Ann Wroe

The Song of Life

Orpheus

The foil to Jesus, the defiant antihero of the Easter story, mocking, skeptical Pilate is a historical figure who haunts our imagination. For some he is a saint, for others the embodiment of human weakness, an archetypal politician willing to sacrifice one man for the sake of stability. In this dazzlingly conceived biography, a finalist for the Samuel Johnson Prize, Ann Wroe brings man and myth to life. Working from classical sources, she plunges us into the world of biblical Judaea under the reign of the erratic and licentious emperor Tiberius and lets us see the trial of Jesus, in all its confusion, from the point of view of his executioner.

Pontius Pilate

A powerful and poetic work of history on the figure of Orpheus: his life and myth, and his representation and imagining from the sixth century BC to the present day.

Economist editor and biographer Wroe gives us a book about one of the greatest poets in the Western tradition, that is concerned at once with the making of poetry and the transforming power of it. With elegance of style and immersion in Shelley's work, this book aims to turn the poet's life inside out: rather than tracing the events of a life in which poetry erupts occasionally, it tracks the inner journey of a spirit struggling to escape and create. In her own quest to understand Shelley, Wroe takes up the questions that consume the poet himself: Who, or what, was he? What was his purpose? Where had he come from? And where was he going? By answering those questions, Shelley sought to free and empower not only himself, but the entire human race.--From publisher description.

the poet's search for himself

Being Shelley

Life in a Partitioned Town in Fourteenth-Century France

A Fool and his Money

The acclaimed biographer and obituarist for The Economist reflects on a career spent pursuing life and capturing it on the page. It is soul that I go looking for. Or, to put it another way, real life. 'She's a genius, I believe' HILARY MANTEL 'A masterful celebration' JOHN BANVILLE 'A rare and beautiful book' KAPKA KASSABOVA 'What is life?' asked the poet Shelley, and could not come up with an answer. Scientists, too, for all their understanding of how life manifests, thrives and evolves, have still not plumbed that fundamental question. Yet biographers and obituarists continue to corral lives in a few columns, or a few hundred pages, aware all the time how fleeting and elusive their subject is. In this dazzlingly original blend of memoir, biography, observation and poetry, Ann Wroe reflects on the art and impossibility of capturing life on the page. Through her experiences and those of others, through people she has known, studied or merely glimpsed in windows, she movingly explores what makes a life and how that life lingers after. Animated by Wroe's rare imagination, eye for the telling detail, and the wit, beauty and clarity of her writing, Lifescapes is a luminous, deeply personal answer to Shelley's question.

A Biographer's Search for the Soul

Lifescapes

Truth and Deception in Renaissance Europe

The Perfect Prince

100 obituarios

The economist

Six Facets of Light

"[A] startlingly original history that traces the obscure origins and tangled relationships of the Orpheus myth from ancient times through today" ( Library Journal). For at least two and a half millennia, the figure of Orpheus has haunted humanity. Half-man, half-god, musician, magician, theologian, poet, and lover, his story never leaves us. He may be myth, but his lyre still sounds, entrancing everything that hears it: animals, trees, water, stones, and men. In this extraordinary work, Ann Wroe goes in search of Orpheus, tracing the man and the power he represents through the myriad versions of a fantastical life: his birth in Thrace, his studies in Egypt, his voyage with the Argonauts to fetch the Golden Fleece, his love for Eurydice and the journey to Hades, and his terrible death. We see him tantalizing Cicero and Plato, and breathing new music into Gluck and Monteverdi; occupying the mind of Jung and the surreal dreams of Cocteau; scandalizing the fathers of the early Church, and filling Rilke with poems like a whirlwind. He emerges as not simply another mythical figure but the force of creation itself, singing the song of light out of darkness and life out of death. "Did Orpheus exist? Wroe thinks he did, and still does, and dedicates this lyrical biography to doubters." — The New Yorker "This insightful and visionary study, treading a perfect line between imagination and scholarship, is as readable and necessary as a fine novel. Ted Hughes, another mythographer, would have loved it." — The Independent "A book to make readers laugh, sing and weep." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "[ Orpheus] will leave you dancing." — New Statesman

Keith Colquhoun

For 10 years, "The Economist" has included unique and original obituaries in a popular column. The selections are remarkable because of the people written about, the surprising lives they led, and the brilliant writing style. This volume gathers 200 of the best obituaries.

The Economist Book of Obituaries

This book takes the life of one of Englands greatest poets and turns it inside out. Rather than following a daily round in which poetry erupts occasionally, it tracks the inner adventures of a spirit struggling to escape and create. This is the life of the poet, rather than the man.

The Poet's Search for Himself

Over a million copies soldClear writing is the key to clear thinking. So think what you want to say, then say it as simply as possible.That's the thinking that underpins this much-loved guide, and the mantra for anyone wanting to communicate with the clarity, style and precision for which The Economist is renowned. The Economist Style Guide guides the reader through the pleasures and pitfalls of English usage. It offers advice on the consistent use of punctuation, abbreviations and capital letters, identifies common errors and clichés and contains an exhaustive range of reference material - covering everything from business ratios to mathematical symbols and common Latin phrases. It also tackles the key differences between British and American English. But this is no ordinary guide to English usage. It has a wit, verve and flair which make it much more than a simple work of reference. Here are just some examples: - anticipate does not mean expect. Jack and Jill expected to marry; if they anticipated marriage, only Jill might find herself expectant.- Take care with between. To fall between two stools, however painful, is grammatically acceptable. To fall between the cracks is to challenge the laws of physics.- critique is a noun. If you want a verb, try criticise.- use words with care. If This door is alarmed, does its hair stand on end? The Economist Style Guide is required reading for anyone who wants to communicate with style.

12th Edition

The Economist Style Guide

The Economist

Over a million copies sold Clear writing is the key to clear thinking. So think what you want to say, then say it as simply as possible. That's the thinking that underpins this much-loved guide, and the mantra for anyone wanting to communicate with the clarity, style and precision for which The Economist is renowned. The Economist Style Guide guides the reader through the pleasures and pitfalls of English usage. It offers advice on the consistent use of punctuation, abbreviations and capital letters, identifies common errors and clichés and contains an exhaustive range of reference material - covering everything from business ratios to mathematical symbols and common Latin phrases. It also tackles the key differences between British and American English. But this is no ordinary guide to English usage. It has a wit, verve and flair which make it much more than a simple work of reference. Here are just some examples: - anticipate does not mean expect. Jack and Jill expected to marry; if they anticipated marriage, only Jill might find herself expectant. - Take care with between. To fall between two stools, however painful, is grammatically acceptable. To fall between the cracks is to challenge the laws of physics. - critique is a noun. If you want a verb, try criticise. - use words with care. If This door is alarmed, does its hair stand on end? The Economist Style Guide is required reading for anyone who wants to communicate with style.

This book examines the Iran-Contra affair, the trials of Poindexter and North and the testimony of Ronald Reagan as a test-case of political morality. It draws out the implications of the statements of North and his secretary, Fawn Hall, who were so convinced of the moral rightness of their actions that they were prepared to break the law, lie and destroy vital evidence. It tries to ascertain what was going on in the minds of these people and especially in that of the President who claimed not to be cognizant of the actions of his subordinates.

Lives, Lies and the Iran-Contra Affair

In 1491, as Machiavelli advised popes and princes and Leonardo da Vinci astonished the art world, a young man boarded a ship in Portugal bound for Ireland. He would be greeted upon arrival as the rightful heir to the throne of England. The trouble was, England already had a king. The most intriguing and ambitious pretender in history, this elegant young man was celebrated throughout Europe as the prince he claimed to be: Richard, Duke of York, the younger of the “Princes in the Tower” who were presumed to have been murdered almost a decade earlier. Handsome, well-mannered, and charismatic, he behaved like the perfect prince, and many believed he was one. The greatest European rulers of the age—among them the emperor Maximilian, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, and Charles VIII of France—used him as a diplomatic pawn to their own advantage. As such, he tormented Henry VII for eight years, attempting to invade England three times. Eventually, defeated and captured, he admitted to being Perkin Warbeck, the son of a common boatman from Flanders. But was this really the truth? Ann Wroe, a historian and storyteller of the first rank, delves into the secret corners of the late medieval world to explore both the elusive nature of identity and the human propensity for deception. In uncovering the mystery of Perkin Warbeck, Wroe illuminates not only a life but an entire world trembling on the verge of discovery.

Describes the efforts of Perkin Warbeck, the son of a Flanders boatman, to persuade some of the most powerful monarchs of the era that he was the rightful king of England and the repercussions of his masquerade.

The Mystery of Perkin Warbeck and His Quest for the Throne of England

The story of Perkin Warbeck is one of the most compelling mysteries of English history. A young man suddenly emerged claiming to be Richard of York, the younger of the Princes in the Tower. As such, he tormented Henry VII for eight years. He tried three times to invade England and behaved like a prince. Officially, however, he was proclaimed to be Perkin Warbeck, the son of a Flemish boatman. A diplomatic pawn, he was used by the greatest European rulers of the age for their own purposes. All who dealt with him gave him the identity they wished him to have: either the Duke of York or a jumped-up lad from Flanders. It is possible that he was neither. It is also possible that, by the end, even he did not really know who he was. In Perkin Ann Wroe tells again a marvellous tale that is on the brink of being forgotten. She also dissects the official cover story. In doing so she delves into the secret corners of European history and produces a portrait of the late fifteenth century that is breathtaking in its detail.

Perkin

Although very little is known for certain about Pontius Pilate, the man who crucified Christ, this has not stopped writers in every age from imagining his life. In this extraordinary book, Ann Wroe recounts the lives of all our Pilates; among them the glittering medieval tyrant, devoted to gambling and getting around the law, and the wriggling modern pragmatist, whose dilemma over Jesus has been described by Tony Blair as 'a timeless parable of political life'. This is also the story of the man Pilate might have been; and the man who mirrors us. Ann Wroe shows how, in his struggles with fate and free will, Pilate's story has also become the story of ourselves.

Pilate

Economist editor and biographer Wroe gives us a book about one of the greatest poets in the Western tradition, that is concerned at once with the making of poetry and the transforming power of it. With elegance of style and immersion in Shelley's work, th

Ann Wroe

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