Discoveries

The story of Mahatma Gandhi is the story of India. This book chronicles the life of the extraordinary man who led his people to independence from the British Empire in 1947. Learn how this deeply spiritual, charismatic leader changed the course of history by using pacifism and fasting as political weapons.

"Translations of 20 stories by 12 writers, including immigrants, first (b. early-20th century) and second (b. 1930s-40s) generation. Variety of styles and subjects, some treating Jewish life and culture. Useful historical introduction by Gardiol; biographical page on each author; bibliography. Well-chosen stories and generally good translations"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.

In The Trap, Ana Maria Matute explores ties that bind family, society and culture. Through her compelling use of a powerful feminine first-person narrative, Matute highlights the experience of women during the tumultuous years of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Matute delicately weaves a feminist subtext into the larger context of Spain's difficulties in dealing with gender, class and cultural distinctions. She draws from her own experiences to paint a literary picture of the conflict between two groups: the people she calls the merchants - who deny the vitality of life - and the soldiers - who believe in tolerance. In this third novel of the famous trilogy, The Merchants, Matute examines the lasting effects of social upheaval, discrimination and lives trapped in conflict.

Henri Cartier-Bresson, at eighty-six, is the old master of European photography. Paris - the city and its people - has pervaded his work ever since he first exchanged his paintbrushes for a camera, influenced by the Surrealist movement of the late 1920s. A propos de Paris presents the photographer's personal selection of more than 130 of his best photographs of Paris, taken over fifty years. As ever, his vision transforms photojournalism into high art, revealing images of Paris with a rare, dreamlike, almost crystalline clarity. He unfolds before our eyes a kind of intellectual reconstruction of the city, reaching far beyond the cliches of tourism and popular myth. Accompanying texts by Vera Feyder and Andre Pieyre de Mandiargues discuss the history of Cartier-Besson's engagement with the city and its place in his achievement. This is a unique gallery of urban landscapes rendered by a great sensibility - Cartier-Besson's homage to the place perhaps closest to his heart.

"First English-language edition of El espejo de Lida Sal (see HLAS 30:3268), in which the Nobel laureate melds Mayan and Guatemalan myth and folklore in 10 stories whose hallucinatory prose challenges the reader. 'Everything unfolds in a land of natural dreamscapes...The imagination reels.' Although lacking a table of contents and translator's note, the superb translation recommends the work for classroom use"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.

This book contains the entire collection of 582 aphorisms which the nineteenth-century Austrian writer Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830-1916) published in a number of expanded editions of Aphorismen starting in 1880. While this author also wrote poems, plays, novels, and novellas, she is known today particularly for her insightful aphorisms. Stating that "An aphorism is the last link in a long chain of thought," she presents intellectually stimulating and socially engaging short texts dealing with various aspects of human nature, morality, ethics, knowledge, education, politics, youth, age, friendship, love, marriage, sexual politics, and both liberal and female emancipation.

In Soldiers Cry By Night, 1964, the second volume of The Merchants (1959-1969), an award-winning trilogy about the Spanish Civil War, Ana Maria Matute uses a realistic setting and autobiographical detail to depict triumph and loss. Manuel and Marta are forced to accept the end of their innocent childhood happiness, and must come to terms with the allegiances and betrayals of the harsh adult world. During the Fascist attack on Barcelona the two young people are forced to choose sides. Their decisions will forever change their lives.

"First long work in English by the Argentine Bullrich, published as Mañana digo basta (1968). Diary format follows a woman's summer spent alone following her 49th birthday, with reflections on women's roles, art, love, and family. Somewhat dated discussion of lesbianism and sexuality. Competent translation. Short biography of author on back cover. Interesting for classroom use"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.

"First complete English-language publication of 10 songs published nearly four decades ago (see HLAS 28:2152) in which the great Chilean laureate explores 'landscapes of the heart and mind.' Competent translations in a bilingual edition. Lacks both an introduction and translator's note"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.

"Complete translation of Nombre falso, for which Sergio Gabriel Waisman earned a Eugene M. Kayden Meritorious Achievement Award in 1995. Given the stature of Piglia's writing and its potential interest to English-language scholars and students of contemporary Argentine literature, one wishes for more extensive introductory and bibliographical material"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.