Victor Hugo wrote Les Contemplations in 1856 during his political exile, a theme he also explored in Les Châtiments. For several years, he experienced an internal exile that haunts Les Contemplations. The work is composed of two distinct parts: "Autrefois" and "Aujourd'hui". This collection is Hugo's first poetic masterpiece, consisting of over ten thousand lines cast against the sea and sky on the island of Jersey.

Marked forever by the death of his daughter Léopoldine, Hugo announces in his preface that these two parts cannot be reconciled: "an abyss separates them, the grave." Within Les Contemplations are some of Hugo's most beautiful poems about the force of nature, the nostalgia of childhood, and the inevitability of death. The variety of rhythm and tone, ranging from classical to romantic, showcases Hugo's mastery of poetic creation.

The poem "La bouche d'ombre", with its eight hundred verses, elevates the poetic vision to a higher order. Hugo's words transform into a cosmological, theological, and moral treatise. "God dictated, I wrote," Hugo logically concludes at the end of the collection.

Today, even after Rimbaud considered it "the first of the seers" and the surrealists hailed Hugo as a master, his protean genius continues to impress. Les Contemplations remains a testament to his enduring legacy.

The Radetzky March charts the history of the Trotta family through three generations, spanning the rise and fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. From the Battle of Solferino to the entombment of the last Hapsburg emperor, Roth's intelligent and compassionate narrative illuminates the crumbling of a way of life.

This epic saga offers a vivid portrait of a family entwined with the fate of an empire. Each generation reflects the changing times, with the grandfather's enoblement, the son's dedication to civil virtues, and the grandson's struggle against unattainable family standards. It's a tale rich with psychological penetration and tragic force.

With its blend of dark humor and tragic irony, this novel is a universal story of decline and nostalgia, capturing the essence of a civilization on the brink of transformation.

Chiar de la intaiul volum, ulita copilariei, Ionel Teodoreanu apare ca un scriitor original, in posesiunea deplina a formulei sale. Daca, exterior, aceasta literatura lirica si imagistica, traind aproape exclusiv din evocarea varstei infantile, duce, in chip vadit, la Jules Renard, la Anghel si la Delavrancea, ea ramane foarte personala prin tineretea ei, autentica, prin extraordinara memorie a copilariei!

Intr-un soi de poeme in proza si de insemnari, autorul reconstruieste in ton idilic acea varsta a exuberantei pe care adultul o uita de obicei usor... Prin adanca incursiune in sufletul copilaresc, prin atmosfera fericirii si prin prospectiunea receptiei, Ulita copilariei si intaiul volum din La Medeleni sunt opere de valoare durabila si adevaratele infaptuiri ale autorului.