SUCH, SUCH WERE THE JOYS AND OTHER ESSAYS

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SUCH, SUCH WERE THE JOYS AND OTHER ESSAYS

Name: SUCH, SUCH WERE THE JOYS AND OTHER ESSAYS
Author: George Orwell
ISBN: 1441717714

by George Orwell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 26, 1953

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Collected from 1939 on, these are essays and autobiographical pieces, which while contemplative in tone, are not contended and should be welcomed by the audience Orwell has claimed. There are definitions of political orientation, declarations of personal beliefs, examinations of contemporary loyalties and perverted thinking, of the presence of anti-Semitism in England, consideration of radio as a vehicle for poetry, a critique of Henry Miller and his predecessors, a review of the results of the Spanish War and a long reflection of his years as a poor boy at an expensive school. This last is a holding picture of English schooling and of children caught in a system without pity or kindness and gives a very human touch to the book. People, places, events and attitudes- are all caught and observed with honesty and a distillation of meaning that gives these 11 inclusions their appeal.

Pub Date: Feb. 26, 1953

ISBN: 1441717714

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harcourt, Brace

Review Posted Online: April 5, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1953

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
GEORGE ORWELL
by George Orwell ; edited by Peter Davison

- BOOK REVIEW
DIARIES
by George Orwell & edited by Peter Davison

- BOOK REVIEW
ALL ART IS PROPAGANDA
by George Orwell

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.