The Vienna Paradox is Marjorie Perloff's memoir of growing up in pre-World War II Vienna, her escape to America in 1938 with her upper-middle-class, highly cultured, and largely assimilated Jewish family, and her self-transformation from the German-speaking Gabriele Mintz to the English-speaking Marjorie--who also happened to be the granddaughter of Richard Schüller, the Austrian foreign minister under Chancellor Dollfuss and a special delegate to the League of Nations. Compelling as the story is, this is hardly a conventional memoir. Rather, it interweaves biographical anecdote and family history with speculations on the historical development of early 20th-century Vienna as it was experienced by her parents' generation, and how the loss of their "high" culture affected the lives of these cultivated refugees in a democratic United States that was, and remains, deeply suspicious of perceived "elitism." This is, in other words, an intellectual memoir, both elegant and heartfelt, by one of America's leading critics, a narrative in which literary and philosophical reference is as central as the personal.

Vividly capturing the tastes, sounds, and smells of Hangzou, China, this entertaining and witty travelogue details a year spent teaching creative writing at Zeijang University and the experiences of being a fish out of water. Containing contributions from the author as well as his students, this memoir fondly depicts China’s galloping economy, respect for ancient texts, and everyday people.

Harold Rosen was a leader of thought in the world of English teaching in the second half of the twentieth century. He and his colleagues forged and sustained a new understanding of the purpose and possibilities of the subject English within the school curriculum. Beyond the constituency of people teaching English in secondary schools, Harold's teachings, writings and activities illuminated many more people's understanding of the relationship between language and learning in any context, whatever the age of the learner and the content of the learning. This tribute to Harold's life and work contains over 50 pieces of his writing. Harold's educational writings are grouped under three headings: * The politics of language and English teaching * The role of language in learning * Story Interspersed among the educational writings are some of Harold's stories and poems.