The Severan dynasty is a lineage of Roman Emperors, reigning several decades from the late 2nd century to the early 3rd century. The text is concerned with the culture of the Greek and Roman world during that period.

Theater critics and scholars around the world have long admired Jan Kott as, in Michael Holquist's words, "in the fullest sense of the term a man of the theater." In the quarter century since his landmark Shakespeare Our Contemporary (1964) appeared in English, Kott has continued to challenge cenceptions of the theater, frequently using Shakespeare's plays as reference points in his broad critical studies. Sparkling with the wit and verbal agility that characterize his writing, Kott's newest volume brings together three of his most important recent essays, each of them grounded in a particular Shakespeare play.

Anita, who has lived in Austria through the Second World War, comes to live in a large English country house in the early 1950s. She forms a close bond with its elderly owner, Mr Barlow, and another with his grandson Tony. But what does the future hold for any of them, for the house, and for England itself?

Rabbi Dr. Eliezer Berkovits' final book, Jewish Women in Time and Torah, is a critical examination of the status of women in Halakhah. It offers a coherent theological approach by which the eternal Divine nature of Torah must be upheld, and yet also recognize that the ever-changing status of women, reflected in our sacred texts, is linked to historical and social movements of humanity in the world at large. Berkovits makes several suggestions, based on a thorough examination of halakhic sources, to improve that status. The author's basic thesis is that the inferior status of women is a vestige of ancient culture. In the course of time, women have gained certain rights. But, Berkovits emphasizes, more remains to be done, especially in the spheres of ritual participation and marital rights, areas in which he makes a number of concrete halakhic suggestions. For example, he suggests that adequate halakhic justification exists for women to take upon themselves the mitzvah of donning tefillin or establishing their own prayer groups, as well as women reciting Shabbat kiddush for men or participating in a mixed-gender zimmun for Grace After Meals.

Based on the screenplay to the terrifying 1998 horror film StrangeLand The Internet was supposed to connect people. For Captain Howdy, it's the perfect hunting ground. Behind the screen waits a sadist who lures teenagers into his world of ritual piercing, body suspension, and unrelenting torment. To him, pain is truth. Flesh is canvas. And his victims are masterpieces. When Detective Mike Gage's daughter disappears, the hunt leads the police into a nightmare of needles, hooks, and cages. A carnival of body modification ruled by a madman who believes he's a prophet. But Howdy isn't just another predator; he's a believer, and his gospel is written in pain. StrangeLand drags you screaming through the shadows of suburbia into a world where torture is transcendence, horror wears a human face, and salvation may come too late. Welcome to Captain Howdy's playground. Once you enter, you don't come back the same.

Cyril M. Kornbluth's "Takeoff" is a masterful exploration of the interplay between technology and society, set against a backdrop of technological optimism and skepticism typical of mid-20th century speculative fiction. The narrative is punctuated by Kornbluth's characteristic wit and sharp social commentary, as he delves into the implications of a space-age future. Through a compelling storyline that examines human ambition, ethical dilemmas, and the consequences of technological advancement, Kornbluth captures the anxiety of an era teetering between hope and disillusionment, displaying a profound understanding of the zeitgeist of his time. Cyril M. Kornbluth (1923-1958) was a prominent figure in the science fiction realm, recognized for co-writing notable works with Fredric Brown and for his solo efforts that often critiqued contemporary society. His experiences during World War II and his keen insights into political and social issues deeply informed his writing. "Takeoff" reflects his fascination with the space race and the dynamics of progress, underscoring his ability to weave personal and historical narratives into universally resonant themes. I highly recommend "Takeoff" to readers who appreciate thought-provoking science fiction that challenges perceptions of technological advancement. Kornbluth's astute observations, combined with his engaging narrative style, ensure this work remains relevant today, prompting readers to contemplate the balance between innovation and ethical responsibility.

This book has been considered by academicians and scholars of great significance and value to literature. This forms a part of the knowledge base for future generations. So that the book is never forgotten we have represented this book in a print format as the same form as it was originally first published. Hence any marks or annotations seen are left intentionally to preserve its true nature.

Liberated from a German concentration camp at the end of World War II but haunted by the memory of her ordeal, fifteen-year-old Piri starts a strange new life as a Jew in Sweden. Sequel to "Upon the Head of the Goat."

A child plants a mustard seed in an empty garden. It is an itty-bitty seed. It isnt anything very specialyet. Discover the surprising potential of one small seed in The Marvelous Mustard Seed. Based on Jesus parable of the Mustard Seed, this inspiring childrens book shows young readers that one tiny seedjust like one small childcarries a world of potential. The Marvelous Mustard Seed features ethnically diverse characters, and it is ideal for children ages 4-8. A special note for parents and teachers is included.

Racconti romani (Roman Tales) is a series of sixty-one short stories. Written and published initially in the Italian newspaper, Il Corriere della Sera, they were published as a collection in 1954 by Bompiani. All of the stories are set in Rome or its surroundings after World War II and focus on 'the common people of Rome' (Roma popolana). The characters in these stories tend to be the unemployed, ex-convicts, waiters, drivers, con artists, thieves and petty criminals, the average man (or woman) and the lower classes aspiring to climb out of poverty.All the stories are told in the first person with the narrator often unnamed, although details are usually furnished to provide a clue to the narrator's identity, such as their occupation, motivations and social status. Moravia's Racconti Romani provide a snapshot on life in Rome after World War II, revealing much about the inhabitants of Rome in the early 1950s.

E. Phillips Oppenheim (1866 1946) was one of the most popular and successful writers of spy fiction in the early twentieth century, and was known in his time as the Prince of Storytellers. He was the author of more than 100 novels. Edward Phillips Oppenheim (22 October 1866 - 3 February 1946) was an English novelist, in his lifetime a major and successful writer of genre fiction including thrillers.Edward Phillips Oppenheim was born 22 October 1866 in Leicester, the son of Henrietta Susannah Temperley Budd and Edward John Oppenheim, a leather merchant. He worked in his father's business for almost twenty years. He went to Wyggeston Grammar School.Oppenheim's literary success enabled him to buy a villa in France and a yacht, then a house in Guernsey, though he lost access to this during the Second World War. Afterwards he regained the house, le Vanquiédor in St. Peter Port, and he died there on 3 February 1946

Leib Goldkorn, aged musician, first appeared almost a quarter-century ago in The Steinway Quintet. Now Leib has replaced his magic flute with his phallus: it is love, longing, and the quest for sexual fulfillment that must stave off both his own death and the imminent destruction of the Jews. In Ice he rescues the celebrated skater Sonja Henie from Hitler's clutches. In Fire his paramour is Carmen Miranda. And in Water he engages in a South Sea Island intrigue with a famous swimming star of the 1940s. Meanwhile, in the present, Leib seeks consummation with three other inamoratas: Clara, his wife; Hustler model Miss Crystal Knight; and the critic Michiko Kakutani (causing a real-life literary scandal). In this "wickedly funny" (Elle) and no less heartbreaking novel, Leib Goldkorn emerges as one of American literature's most enduring, and endearing, creations. A New York Times Notable Book; a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year.

The haunting story of a woman who desires “something more, as if something more had been promised her that was not yet given.” Vivian Carpentier, confined by her role as an upper class woman in the 1940s, gleans meaning only from erotic love. Troubled by the elusiveness of men, yet convinced that they run the world, she can barely conceal her desperation to entice. Struggling with motherhood and the failure of marriage, she takes jobs to bridge intervals between lovers. She sings in a hotel bar, sells dresses, and nurses her father’s friend through his last illness, hoping to atone for a self-centered life. The constant in Vivian’s life is her son, David. Having seen her worst and best moments, he provides her with consolation and a reason for living.

"This delightful book of writer-to-writer correspondence joins a full shelf of volumes in the genre, yet it is perhaps the first set of such letters ever transacted via the Internet. Also unusual, at least for correspondents in the twenty-first century, is that Frederic Raphael and Joseph Epstein have never met, nor even spoken to each other. But what is most rare about this book is the authors' abundant talent for entertaining their readers, as much when the topic is grave as when it is droll. Raphael and Epstein agree to embark on a year-long correspondence, but other rules are few. As the weeks progress, their friendship grows, and each inspires the other. Almost any topic, large or small, is considered: they write of schooling, parents, wives, children, literary tastes, enmities, delights, and beliefs. They discuss their professional lives as writers, their skills or want of them, respective experiences with editors, producers, and actors, and, in priceless passages scattered throughout the letters, they assess such celebrated figures as Gore Vidal, Christopher Hitchens, Sontag/Leibowitz, Malcolm Gladwell, Harold Bloom, George Steiner, Harold Pinter, Isaiah Berlin, George Weidenfeld, and Robert Gottlieb, among many others. Epstein and Raphael capture a year in their letters, but more, they invite us into an intimate world where literature, cinema, and art are keys to self-discovery and friendship"--

"In this capstone book, fairy tale expert Jack Zipes has assembled what he describes as his last theoretical and critical study of fairy tales. His purpose is to create a coherent collection that pays tribute to a group of writers that he views as "survivors with a mission" whose tales inspire readers to this day. The book begins with a substantial introduction in which Zipes discusses the history of his interest in fairy tales and the motivation for his scholarship in the field. In a world filled with conflict, he writes, "fairy tales can be used for enlightenment by all of us or abused by small groups of powerful people who seek domination." The main text includes thirteen essays on notable authors of fairy tales-Édouard Laboulaye, Kurt Schwitters, Béla Bálazs, Christian Bärmann, Charles Godfrey Leland, Mariette Lydis, Ernst Bloch, Paul Vaillant-Couturier, Hermynia zur Mühlen, Lisa Teztner, Felix Salten, Emery Kelen, and Gianni Rodari-many of whom lived through revolutions and world wars or were otherwise compelled to confront political oppression during their lives. Zipes considers their cultural significance and their contributions to fairy tale literature, arguing that each deserves greater attention and appreciation. Some of the chapters have been adapted from previously published introductions Zipes wrote for the Oddly Modern Fairy Tales series, which he edits, and others are adapted from scholarly volumes that Zipes has published over his long career as a self-identified "scholarly scavenger" of largely forgotten tales. Together, they create a portrait of the political stakes that have animated Zipes's lifelong fascination with the fairy tale, and explain why readers and writers alike continue to return to this narrative form"--

While the term “culture wars” often designates the heated arguments in the English-speaking world spiraling around race, the canon, and affirmative action, in fact these discussions have raged in diverse sites and languages. Race in Translation charts the transatlantic traffic of the debates within and between three zones—the U.S., France, and Brazil. Stam and Shohat trace the literal and figurative translation of these multidirectional intellectual debates, seen most recently in the emergence of postcolonial studies in France, and whiteness studies in Brazil. The authors also interrogate an ironic convergence whereby rightist politicians like Sarkozy and Cameron join hands with some leftist intellectuals like Benn Michaels, Žižek, and Bourdieu in condemning “multiculturalism” and “identity politics.” At once a report from various “fronts” in the culture wars, a mapping of the germane literatures, and an argument about methods of reading the cross-border movement of ideas, the book constitutes a major contribution to our understanding of the Diasporic and the Transnational.

Take a voyeuristic peep through the curtains of kosher love. From the naïve sexual fantasies of a seminary girl, to a key-hole view of private marital moments, you'll get a taste of it all in these four short tales of Jewish sex, lust and yearning. Set inside the Orthodox Jewish world, these tales are so intimate and real that you'll feel like you've been spying on your neighbors!

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"Since 1997, author and scholar Maxim D. Shrayer has been offering seminars on Vladimir Nabokov, the great Russian American immigrant writer, at Boston College. This volume features essays by undergraduate and graduate students, which originated in the Nabokov seminar, as well as scholarship by Boston College faculty who work on Nabokov. The essays cover a broad thematic and intellectual terrain and showcase cutting-edge Nabokov scholarship and criticism. The topics include but are not limited to: translingualism, sexuality, Cold War politics, food studies, Nabokov and the visual arts, religion and metaphysics, urban studies, immigration studies, and modernist poetics. The collection will be of great interest to students and scholars, as well as to the broad audience of Nabokovians"--