Biografier

Born in Korea, raised in the American South, and trying her best to survive British academia, SJ Kim probes her experiences to confront the silences she finds in the world.

Sherman's plays have been produced in over sixty countries; he is also an acclaimed screenwriter; his memoir-recounting the journey from humble New Jersey origins to London's glittering West End-will be published with introduction by Ian McKellen, who starred in the premier of Bent, Sherman's breakout success.

A new view of the brilliant, strikingly original Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi.

Growing up in a working-class family in Manchester, Harry Furness joined the army in 1939 at the age of 16. Having always been captivated by the stories of First World War snipers, he immediately volunteered for sniper training when the army began to recruit soldiers in 1941. He did exceptionally well, qualifying as a marksman whilst a pre-war army cadet and was quickly promoted to lance corporal. Just prior to D-Day, he was promoted to corporal in the Green Howards Regiment and landed at Gold Beach on 6th June 1944. Together, he and his comrades began a hard fight across North-West Europe, gradually moving through Northern France, Belgium, Holland and eventually into Germany as they pushed the Germans back towards the Rhine. The manifold dangers and occasional humour of Harry Furness's experiences of war come across in a very matter-of-fact but compelling way in the dozens of previously unpublished letters, personal interviews and images that make up Martin Pegler's fascinating, moving biography of Furness and his extraordinary life.

From one of the most iconic actors in the history of film, an astonishingly revelatory account of a creative life in fullTo the wider world, Al Pacino exploded onto the scene like a supernova. He landed his first leading role, in The Panic in Needle Park, in 1971, and by 1975, he had starred in four movies-The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon-that were not just successes but landmarks in the history of film. Those performances became legendary and changed his life forever. Not since Marlon Brando and James Dean in the late 1950s had an actor landed in the culture with such force.But Pacino was in his mid thirties by then, and had already lived several lives. A fixture of avant-garde theater in New York, he had led a bohemian existence, working odd jobs to support his craft. He was raised by a fiercely loving but mentally unwell mother and her parents after his father left them when he was young, but in a real sense he was raised by the streets of the South Bronx, and by the troop of buccaneering young friends he ran with, whose spirits never left him. After a teacher recognized his acting promise and pushed him toward New York's fabled High School of Performing Arts, the die was cast. In good times and bad, in poverty and in wealth and in poverty again, through pain and joy, acting was his lifeline, its community his tribe.Sonny Boy is the memoir of a man who has nothing left to fear and nothing left to hide. All the great roles, the essential collaborations, and the important relationships are given their full due, as is the vexed marriage between creativity and commerce at the highest levels. The book's golden thread, however, is the spirit of love and purpose. Love can fail you, and you can be defeated in your ambitions-the same lights that shine bright can also dim. But Al Pacino was lucky enough to fall deeply in love with a craft before he had the foggiest idea of any of its earthly rewards, and he never fell out of love. That has made all the difference._________________________________________________________________________Praise for Al Pacino:'Al Pacino is magical' Martin Scorsese'A legend' Francis Ford Coppola'So unique and special' Robert De Niro'A singular, special talent, whose work stands the test of time' Robin Williams'A wicked sense of humour' Oliver Stone'Charming, hilarious, a nonstop talker. There is an aspect of him that is like a lost orphan, like this kind of crazy idiot savant' Diane Keaton'As Michael in The Godfather, Pacino was everything I wanted that character to be on screen. I couldn't believe it. It was, in my eyes, a perfect performance, a work of art' Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather 'Comedic, talented, and certifiably insane' Johnny Depp'Al is money, the man in charge, making it happen. I got to act with Al Pacino and it was worth more to me than anything' Samuel L Jackson'A marvellous actor and man' Sean Connery'The depth of Al Pacino's artistry is only more overwhelmed by the generosity of his spirit and his warmth. Al Pacino is Van Gogh. Modigliani' Andy Garcia'The greatest actor in the world' Jamie Foxx

Sharing what he's learnt during half a century's creative work, John Greening gives us an insight into the life of a poet, playwright, editor, reviewer, teacher and performer. Eminently readable, amusing and informative, A High Calling is a rich resource for anyone with an interest in good writing.

In The City and the World Gregor Hens threads memoir with travelogue, philosophy, photography and references from a wide variety of writers and thinkers to consider the phenomenon of the contemporary city and our place within it.

The first autobiography by much-loved landscape painter Kyffin Williams, widely regarded as the defining Welsh artist of the 20th century. Originally published in 1974, the book paints a humorous picture of Williams' childhood and early years as a painter. Includes illustrations by the artist himself. In paperback for the first time.

A memoir about a tumultuous relationship in the late ' 60s in Sitges, the Spanish coastal town where the party never stops, the champagne flows and boundaries are pushed. When Penny encountered the adventurous bar owner Tom Corley she found herself drawn to him despite her lack of experience with men. Instantly falling for the charismatic ' man in black', she eagerly embraced his carefree lifestyle filled with gambling, drinking, and wild escapades in Sitges, a vibrant Mediterranean party hub. Tom was a former US Marine with a shady past and his money-making schemes bumped up against the law, but that didn't matter to Penny. He had captured her heart, leading to their hasty marriage after a chance meeting on a Spanish beach in the Mediterranean. After a spell in his hometown of Dublin, they settled back in Sitges, where they ran a succession of businesses that, boom or bust, never quite managed to keep Tom out of trouble. The unpredictability of their life together kept her hooked for a decade, during which time she had two sons, until a last dodgy deal went badly wrong, and a dark undercurrent of violence finally became too much to bear. Then, for the sake of her safety, and her

The first English translation of an important and evocative interview-turned-book project in Marguerite Duras' illustrious oeuvre"I could talk for hours about this house, this garden. I know it all, I know where every old door is, everything, the walls of the pond, all the plants, the location of every plant, even the wild plants I know the place of, everything." So begins Marguerite Duras' rhapsody on the spaces she has inhabited throughout her life. The Places of Marguerite Duras was filmed and aired as a two-part television documentary in 1976. Her reminiscences are structured around her memories of specific locations: her house in Neauphle-le-Château; her childhood home in French Indochina, which inspired her acclaimed novel The Sea Wall; the Hôtel des Roches Noires in Trouville, where she wrote The Ravishing of Lol Stein; and the vast seascapes of Indochina, Bengal and Normandy, whose powerful tides compelled her art and life.The transcript of the documentary was published in French two years after the documentary aired, and is now published in English for the first time, just shy of 50 years since the film's creation. True to the original French edition, Duras' reflections are accompanied by photographs and film stills. The complete English translation by Alison Strayer includes a new essay by writer and director Durga Chew-Bose.Marguerite Duras (1914-96) was a filmmaker and author, and a leading figure in French postwar cinema. Her novel L'Amant won the Prix Goncourt in 1984. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film Hiroshima mon amour (1959).

Based primarily on original sources and contemporary accounts, this book is an account of the life and times of Benjamin Clough. Set in the golden age of whaling, the book follows him from the time he first went to sea in 1835 as a teenager to his retirement from whaling in 1867 as a veteran whaling captain and his life thereafter. It crosses the world’s oceans, providing the reader with an understanding of whaling from a first-hand perspective over a thirty-year period from the South Atlantic to the northern Pacific and then on into the Arctic Ocean. It is a gritty portrayal of the hardships, dangers, and harsh working conditions endured by whalers during this period. Clough’s life ashore during the intervals between voyages and after retiring from the sea featured its own unique experiences, offering a window into nineteenth-century life in Martha’s Vineyard.

Portland, Oregon, is a queer city in the queerest state in the US. It's also a place where, like anywhere in this country, you can experience bigotry, violence, and discrimination. Out of these contradictions bursts this sparkling collection of first-person stories--a heady mix of fiction and fact--written by contributors from across the queer spectrum and beyond, serving vulnerability, humor, and realness. Immerse yourself in familiar scenes and landmarks like Washington Park, Caffe Mingo, the Silverado, Powell's City of Books, Umbra Penumbra, St. Mary's Academy, the Lloyd Center Mall, Hawthorne Boulevard, Food Front Co-op, Darcelle XV, a ghost bike installation, a backyard barbecue, a call center during third shift, and the many bridges over the Willamette River. Read Gabby Rivera's original story that became the hit novel Juliet Takes a Breath. Revel in David Ciminello's tale of a waiter who falls in love with a straight guy from the café next door. Learn Marc Acito's answer to the question "Where do you find hot men in Portland?" Elevate your vocabulary with Stevie Anntonym's "Lesbian Lexicon." Whatever your orientation, these accounts of queer and trans life in the Rose City will make you see the world and your place in it from a different angle. This new edition of the Lambda Literary Award-winning anthology includes a poem by Nastashia Minto and stories by Christa Orth and Kalimah Abioto.

A biography of the legendary American rapper Tupac Shakur, his personal politics and position as a symbol for revolution