Kirjahaku

This is a fascinating critical study of the life, work and milieu of one of Britain's best known and most popular novelists. Starting with a biographical overview of the influences on the developing writer while at home, at school, at Oxford, and at war, Dale Salwak goes on to offer the general reader a lively interpretation of all of Amis's novels, from Lucky Jim (1954) through to The Folks That Live on the Hill (1990), set against the ever-changing backdrop of the twentieth century. Dale Salwak makes extensive use of the major Amis archives, and draws on material from Amis's notebooks, letters, juvenilia and manuscripts, as well as upon his own discussions with Amis and many of his friends. Waving these sources with his own critical appraisal, Salwak plots each step in the development of Amis's imaginative vision throughout his writing career. This illustrated study, which includes a selective chronology and a complete primary bibliography, will be read with pleasure by those who are interested in learning more about Kingsley Amis, modern novelist.

The first in the Mystery Voices series showcases interviews with authors of mystery, crime, and suspense. Highlights include substantial interviews with such authors as P.D. James and Julian Symons.

The first major Hawthorne biography to be published in two decades, featuring original scholarship on both unpublished and published sources The Life of the Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne presents a rich and nuanced portrait of one of America’s greatest writers, exploring the thoughts and ideas of a man whose profound insights about the human condition continue to resonate in the modern day. Accessible to those with little knowledge of Hawthorne, this unique volume uses a new biographical approach based on exhaustive primary research that provides readers with a better understanding of the artist and his work. Author Dale Salwak challenges the presumption that Hawthorne was a reclusive, eccentric, and alienated man whose relevance to modern times is diminishing. Drawing from his forty-five years' experience reading, studying, and teaching Hawthorne, the author reveals a more approachable Hawthorne. In-depth and reflective chapters explore topics such as the circumstances that led Hawthorne to become a writer, the influence of Sophia Hawthorne on her husband’s work, the theory of the unfulfilled homoerotic relationship between Hawthorne and Herman Melville, and more. Offers a fresh reading of Hawthorne’s life and work from birth to deathProvides new perspectives on Hawthorne and stories surrounding his workDraws from a wide variety of sources, including novels, tales, children’s books, notebooks, and personal letters to and from HawthorneSuggests new strategies for teaching Hawthorne to today’s studentsIncludes a detailed index and comprehensive introductory and concluding chapters Highlighting Hawthorne's special contributions to American literature, The Life of the Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne is essential reading for scholars, lecturers, and college students taking courses including Literary History, American Literature, and History of the Novel as well as anyone interested in biography, literature, and creativity. "Dale Salwak has assimilated vast amounts of scholarship on Hawthorne and his circle, and he's crafted a highly readable and brilliant biography. The lines in Hawthorne's astonishing life have never been more clearly drawn. A wonderful book, highly recommend."—Jay Parini, author of Robert Frost: A Life and Borges and Me

A collection of essays celebrating the talents of Philip Larkin, poet, critic and fiction writer who died in 1985. They range from Kingsley Amis' and Anthony Curtis' fine memoirs of Larkin's life at Oxford to William H.Pritchard's examination of some of the qualities in his poetry.

Part epistolary memoir, part handbook, ""Teaching Life"" reflects on more than three decades of teaching literature and touching the lives of students. Both a reflection on a life in literature and a primer on teaching as a vocation, this soul-stirring work also provides behind-the-scenes stories of many of the authors who have influenced Dale Salwak's career.Written in response to the sudden death of one of his students, who died tragically in an automobile accident on her way to Salwak's office to talk over her career plans, ""Teaching Life"" is an effort to impart lessons to the next generation of teachers: ""It was the suddenness of her death, I think, along with the utter loss of so much potential, which struck me forcibly, and I found myself wondering if anything I had said in class had made a difference in her too-short life or, for that matter, in the lives of any of my students.""By turns analytical, reflective, and exhortatory, ""Teaching Life"" unselfconsciously captures the fascination, enlightenment, and sheer joy that literary studies can offer professors and students. It also implicitly speaks to society's prevailing - and disturbing - prejudice against the profession.