The Anna Karenina Fix

Author: Viv Groskop
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1683353447
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 235

Book Description
“In this hilarious, candid, and thought-provoking memoir, [Groskop] explains how she used lessons from Russian classics to understand herself better.” —Gretchen Rubin, #1 New York Times–bestselling author As Viv Groskop knows from personal experience, everything that has ever happened to a person has already happened in the Russian classics: from not being sure what to do with your life (Anna Karenina), to being hopelessly in love with someone who doesn’t love you back (Turgenev’s A Month in the Country), or being socially anxious about your appearance (all of Chekhov’s work). In The Anna Karenina Fix, a sort of literary self-help memoir, Groskop mines these and other works, as well as the lives of their celebrated creators, and her own experiences as a student of Russian, to answer the question “How should you live your life?” This is a charming and fiercely intelligent book, a love letter to Russian literature and an exploration of the answers these writers found to life’s questions. “[Groskop is] a delight, a reader’s reader whose professional and personal experiences have allowed her to write the kind of book that not only is complete unto itself, but makes you want to head to the library and revisit or discover the great works she loves.” —The Washington Post “Learn how to hack life nineteenth-century Russian style! You’ll totally be like Anna Karenina without getting (spoiler alert) run over by a train!” —Gary Shteyngart, New York Times-bestselling author “For anyone intimidated by Russia’s daunting literary heritage, this humorous yet thoughtful introduction will serve as the perfect entrée.” —Publishers Weekly

Funny Dostoevsky

Author: Lynn Ellen Patyk
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN:
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 241

Book Description
Tapping into the emergence of scholarly comedy studies since the 2000s, this collection brings new perspectives to bear on the Dostoevskian light side. Funny Dostoevksy demonstrates how and why Dostoevsky is one of the most humorous 19th-century authors, even as he plumbs the depths of the human psyche and the darkest facets of European modernity. The authors go beyond the more traditional categories of humor, such as satire, parody, and the carnivalesque, to apply unique lenses to their readings of Dostoevsky. These include cinematic slapstick and the body in Crime and Punishment, the affective turn and hilarious (and deadly) impatience in Demons, and ontological jokes in Notes from Underground and The Idiot. The authors – (coincidentally?) all women, including some of the most established scholars in the field alongside up-and-comers – address gender and the marginalization of comedy, culminating in a chapter on Dostoevsky's "funny and furious" women, and explore the intersections of gender and humor in literary and culture studies. Funny Dostoevksy applies some of the latest findings on humor and laughter to his writing, while comparative chapters bring Dostoevsky's humor into conjunction with other popular works, such as Chaplin's Modern Times and Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton. Written with a verve and wit that Dostoevsky would appreciate, this boldly original volume illuminates how humor and comedy in his works operate as vehicles of deconstruction, pleasure, play, and transcendence.

Fix Me, Jesus

Author: Helen Sneed
Publisher: Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
ISBN: 0822231026
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 55

Book Description
In a Neiman Marcus changing room in Dallas, on the most important day of her life, Annabell Armstrong frantically searches for the perfect dress. A rising star in the Texas Democratic Party, Annabell is trapped in the Reagan eighties. Her political career, love affair, finances, and family relations are in crisis; and strong-minded characters from her past begin to appear from behind the changing room mirror. FIX ME, JESUS is a dark comedy—the hilarious, timely, and poignant story of a woman who finds herself at the epicenter of history and politics, struggling for personal independence and social justice against the lifelong theft of her own power.

Au Revoir, Tristesse

Author: Viv Groskop
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1683357973
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 251

Book Description
“Groskop skillfully juggles memoir, biography, philosophy, and literary criticism to create a delightful tour through some of French literature’s greats.” —Madeline Miller, New York Times–bestselling author Like many people the world over, Viv Groskop wishes she was a little more French. A writer, comedian, and journalist, Groskop studied the language obsessively starting at age 11, and spent every vacation in France, desperate to escape her Englishness and to have some French chic rub off on her. In Au Revoir, Tristesse, Groskop mixes literary history and memoir to explore how the classics of French literature can infuse our lives with joie de vivre and teach us how to say goodbye to sadness. From the frothy hedonism of Colette and the wit of Cyrano de Bergerac to the intoxicating universe of Marguerite Duras and the heady passions of Les Liaisons dangereuses, this is a love letter to great French writers. With chapters on Marcel Proust, Victor Hugo, Gustave Flaubert, Stendhal, Honoré de Balzac, Albert Camus, and of course Françoise Sagan, this is a delectable read for book lovers everywhere. “Ms. Groskop is a skilled raconteuse who brings people—and the page—to life. She writes with a self-deprecating appreciation of the Frenchman or -woman manqué(e) that lurks in us all. You don’t have to be a savant to enjoy this book . . . Au Revoir, Tristesse will make a witty, seductive companion.” —The Wall Street Journal “Groskop’s combination of her own memories, what the novels meant to her at different stages in her life, her description of the authors, along with her description of the novels, will have readers eagerly turning the book’s pages.” —Forbes

Conversations in a Park

Author: Regina Ryan
Publisher: Regina Ryan
ISBN: 1925427609
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 182

Book Description
Conversations in a Park is a light hearted book of motivational musings peppered with research and wisdom from the worlds of psychology, philosophy and classic literature. Dr Regina Ryan argues that the chaos that accompanies motherhood should be countered by creating 'stolen moments' throughout the day and using these with discipline and consistency to connect to your inner self through solitude, daily rituals, expressing creativity and learning how to condition yourself to choose one thought over another. The main philosophy is to think small and in time you will find that the big has been hiding in the small all along.

Happy High Status

Author: Viv Groskop
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1529906695
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 201

Book Description
Redefine what confidence looks like at home and at work. Everyone wants to be able to face challenging situations without feeling daunted, intimidated or stressed. But no-one wants to be labelled over-confident, arrogant or smarmy, or to get caught up in their own hype. So how can you feel authentically confident - without the cringe, and without pretending to be something you're not? Happy high status is a new way of thinking about confidence and how you relate to yourself. It's how actors and comedians enhance their presence on stage and screen. It lends strength and energy to your interactions, big and small, and is a way of projecting status, minimising self-doubt and moving effortlessly through life. Drawing on research, practical tips and lessons from the worlds of comedy, film, television, politics and sport, Viv Groskop offers a masterclass in how you can access this new form of confidence at any time. All, crucially, with no risk of anyone thinking that you are your own biggest fan. "Viv always makes me feel more confident. Get the magic now in book form" - Katy Brand "I recommend Viv Groskop to anyone wanting more self-confidence" - Philippa Perry "Reassuring, inspiring and wise - a practical handbook for anyone held back by self-doubt" - Julia Samuel

Dostoevsky in Love

Author: Alex Christofi
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472964705
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Book Description
'A daring and mesmerizing twist on the art of biography' – Douglas Smith, author of Rasputin: The Biography 'Anyone who loves [Dostoevsky's] novels will be fascinated by this book' – Sue Prideaux, author of I Am Dynamite! A Life of Friedrich Nietzsche Dostoevsky's life was marked by brilliance and brutality. Sentenced to death as a young revolutionary, he survived mock execution and Siberian exile to live through a time of seismic change in Russia, eventually being accepted into the Tsar's inner circle. He had three great love affairs, each overshadowed by debilitating epilepsy and addiction to gambling. Somehow, amidst all this, he found time to write short stories, journalism and novels such as Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov, works now recognised as among the finest ever written. In Dostoevsky in Love Alex Christofi weaves carefully chosen excerpts of the author's work with the historical context to form an illuminating and often surprising whole. The result is a novelistic life that immerses the reader in a grand vista of Dostoevsky's world: from the Siberian prison camp to the gambling halls of Europe; from the dank prison cells of the Tsar's fortress to the refined salons of St Petersburg. Along the way, Christofi relates the stories of the three women whose lives were so deeply intertwined with Dostoevsky's: the consumptive widow Maria; the impetuous Polina who had visions of assassinating the Tsar; and the faithful stenographer Anna, who did so much to secure his literary legacy. Reading between the lines of his fiction, Christofi reconstructs the memoir Dostoevsky might have written had life – and literary stardom – not intervened. He gives us a new portrait of the artist as never before seen: a shy but devoted lover, an empathetic friend of the people, a loyal brother and friend, and a writer able to penetrate to the very depths of the human soul.

Russia

Author: Rodric Braithwaite
Publisher: Profile Books
ISBN: 180081190X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 251

Book Description
'Wise and thorough' Spectator 'Brisk and readable ... very valuable' Financial Times 'He is an engaging guide ... and writes with the same flair demonstrated in his previous bestseller Afgantsy' Sunday Telegraph 'A scholarly yet highly readable gallop through the last 1000 years of Russian history ... To understand this tormented nation, you can do no better than read this illuminating portrait' Jonathan Dimbleby With its attack on Ukraine, Russia's future seems almost as uncertain as its past. The largest country in the world - with the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons - has been known over the past thousand years as Rus, Muscovy, the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. Thirty years ago it was reinvented as the Russian Federation. Russia is not an enigma but its past is violent, tragic, sometimes glorious, and certainly complicated. Like the rest of us, the Russians constantly rewrite their history. They too omit episodes of national disgrace in favour of patriotic anecdotes, sometimes more rooted in myth than reality. Expert and former ambassador Rodric Braithwaite unpicks fact from fiction to discover what lies at the root of the Russian story, more relevant to the rest of the world now than ever before.

Anna Karenina, I

Author: graf Leo Tolstoy
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 400

Book Description

The Anna Karenina Companion: Includes Complete Text, Study Guide, Biography, and Character Index

Author: Leo Tolstoy
Publisher: BookCaps Study Guides
ISBN: 1621072282
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1883

Book Description
Anna Karenina is epic in every way. If you are struggling to remember key characters, plots or settings, BookCaps can help! This comprehensive companion to Tolstoy's novel includes chapter summaries for the 200+ chapters, informative snapshots of all major and secondary characters (with first name pronunciation to help with complicated Russian names), and historical context about the novel. This edition also includes the full text of the novel. Get ready for the movie by revisiting this timeless classic! BookCap Study Guides do not contain text from the actual book, and are not meant to be purchased as alternatives to reading the book.