shakespeare never go out of date? How should actors approach Shakespeare’s verse? In this short but immensely wise book, visionary theatre director Peter Brook debates the questions that are central to our understanding of Shakespeare, and revisits the plays he has directed with notable brilliance, including King Lear, Titus Andronicus, and, of course, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Dr Daniel Todman is a senior lecturer in history at Queen Mary University in London. He has particular interest in the social, military and cultural history of Britain. He discusses the first in an ambitious 2-volume work on Britain's role in the Second World War in Britain's War: Volume 1, Into Battle, 1937-1941.

With her debut novel, The Arrangement, Canadian-born Sonya Lalli visits the Audible Studios to talk of all things love, culture and arranged marriages. Now based in London, Sonya is a part-time journalist for legal magazine Global Competition Review and author of The Arrangement, an East-meets-West tale of cultural expectations and modern society that gives a refreshing insight into an all too familiar tale.

In brutally repressive Elizabethan England, artists are frightened; foreigners are suspect; popular entertainment largely consists of coarse spectacles, animal fights, and hangings. What Christopher Marlowe finds on the other side of that door, and what he does with it, brings about a spectacular explosion of English literature, language, and culture, enabling the success of many others, including his youthful collaborator William Shakespeare. By the time of his murder in a Deptford tavern in 1593, the 29-year-old Marlowe will be the most celebrated dramatist of his time.

Dedicated to the daughter she never had but sees all around her, Letter to My Daughter reveals Maya Angelou's path to living well and living a life with meaning. Told in her own inimitable style, this book transcends genres and categories: guidebook, memoir, poetry, and pure delight. Here in short spellbinding essays are glimpses of the tumultuous life that led Angelou to an exalted place in American letters and taught her lessons in compassion and fortitude.

Exclusive interview with Barney Norris, author of Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain.

Releasing her debut best-selling crime title, Close to Home, in 2017 under the pen name Cara Hunter, the established British author returns with a follow up to the series, In the Dark, published in July 2018. Cara Hunter talks to us about her DI Fawley series, what inspired her change in direction and what we can expect from Fawley and his team of Oxford detectives in her latest book.

Beloved by children and adults worldwide, the writings of C. S. Lewis have a broad and enduring appeal. Although he is best known for the iconic Chronicles of Narnia series, C. S. Lewis was actually a man of many literary parts.

Professor Yuval Noah Harari is a lecturer at the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Gaining his PhD from Oxford University, he has published several books and articles. His most recent works comprise the international bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and, most recently Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow.

William Shakespeare. Born April 1564, at Stratford-upon-Avon. Died April 1616. Married Anne Hathaway: two daughters, one son. Actor, poet, famous playwright. Wrote nearly forty plays. But what was he like as a man? What did he think about when he rode into London for the first time... or when he was writing his plays Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet... or when his only son died? We know the facts of his life, but we can only guess at his hopes, his fears, his dreams.

Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow illuminates the full, fascinating, and complex life of the writer long celebrated as the father of American literature, Mark Twain.

Die Italienische Reise ist ein Reisebericht, in dem Johann Wolfgang von Goethe seinen Italienaufenthalt zwischen September 1786 und Mai 1788 beschreibt. Das zweiteilige Werk basiert auf seinen Reisetagebüchern, entstand jedoch erst wesentlich später, zwischen 1813 und 1817. Neben Dichtung und Wahrheit und Kampagne in Frankreich zählt es zu seinen autobiografischen Schriften.

Guy Bolton visits the Audible Studios to discuss his debut novel, pacey crime thriller The Pictures. Set in 1939 Hollywood, the book is a fascinating evocation of the era, with intrigue and mystery at every turn. After a series of unexplained deaths, Detective Johnathan Craine finds himself at the centre of a conspiracy involving a Chicago crime syndicate, a prostitution racket and a set of stolen pictures that could hold the key to unravelling the mystery.

Known for his deadpan humour and sarcasm, Jack Dee is a regular on our screens and airwaves. After his first ever stand-up, Jack Dee was encouraged to tour the circuit, and after winning the Best Stage Newcomer awards in 1991, Dee began to grace our screens with The Jack Dee Show. Since then, Dee has performed sell-out stand-up shows, written and starred in sitcoms such as Lead Balloon and hosted shows such as I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and Have I Got News for You.

Audiobook queen Juliet Stevenson joins Robin Morgan in the Audible Studios to discuss her latest audio project, her career as an audiobook narrator, and the books that have inspired her.

Best-selling author Sophie Kinsella joins Sophie Plateau in the Audible Studios to discuss her new novel, My Not So Perfect Life. It follows the character of Katie Brenner: a woman who leads the perfect life on Instagram but not in the real world.

Stephen has been performing at the Edinburgh Festival for over 15 years on top of touring, appearing on multiple panel shows and presenting various documentaries. Not to mention performing at the Royal Variety in 2007. Having more than earnt his comedy stripes, his Talk Show features guests from all stages of their comedy careers, chatting about the industry, performing and many personal, funny anecdotes. When Stephen joined us in studio, he spoke about diversity in comedy, how he came to feel okay with things going wrong on stage and what keeps comedians returning to Edinburgh year after year.