Der Butt

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Furui Yoshikichi

"Furui Yoshikichi's work has long dealt with the human dramas of growing up and growing old, but by probing further into the recesses of the mind and memory, he also touches upon the deepest mysteries of human existence. As if to balance the somber themes of madness and death, Furui shows a great sensitivity to the dark humor inherent in everyday life. White-haired melody is no exception; it is the record of the daily experiences of a man approaching old age. It delves into the essential but hidden nature of his daily life, employing prose that is relentless in its re-creation of detail. This novel is a meditative exploration of the strange borderland around the inner experience of aging and approaching death. Yet, rather than follow a conventional plot, the novel develops by means of an intricate weaving together through time of key experiences of the narrator and his friends to build a compelling portrait of human experience. Those familiar with Furui's writings will find here a fascinating new development of earlier themes. White-haired melody, a work by one of Japan's finest contemporary novelists writing at the height of his power, is not to be missed."--BOOK JACKET.

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Johann Peter Hebel

Johann Peter Hebel (1760-1826) was one of the greatest story-tellers in the history of German literature. The anecdotes and curiosities collected here have endeared him to generations of readers in Germany and have won him many distinguished admirers further afield, including Tolstoy and Kafka, who habitually carried a copy of Hebel stories in his pocket and referred to one of them - 'Unexpected Reunion' - as 'the most wonderful story in the world'. The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein recommended The Treasure Chest to his pupils when he worked as a schoolteacher, and later read from it to his friends. First issued in collected form in 1811, Hebel's stories were originally published in a popular almanach he edited for a wide and unsophisticated readership. They cover a broad spectrum of human experience with heroes ranging from Napoleon and the enlightened Austrian Emperor Joseph, to common soldiers, working men and women, servants and petty criminals. Hebel was a robust, humorous, humane and eminently sane personality whose sympathies lay with the little man and woman, whilst always being ready to recognize justice and generosity in those in power and authority. He wrote in a style close to ordinary speech and his voice carries without effort over the intervening years.

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Andrea Gibson

Andrea Gibson's dynamic and energetic first book, <em>Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns</em>, challenges us to not only read, but to react. Hauntingly vivid, the poems march through a soldier's lingering psychological wounds, tackle the curious questions of school children on the meaning of "hate," and tangle with a lover's witty and vibrant description of longing. Gibson's poems deconstruct the current political climate through stunning imagery and careful crafting. With the same velocity, the poignant and vacillating love poems sweep the air out of the room. It's word-induced hypoxia. <em>Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns</em> whispers with a bold and unforgettable internal voice rich with the kind of questioning that inspires action.

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Liza Palmer

"After Queenie Wake is dismissed from her restaurant job, she returns to North Star to cook meals for death row inmates. Hopeful that the bad memories of her late mother and promiscuous sister (now the mother of the captain of the high school football team) have been forgotten by the locals, Queenie discovers that some people can't be forgotten--heartbreaker Everett Coburn--her old high-school sweetheart. When secrets from the past emerge, will Queenie be able to stick by her family or will she leave home again?"--P. [4] of cover.