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Maxim Gorky. Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (Russian: Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в or Пе́шков;[1] 28 March 1868 – 18 June 1936), primarily known as Maxim (Maksim) Gorky (Russian: Макси́м Го́рький), was a Russian and Soviet writer, a founder of the Socialist realism literary method and a political activist.[2] Life[edit] Early years[edit] Gorky was born in Nizhny Novgorod and became an orphan at the age of eleven. Gorky was brought up by his grandmother.[2] In 1880, at the age of twelve, he ran away from home.

After an attempt at suicide in December 1887, he travelled on foot across the Russian Empire for five years, changing jobs and accumulating impressions used later in his writing.[2] As a journalist working for provincial newspapers, he wrote under the pseudonym Иегудиил Хламида (Jehudiel Khlamida). Political and literary development[edit] He publicly opposed the Tsarist regime and was arrested many times. Capri years[edit] In 1909–1911 Gorky lived on Capri at villa Behring (burgundy) Second exile[edit] Childhood (novel) Childhood (Russian: Детство, Detstvo) is the first published novel by Leo Tolstoy, released under the initials L.

N. in the November 1852 issue of the popular Russian literary journal The Contemporary.[1] Childhood is an exploration of the inner life of a young boy, Nikolenka, and one of the books in Russian writing to explore an expressionistic style, mixing fact, fiction and emotions to render the moods and reactions of the narrator. "Will the freshness, lightheartedness, the need for love, and strength of faith which you have in childhood ever return? What better time than when the two best virtues -- innocent joy and the boundless desire for love -- were the only motives in life? "[2] Jump up ^ O'Brien, Dora. Trans. Franz Kafka. Kafka was born into a middle-class, German-speaking Jewish family in Prague, the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In his lifetime, most of the population of Prague spoke Czech, and the division between Czech- and German-speaking people was a tangible reality, as both groups were strengthening their national identity.

The Jewish community often found itself in between the two sentiments, naturally raising questions about a place to which one belongs. Kafka himself was fluent in both languages, considering German his mother tongue. Kafka trained as a lawyer and after completing his legal education, obtained employment with an insurance company. He began to write short stories in his spare time. Life[edit] Family[edit] Plaque marking the birthplace of Franz Kafka in Prague. The Kafka family had a servant girl living with them in a cramped apartment. Education[edit] Employment[edit] Former home of the Worker's Accident Insurance Institute. Miss FB. The Metamorphosis. The Metamorphosis (German: Die Verwandlung, also sometimes translated as The Transformation) is a novella by Franz Kafka, first published in 1915.

It has been cited as one of the seminal works of fiction of the 20th century and is studied in colleges and universities across the Western world. The story begins with a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, waking to find himself transformed (metamorphosed) into a large, monstrous insect-like creature. The cause of Samsa's transformation is never revealed, and Kafka himself never gave an explanation. The rest of Kafka's novella deals with Gregor's attempts to adjust to his new condition as he deals with being burdensome to his parents and sister, who are repulsed by the horrible, verminous creature Gregor has become. Plot[edit] Part I[edit] One day, Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, wakes up to find himself transformed into an ungeheures Ungeziefer, literally "monstrous vermin", often interpreted as a giant bug or insect.

Part II[edit] Mr. Mr. Isaac Asimov. Foundation (novel) Foundation is the first novel in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy (later expanded into The Foundation Series). Foundation is a collection of five short stories, which were first published together as a book by Gnome Press in 1951 which, together, form a single plot. (First published in the book edition in 1951) Using psychohistory, Seldon has discovered the declining nature of the Empire, angering the aristocratic members of the Committee of Public Safety, the de facto rulers of the Empire. The Committee considers Seldon's views and statements treasonous, and he is arrested along with young mathematician Gaal Dornick, who has arrived on Trantor to meet Seldon.

Seldon is tried by the Committee and defends his beliefs, explaining his theories and predictions, including his belief that the Empire will collapse in 300 years and enter a 30,000-year dark age, to the Committee's members. (First published in Astounding Science-Fiction (May 1942) as "Foundation") The Psychohistorians The Mayors. Carl Sagan. Carl Edward Sagan (/ˈseɪɡən/; November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, science popularizer, and science communicator in astronomy and other natural sciences. His contributions were central to the discovery of the high surface temperatures of Venus. However, he is best known for his contributions to the scientific research of extraterrestrial life, including experimental demonstration of the production of amino acids from basic chemicals by radiation.

Sagan assembled the first physical messages that were sent into space: the Pioneer plaque and the Voyager Golden Record, universal messages that could potentially be understood by any extraterrestrial intelligence that might find them. Sagan always advocated scientific skeptical inquiry and the scientific method, pioneered exobiology and promoted the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI). §Early life[edit] My parents were not scientists. The Demon-Haunted World. The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark is a book by astrophysicist Carl Sagan, which was first published in 1995. The book is intended to explain the scientific method to laypeople, and to encourage people to learn critical or skeptical thinking. It explains methods to help distinguish between ideas that are considered valid science, and ideas that can be considered pseudoscience. Sagan states that when new ideas are offered for consideration, they should be tested by means of skeptical thinking, and should stand up to rigorous questioning.

Themes[edit] As an example, Sagan relates the story from the chapter "The Dragon in My Garage" (which he notes follows a group therapy approach by the psychologist Richard L. Sagan presents a set of tools for skeptical thinking which he calls the "baloney detection kit". Sagan provides a skeptical analysis of several examples of what he refers to as superstition, fraud, and pseudoscience such as witches, UFOs, ESP, and faith healing. C. S. Lewis. Lewis and fellow novelist J. R. R. Tolkien were close friends. Both authors served on the English faculty at Oxford University, and both were active in the informal Oxford literary group known as the "Inklings".

According to his memoir Surprised by Joy, Lewis had been baptized in the Church of Ireland (part of the Anglican Communion) at birth, but fell away from his faith during his adolescence. Owing to the influence of Tolkien and other friends, at the age of 32 Lewis returned to the Anglican Communion, becoming "a very ordinary layman of the Church of England". His faith had a profound effect on his work, and his wartime radio broadcasts on the subject of Christianity brought him wide acclaim. In 1956, he married the American writer Joy Davidman, 17 years his junior, who died four years later of cancer at the age of 45.

Lewis's works have been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold millions of copies. Biography Childhood "My Irish life" First World War Jane Moore ... The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a high fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It was the first published of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956) and the best known; among all the author's books it is the most widely held in libraries.[3] Although it was written as well as published first in the series, it is volume two in recent editions, which are sequenced according to Narnia history (the first being The Magician's Nephew). Like the others it was illustrated by Pauline Baynes, and her work has been retained in many later editions.[1][2] Plot summary[edit] In 1940, four siblings – Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie – are among many children evacuated from London during World War II to escape the Blitz.

While the four children explore the house, Lucy climbs into a wardrobe and discovers that inside it is a magical forest in a land called Narnia. They are spotted by Mr. Character list[edit] Writing[edit] The Magician's Nephew. The Magician's Nephew is a high fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Bodley Head in 1955. It was the sixth published of seven novels in the The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956); it is volume one in recent editions, which are sequenced according to Narnia history. Like the others it was illustrated by Pauline Baynes and her work has been retained in many later editions. The Bodley Head was a new publisher for The Chronicles, a change from Geoffrey Bles.[1][2] The Magician's Nephew is a prequel to the books of the same series. The middle third of the novel features creation of the Narnia world by Aslan the lion, centered at a lamp-post brought by accidental observers from London during year 1900. Lewis began The Magician's Nephew soon after completing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, spurred by a friend's question about the lamp-post in the middle of nowhere, but he needed more than five years to complete it.

Plot summary[edit] Principal characters[edit] Style[edit] Arthur Conan Doyle. Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle KStJ, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a Scottish physician and writer who is most noted for his fictional stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered milestones in the field of crime fiction.

He is also known for writing the fictional adventures of a second character he invented, Professor Challenger, and for popularising the mystery of the Mary Celeste.[1] He was a prolific writer whose other works include fantasy and science fiction stories, plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. Life and career[edit] Early life[edit] Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was born on 22 May 1859 at 11 Picardy Place, Edinburgh, Scotland.[2][3] His father, Charles Altamont Doyle, was born in England of Irish Catholic descent, and his mother, Mary (née Foley), was Irish Catholic. Doyle's father died in 1893, in the Crichton Royal, Dumfries, after many years of psychiatric illness.[13][14] Name[edit] Writing career[edit]

The Hound of the Baskervilles. In 2003, the book was listed as number 128 of 200 on the BBC's The Big Read poll of the UK's "best-loved novel. "[2] In 1999, it was listed as the top Holmes novel, with a rating from Sherlockian scholars of 100 of 100.[3] Plot[edit] Introduction[edit] Sir Charles Baskerville, baronet, is found dead on the grounds of his country house, Baskerville Hall. Mortimer explains that the Baskerville family is afflicted by a curse. Sir Charles Baskerville had become fearful of the legendary curse and its hellhound. In London[edit] Intrigued by the case, Holmes met Sir Henry, newly arrived from Canada. Holmes asks if there were any other living relatives besides Sir Henry. Despite the note's warning, Sir Henry insists on visiting Baskerville Hall. By the time they return to the hotel, Sir Henry has had another, older boot stolen. At Baskerville Hall[edit] Mortimer, Watson, and Sir Henry set off for Baskerville Hall the following Saturday.

The convict[edit] The appearance of Holmes[edit] Climax[edit] Erich Maria Remarque. Erich Maria Remarque[1] (22 June 1898 – 25 September 1970), born Erich Paul Remark, was a German author who authored many works, with his best-known novel being All Quiet on the Western Front. Life and work[edit] Erich Maria Remarque was born on 22 June 1898 into a working class family in the German city of Osnabrück to Peter Franz Remark (b. 14 June 1867, Kaiserswerth) and Anna Maria (née Stallknecht; born 21 November 1871, Katernberg).

First World War[edit] Teacher[edit] Other jobs[edit] Erich worked at a number of different jobs, including librarian, businessman, teacher, journalist and editor. Novelist[edit] At the age of 16, Remarque had made his first attempts at writing; this included essays, poems, and the beginnings of a novel that was finished later and published in 1920 as The Dream Room (Die Traumbude). In 1931, after finishing The Road Back (Der Weg zurück), Remarque bought a villa in Porto Ronco, Switzerland, planning to live both there and in France. Nazi era[edit] Novels[edit] All Quiet on the Western Front.

All Quiet on the Western Front (German: Im Westen nichts Neues) is a novel by Erich Maria Remarque, a German veteran of World War I. The book describes the German soldiers' extreme physical and mental stress during the war, and the detachment from civilian life felt by many of these soldiers upon returning home from the front. The novel was first published in November and December 1928 in the German newspaper Vossische Zeitung and in book form in late January 1929. The book and its sequel, The Road Back, were among the books banned and burned in Nazi Germany. It sold 2.5 million copies in 22 languages in its first eighteen months in print.[1] Title and translation[edit] Brian Murdoch's 1993 translation would render the phrase as "there was nothing new to report on the Western Front" within the narrative.

Explaining his retention of the original book-title, he says: Plot summary[edit] Paul's visit on leave to his home highlights the cost of the war on his psyche. Themes[edit] Tjaden[edit] Mikhail Bulgakov. Mikhaíl Afanasyevich Bulgakov (Russian: Михаи́л Афана́сьевич Булга́ков, pronounced [mʲɪxɐˈiɫ ɐfɐˈnasʲjɪvʲɪt͡ɕ bʊɫˈɡakəf]; May 15 [O.S. May 3] 1891 – March 10, 1940) was a Soviet writer and playwright active in the first half of the 20th century.[1] He is best known for his novel The Master and Margarita, which has been called one of the masterpieces of the 20th century.[3] Life and work[edit] Early life[edit] Mikhail Bulgakov was born on May 15, 1891, in Kiev, at that time in the Russian Empire. He was one of seven children (the oldest of three brothers) of Afanasiy Bulgakov, an assistant professor at the Kiev Theological Academy, and Varvara Mikhailovna, a former teacher. In 1901 Bulgakov joined the First Kiev Gymnasium, where he developed an interest in Russian and European literature (his favourite authors at the time being Gogol, Pushkin, Dostoyevsky, Saltykov-Shchedrin, and Dickens), theatre and opera.

In 1913, Bulgakov married Tatiana Lappa. Career[edit] Bulgakov, 1930 or earlier. The Master and Margarita. Kurt Vonnegut. Breakfast of Champions. George Orwell. Animal Farm. Charles Bukowski. Women (novel) J. D. Salinger. The Catcher in the Rye. Jack Kerouac. On the Road. F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby. Ernest Hemingway. The Sun Also Rises.