This was, we do believe, the first novel on the theme of conflict with alien civilisations in the history of literature.
It has remained justly famous for its dramatic story line — the invading Martians have superior tecHnology and are more advanced scientifically than mankind — and its introduction of such novel concepts as interplanetary rocketry, chemical and biological warfare, heat rays and robot-like giant machines that wreaked havoc upon London, the greatest city on Earth at the (…)
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"The War of the Worlds" (1898) by H. G. Wells
5 July 2021, by H. G. Wells -
"The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka (1915)
1 July 2021, by Franz KafkaOne of the strangest stories of its time, a moving account of Gregor Samsa’s sudden transformation into a giant beetle that has retained his sensibility and understanding — but not the ability to express himself in ordinary language that his family can understand — and how he has to contend with the abhorrence of all those around him.
A profound and powerful metaphor of man’s (modern man’s? one man’s? the author’s?) alienation and inability to communicate effectively with his (…) -
More of A. E. van Vogt’s best late-period stories
28 June 2021, by A. E. van Vogt1. RESEARCH ALPHA (1965) A ruthless doctor in a research lab secretly tries out his new serum for accelerating evolutionary development on two unsuspecting office workers, with variable but amazing results, astounding even the superiorly-intelligent aliens who are monitoring the lab’s results — and mankind’s progress in general — from behind the scenes. Written in collaboration with James H. Schmitz. Illustrated by Gaughan. (21,000 words)
2. HUMANS GO HOME! (1969) Miliss and Dav are the (…) -
"Waiting for the Barbarians" (1904) by Constantin Cavafy
24 June 2021, by Constantin CavafyConstantin Cavafy (1863-1933) , who lived all his life in the ancient Greek community in Alexandria, Egypt, was one of the most important poets of modern times.
His legacy has been celebrated by writers and poets around the world, notably by Laurence Durell in his monumental Alexandria Quartet (1960) and by the Nobel Prize for Literature laureat J.M. Coetzee with his eponymous novel Waiting for the Barbarians (1980).
This distinguished translation of Waiting for the Barbarians (1904), (…) -
"The Time Machine" (1895) by H. G. Wells
21 June 2021, by H. G. WellsH. G. Wells (1866-1946) was a prolific author in many diverse domains (novels, short stories, social commentary, history, satire and biography) and a very engaged social commentator and critic. He was nominated four times for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
But he is best remembered today for his pioneering works of science fiction, The Time Machine (1895) , The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898), that established him — with his (…) -
"Petersburg Tales" - 5 stories by Nikolai Gogol (1835-1843)
19 June 2021, by Nikolai GogolNo doubt the most celebrated collection of short stories in the history of Russian literature. 1. NEVSKY PROSPEKT (1835) Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg is one of the most famous streets in Russia and this account of the goings-on in and around it is one of the most famous stories of all Russian literature. (13,500 words.)
2. THE DIARY OF A MADMAN (1835) Extracts from the diary of an employee in a government office, documenting his frustrations with the rigid hierarchical system of (…) -
"Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland" (1865) by Lewis Carroll
17 June 2021, by Lewis CarrollWritten in 1862 by the Oxford lecturer in mathematics Charles Dodgson (1832-1898) to amuse Alice Liddell, one of the daughters of the dean of his Christ Church faculty, this brilliant, inventive, very original and very funny tale gained immediate world-wide attention when it was published in 1865 under the pen-name Lewis Carroll.
With its subtle psychology, its insights into the world of childhood, its linguistic creativity and its clever wit it has become one of the best-known and most (…) -
"The Book of Ptath" (1943) - A. E. van Vogt’s only fantasy novel
16 June 2021, by A. E. van VogtRichard Holroyd, a World War II tank captain who has been blown sky-high by a direct hit from a German dive-bomber, wakes up to find himself in the person of a somewhat amnesic semi-god named Ptath in the far, far, far-off world of 200 million A.D., where the continents have changed shape and whose 80 billion people spread over the three remaining ones are on the point of going hammer and tongs at one another with their spears and bows and arrows and their deadly attacking giant birds, egged (…)
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"Dead Souls" (1842) by Nikolai Gogol
16 June 2021, by Nikolai GogolThe account of the not-always-successful attempts of the traveling schemer Chichikov to make his way in the world by ingratiating himself with important people and devising complicated schemes to achieve financial and social success by wile and charm — notably to purchase deceased surfs (“dead souls” in the language of the time) to defraud the government with — and above all by not doing anything involving hard work.
Although only partially completed — in a crisis of depression Gogol (…) -
"A Simple Soul (Un cœur simple)" by Gustave Flaubert (1877)
4 June 2021, by Gustave FlaubertGustave Flaubert (1821-1880) is generally considered as one of the greatest French-language stylists of all time because of the elegant, clear and incisive quality of his prose.
During his lifetime he published just four novels (two "mainstream" novels and two historical novels) and one collection of short stories, Trois Contes (Three Tales), containing this novelette and two historical stories.
This powerful account of the life of the poor, uneducated and very unsophisticated servant (…)