Selvbiografier

Pride of the Dons: the untold story of the men and women who made the Gothenburg Greats

Jos Simon's second book of memoirs looks at his memories of growing up in north Wales and how his upbringing informed the later part of his life as a Welsh exile in England. After focusing on his youth in Pwllheli, he discusses how, after leaving Wales in 1964, he believed he was drifting away from Wales, only to realise he was always unconsciously looking for ways to relate to it - by writing about it, by returning and exploring it, and by following Welsh rugby and football. He came to the conclusion that, in old age, he must rekindle a closer relationship with the Llŷn Peninsula and with Wales in general, and set about exploring his native country both geographically and by getting up to speed on Welsh current affairs, music and literature. Finally, he ponders the nature of that indefinable Welsh emotion which mixes nostalgia and longing: hiraeth. This sequel to On Bonfires, Butlins and Being Welsh takes a similar epistolatory approach, but with Facebook posts rather than letters, and is great creative non-fiction, more about north Wales than about the author himself.

The brilliant new memoir by one of the last great statesmen, aman who has towered over British politics for more than fifty years.

First Published in 1961 A Philosopher's Pilgrimage is a plain-spoken autobiography of Alban G. Widgery. This is the record of the life of a philosopher who never allowed concern with ideas to distract him from the richness of experiences.

James VI & I, who died 400 years ago this year, was one of the most consequential and most interesting of all British monarchs, not least in creating the British monarchy itself through the joining of the English and Scottish thrones. A major intellectual, a religious and constitutional thinker, an expert on witchcraft, James was also obsessed with hunting, building, diplomacy, poetry and fashion. His reign encompassed extraordinary dramas - such as the Gunpowder Plot - and powerful creative moments, from Shakespeare's later plays to the great translation of the Bible commissioned by James. He was also deeply involved in the new colonial 'plantations' of Ulster and Virginia, with its capital of Jamestown. Clare Jackson's wonderful new book tells the story of this highly unusual monarch with great flair and insight. Jackson raises fascinating questions about the nature of rule, the making of culture and a period of in which political, economic and ecological changes were tipping much of Europe into disaster.

A foreign affairs journalist for 60 years, Jonathan Power has traveled all over the world, writing, besides his column in the International Herald Tribune and the New York Times, long articles for Encounter and Prospect magazines, eight books on foreign affairs and many TV and radio documentaries, mainly for the BBC, one of which won the silver medal at the Venice Film Festival. Power has probably been published on the opinion pages of the principal US newspapers more than any other European. He has interviewed over 70 of the world's most famous and influential presidents, prime ministers, and political and literary icons including Ignacio Lula da Silva, Indira Gandhi, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Georgi Arbatov, Sonia Gandhi, Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt, Olusegun Obasanjo, Julius Nyerere, James Baldwin, Andy Young, Jesse Jackson, Manmohan Singh and Paul McCartney. Notably, Power was the first journalist to report at length in English on the trafficking of African migrants across the Sahara and into France. This inspired his first novel, "The Human Flow"- a love story set against the backdrop of the migrant flow from West Africa to Paris and London. In addition to his writing, Power has consulted for organizations such as the Aspen Institute, the International Red Cross, the World Council of Churches, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, UNICEF, and the Catholic Church¿s Commission for Justice and Peace in England and Wales.

A genuinely funny memoir with lots of heart (and just the right amount of bitterness!), Helen Lederer pulls no punches, but every blow is wrapped in a laugh of recognition. Brilliantly written, revealing, and moving, Not That I'm Bitter is sweet, sour, laugh-out-loud, and addictive.

Gary Barlow'sPath to Fame came to an abrupt halt when his career slumped in the mostspectacular way. Until his solo career crumbled, his pathway had been linedwith gold. Quite simply, he was a musical prodigy as a teenager growing up inthe small Cheshire town of Frodsham.

Robbie Williamsis the perfect choice for the very first Path to Fame book. Robert Peter Williamsdid not become Robbie until, aged sixteen, he joined a bunch of boy bandhopefuls who eventually made it to the very top as Take That.