A haunting tale of power, corruption, and the complex search for identity, Conversation in The Cathedral takes place in 1950s Peru during the dictatorship of Manuel Apolinario Odría Amoretti. Over beers and a sea of freely spoken words, the conversation flows between two individuals, Santiago and Ambrosia, who talk of their tormented lives and of the overall degradation and frustration that has slowly taken over their town.
Through a complicated web of secrets and historical references, Mario Vargas Llosa analyzes the mental and moral mechanisms that govern power and the people behind it. More than a historic analysis, Conversation in The Cathedral is a groundbreaking novel that tackles identity as well as the role of a citizen and how a lack of personal freedom can forever scar a people and a nation.
روی ماه خداوند را ببوس is a captivating novel by Mostafa Mastoor, a renowned Iranian author.
This story delves into the depths of human emotions and spirituality, exploring the intricate relationship between man and the divine.
Through its pages, readers are invited to embark on a journey of self-discovery and reflection, as the characters navigate their personal struggles and aspirations.
Rich in cultural context and philosophical insights, this novel offers a unique perspective on life's profound questions.
The Seat of the Soul celebrates a new phase of human evolution, reflecting a growing understanding of authentic, spiritual power based on harmony, cooperation, and a deep reverence for life.
As we transition into this new era, our experiences are exploding beyond the five senses. This book provides the vocabulary for this new species—a vocabulary of authentic power, aligning the personality with the soul.
We are awakening to new abilities and values, much like a baby opening its eyes and stretching its arms for the first time, discovering potential never before realized.
Join author Gary Zukav as he shares insights into this remarkable journey to the spirit that each of us is on. The Seat of the Soul is not just a book; it's a guide to understanding how infusing life with reverence, compassion, and trust brings profound meaning and purpose.
In this exciting time on Earth, the book describes why spiritual growth is essential and how it can transform ordinary lives into extraordinary journeys.
Pornografia is a strange and bracing novel that delves into the divide between the young and the old, while providing a grotesque evocation of obsession. Set in the Polish countryside during wartime, the unnamed narrator and his friend, Fryderyk, engage in a bizarre game of manipulating two local youths, Karol and Henia, into a forced affection, turning their interactions into a sort of erotic chess game.
Frustration mounts as the youths show no interest in each other, leading to a momentary halt in their games due to a local murder and a complex directive to assassinate a rogue resistance member. Gombrowicz masterfully connects these threads in a tense climax, imbuing the novel with a deep sense of the absurd.
The prose is precise and forceful, with the narrator's attempts to understand his own pleasure in corrupting youth evoking a mix of pride and disgust. The novel's manic tone navigates between lengthy, comma-spliced sentences and sharp, declarative thrusts, enhancing its complexity and dark humor.
Arthur Schopenhauer's Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung is one of the most important philosophical works of the nineteenth century, representing a fundamental statement of post-Kantian thought. This masterpiece is undeniably Schopenhauer's greatest contribution to philosophy.
Conceived and published before Schopenhauer turned 30, and later expanded over 25 years, the work encapsulates a lifetime of profound thinking. For seven decades, the only unabridged English translation was the Haldane-Kemp version. In 1958, E. F. J. Payne introduced a new translation that decisively replaced the older version by correcting nearly 1,000 errors and omissions found in the Haldane-Kemp translation. Payne's translation is based on the definitive 1937 German edition prepared by Dr. Arthur Hübscher.
This edition is particularly useful for students and teachers as it translates the text’s numerous quotations from various languages into English, making it an invaluable resource for understanding Schopenhauer's vision of the world as will and representation.
I have noticed that sometimes I frighten people; what they really fear is themselves. They think it is I who scare them, but it is the dwarf within them, the ape-faced manlike being who sticks up his head from the depths of their souls.
Pär Lagerkvist's richly philosophical novel The Dwarf is an exploration of individual and social identity. The novel, set in a time when Italian towns feuded over the outcome of the last feud, centers on a social outcast, the court dwarf Piccoline. From his special vantage point, Piccoline comments on the court's prurience and on political intrigue as the town is gripped by a siege.
Gradually, Piccoline is drawn deeper and deeper into the conflict, and he inspires fear and hate around him as he grows to represent the fascination of the masses with violence.