Nature Prose seeks to explain the popularity and appeal of contemporary writing about nature. This book intervenes in key areas of contemporary debate about literature and the environment and explores the enduring appeal of writing about nature during an ecological crisis. Using a range of international examples, with a focus on late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century writing from Britain and the US, Dominic Head argues that nature writing contains formal effects which encapsulate our current ecological dilemma and offer a fresh resource for critical thinking. The environmental crisis has injected a fresh urgency into nature writing, along with a new piquancy for those readers seeking solace in the nonhuman, or for those looking to change their habits in the face of ecological catastrophe. However, behind this apparently strong match between the aims of nature writers and the desires of their readers, there is also a shared mood of radical uncertainty and insecurity. The treatment and construction of 'nature' in contemporary imaginative prose reveals some significant paradoxes beneath its dominant moods, moods which are usually earnest, sometimes celebratory, sometimes prophetic or cautionary. It is in these paradoxical moments that the contemporary ecological crisis is formally encoded, in a progressive development of ecological consciousness from the late 1950s onwards. Nature prose, fiction and nonfiction, is now contemporaneous with a defining time of crisis, while also being formally fashioned by that context. This is a mode of writing that emerges in a world in crisis, but which is also, in some ways, in crisis itself. With chapters on remoteness, exclusivity, abundance, and rarity, this book marks a turning point in how literary criticism engages with nature writing.
In this survey Ian McEwan emerges as one of those rare writers whose works have received both popular and critical acclaim. His novels grace the bestseller lists, and he is well regarded by critics, both as a stylist and as a serious thinker about the function and capacities of narrative fiction. McEwan’s novels treat issues that are central to our times: politics, and the promotion of vested interests; male violence and the problem of gender relations; science and the limits of rationality; nature and ecology; love and innocence; and the quest for an ethical worldview. Yet he is also an economical stylist: McEwan’s readers are called upon to attend, not just to the grand themes, but also to the precision of his spare writing. Although McEwan’s later works are more overtly political, more humane, and more ostentatiously literary than the early work, Dominic Head uncovers the continuity as well as the sense of evolution through the oeuvre. Head makes the case for McEwan’s prominence - pre-eminence, even - in the canon of contemporary British novelists.
This book examines the persistence of the rural tradition in the English novel into the twentieth century. In the shadow of metropolitan literary culture, rural writing can seem to strive for a fantasy version of England with no compelling social or historical relevance. Dominic Head argues that the apparent disconnection is, in itself, a response to modernity rather than a refusal to engage with it, and that the important writers in this tradition have had a significant bearing on the trajectory of English cultural life through the twentieth century. At the heart of the discussion is the English rural regional novel of the 1920s and 1930s, which reveals significant points of overlap with mainstream literary culture and the legacies of modernism. Rural writers refashioned the conventions of the tradition and the effects of literary nostalgia, to produce the swansong of a fading genre with resonances that are still relevant today.
Part of the Blackwell Manifestos series, The State of the Novel offers a lively, yet rigorous investigation into the state and future of the contemporary British novel written by an expert in the field. Evaluates the state of the ‘serious literary’ novel and novel criticism Prominent treatment is paid to the ‘internationalization’ of the novel in English Offers a manifesto on contemporary fiction from an expert in this field; Dominic Head is best known for his Cambridge Introduction to Modern British Fiction 1950-2000 Establishes the shared interests of contemporary theorists of the novel, cultural commentators, and novel consumers An ideal supplementary text for students and faculty interested in the novel and contemporary fiction
The South African novelist and Nobel Laureate J. M. Coetzee is widely studied around the world and attracts considerable critical attention. With the publication of Disgrace Coetzee began to enjoy popular as well as critical acclaim, but his work can be as challenging as it is impressive. This book is addressed to students and readers of Coetzee: it is an up-to-date survey of the writer's fiction and context, written accessibly for those new to his work. All of the fiction is discussed, and the brooding presence of the political situation in South Africa, during the first part of his career, is given serious attention in a comprehensive account of the author's main influences. The revealing strand of confessional writing in the latter half of Coetzee's career is given full consideration. This Introduction will help new readers understand and appreciate one of the most important and challenging authors in contemporary literature.
The importance of J. M. Coetzee in the development of twentieth-century fiction is widely recognised. His work addresses some of the key issues of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries: the relationship between postmodernism and postcolonialism, the role of history in the novel, and the question of how the author can combine an ethical and political consciousness with a commitment to the novel as a work of fiction. In this study, written in 1998, Dominic Head assesses Coetzee's position as a white South African writer engaged with the legacy of colonialism. Through close readings of all the novels, Head shows how Coetzee inhabits a transitional site between Europe and Africa, and it is from this position that his more general concerns emerge. Coetzee's engagement with the problems facing the postcolonial writer, Head argues, is always enriched by his awareness of a wider literary tradition.
In this introduction to post-war fiction in Britain, Dominic Head shows how the novel yields a special insight into the important areas of social and cultural history in the second half of the twentieth century. Head's study is the most exhaustive survey of post-war British fiction available. It includes chapters on the state and the novel, class and social change, gender and sexual identity, national identity and multiculturalism. Throughout Head places novels in their social and historical context. He highlights the emergence and prominence of particular genres and links these developments to the wider cultural context. He also provides provocative readings of important individual novelists, particularly those who remain staple reference points in the study of the subject. Accessible, wide-ranging and designed specifically for use on courses, this is the most current introduction to the subject available. An invaluable resource for students and teachers alike.
The award to Nadine Gordimer of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991 was an affirmation of her distinctive contribution to twentieth-century fiction and to the creation of a literature that challenges apartheid. In this study, which may be used as an introduction as well as by those already familiar with Gordimer's work, Dominic Head discusses each of her novels in detail, paying close attention to the texts both as a reflection of events and situations in the real world, and as evidence of her constant rethinking of her craft. Head shows how Gordimer's concerns, apparent in her earliest novels, are developed through increasing stress on the politics of textuality; and he pursues the implications of this development to consider how Gordimer's later work contributes to postmodernist fiction, and to a recentering of political engagement in an era of uncertainty.
Get Your Head in the Game is the first book to tackle the issue of mental health and its relationship with the most popular sport in the world, football. Football is more than just a sport; the pitch reveals emotion in the extreme, from the glory of goals, the thrill of comradeship, the rollercoaster of club loyalty, through to the immense pressure of expectation, fear of injury, and crushing defeat. Fans, players, managers, coaches, and even those new to the sport can't help but be swept up by the drama at the heart of the beautiful game. But when players at the peak of their physical fitness commit suicide, or poor mental health derails careers, there can still be a stunned silence in the community, a lack of connection. In Get Your Head in the Game, Dominic Stevenson, a writer, player, coach, and lifelong football obsessive, interviews a diverse cross-section of characters in the football world, from fans to managers, from players at the start of their careers to retired veterans, women's football stars, international celebrities, refugee footballers and mental health professionals. Football is more than just a sport. The pitch reveals emotion in the extreme: from the glory of goals, the rollercoaster of club loyalty, through to the immense pressure of expectation, fear of injury, and crushing defeat. Fans, players, managers, coaches and even those new to the sport can't help but be swept up by the drama of the beautiful game. But when players at the peak of their physical fitness commit suicide, or poor mental health derails careers, there can still be a stunned silence in the community, a lack of connection. Dominic Stevenson, a writer, player, coach and lifelong football obsessive, interviews a diverse cross-section of characters in the football world to try to understand this lost connection between the sport and the mind. This book contains contributions from internationally renowned players such as Sam Hutchinson, Chris Kirkland, Ella Masar, John Harkes and Iffy Onoura. From voices at top clubs around the globe including Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and DC United, to the stories of smaller clubs and unsung heroes behind the scenes, Dominic reveals personal battles both on and off the pitch, touching on anxiety, depression, discrimination, trauma, identity and recovery.
From Eton, Westminster and St Paul's to Wycombe Abbey, Withington and Winchester, Heads Up tells the inside story of the men and women running 32 of England's leading independent schools - and the problems they face. Heads Up uncovers the secret world of this impressive, powerful group as they battle to create the right conditions for academic success, happy children and happy staff. They tell a story of demanding governors, treacherous staff, nightmare parents, financial difficulties and the relentless pressure to achieve. How are heads hired and fired? How do they lead? Who competes for the best pupils in selling the brand and in league tables? When confronting staff and governors, who wins? At the centre of every school are children and their problems: bullying, cyberbullying, drugs, eating disorders and family breakdown. How do they manage problem children and which powerful parents litigate? Heads Up delivers the answers. 'Dominic Carman's overview of what has happened in education over the past five decades is lucid and useful.' Ralph Townsend, headmaster of Winchester 'Heads Up is the best account of school leadership I've ever come across. I was fascinated by this well-rounded, punchy and realistic account of what our lives are like, doing the best job in the world. This is an inspirational and frank account of independent headship: anyone aspiring to be a head should read it, all current heads should read it, and all our colleagues should too.' Felicity Lusk, head of Abingdon 'I have read Heads Up with real pleasure. It provides a generous and thought-provoking insight into the different approaches and shared values of headmasters today, as well as some fascinating history.' Gary Savage, head of Alleyn's 'This is a fascinating and unique book, often punchy, at times outrageous, and always difficult to put down. Somehow, Dominic Carman has spirited out of a set of leading heads' views and opinions which they probably would never acknowledge in public, as well as the occasional traditional view. The approaches are in many cases entirely contradictory, yet the effects on schools are clearly very comparable. No head - or governor -- should be without this book; and for many parents it will be an eye-opening and extraordinary read.' Tim Hands, master Magdalen College School, HMC chairman 2013-2014 'Everyone likes a little bit of insight into how other people/schools do things, and for this reason I like this book very much...an honest, interesting and informative collection of opinions and ideas that provides a wealth of insights, whether you are an aspiring head, a newcomer or at the top of your game.' SecEd 'Relationships with parents, governors, staff and children (yep, they get a look in) are explored in soundbites, gobbets and vignettes, and this makes for a pleasing, easy journey.' Insight
Seeing It on Television: Televisuality in the Contemporary US 'High-end' Series investigates new categories of high-end drama and explores the appeal of programmes from Netflix, Sky Atlantic/HBO, National Geographic, FX and Cinemax. An investigation of contemporary US Televisuality provides insight into the appeal of upscale programming beyond facts about its budget, high production values and/or feature cinematography. Rather, this book focuses on how the construction of meaning often relies on cultural discourse, production histories, as well as on tone, texture or performance, which establishes the locus of engagement and value within the series. Max Sexton and Dominic Lees discuss how complex production histories lie behind the rise of the US high-end series, a form that reflects industrial changes and the renegotiation of formal strategies. They reveal how the involvement of many different people in the production process, based on new relationships of creative authority, complicates our understanding of 'original content'. This affects the construction of stylistics and the viewing strategies required by different shows. The cultural, as well as industrial, strategies of recent television drama are explored in The Young Pope, The Knick, Stranger Things, Mars, Fargo, The Leftovers, Boardwalk Empire, and Vinyl.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, a dazzling new novel explores the fault lines that can cause a family to drift apart and the unexpected events that can pull them back together. Nathan Nelson is the average son of a genius. His father, a physicist of small renown, has prodded him toward greatness from an early age—enrolling him in whiz kid summer camps, taking him to the icy tundra of Canada to track a solar eclipse, and teaching him college algebra. But despite Samuel Nelson's efforts, Nathan remains ordinary. Then, in the summer of 1987, everything changes. While visiting his small-town grandfather in Michigan, Nathan is involved in a terrible accident. After a brief clinical death -- which he later recalls as a lackluster affair lasting less than the length of a Top 40 pop song—he falls into a coma. When he awakens, Nathan finds that everyday life is radically different. His perceptions of sight, sound, and memory have been irrevocably changed. The doctors and his parents fear permanent brain damage. But the truth of his condition is more unexpected and leads to a renewed chance for Nathan to find his place in the world. Thinking that his son's altered brain is worthy of serious inquiry, Samuel arranges for Nathan to attend the Brook-Mills Institute, a Midwestern research center where savants, prodigies, and neurological misfits are studied and their specialties applied. Immersed in this strange atmosphere -- where an autistic boy can tell you what day Christmas falls on in 3026 but can't tie his shoelaces, where a medical intuitive can diagnose cancer during a long-distance phone call with a patient—Nathan begins to unravel the mysteries of his new mind, and finally make peace with the crushing weight of his father's expectations.
This is the OCR-endorsed edition covering the Latin AS and A-Level (Group 3) prescription of Virgil's Aeneid Book 2, lines 40–249 and the A-Level (Group 4) prescription of Book 2, lines 268–317, 370–558, giving full Latin text, commentary and vocabulary, with a detailed introduction that also covers the prescribed material to be read in English for A Level. Book II of Virgil's Aeneid is the story of how Troy fell and how Aeneas escaped with his family and his city's gods. It is a narrative relayed in retrospect by Aeneas as a refugee at the court of Queen Dido in Carthage, and the OCR selection covers the book's first two thirds: the Wooden Horse episode, and the chaos which ensues – including the dramatic murder of King Priam. Virgil depicts war in all its ugly complexity, and Aeneas' response to this – as combatant in Troy, as exile in Carthage – is central to the poem's early exposition. Supporting resources are available on the Companion Website: https://www.bloomsbury.pub/OCR-editions-2024-2026
Dominic is an ordinary boy with an appetite for magic and a rather extraordinary sidekick- his magical top hat, the Topper. The two of them live happily, but when Great Aunt Rowena comes to stay things begin to go awry. Rowena has plans of her own for the Topper, and she's not going to give in without a fight. This begins a new strand of publishing for Dominic Wood, master magician and TV star. Dominic is an endearing character and his adventures with the Topper are bound to delight young readers. And there's even a magic trick to learn at the end of the book - to keep those young magicians happy.
A sweeping work of historical fiction from the New York Times–bestselling author Dominic Smith, The Electric Hotel is a spellbinding story of art and love. For more than thirty years, Claude Ballard has been living at the Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel. A French pioneer of silent films who started out as a concession agent for the Lumière brothers, the inventors of cinema, Claude now spends his days foraging for mushrooms in the hills of Los Angeles and taking photographs of runaways and the striplings along Sunset Boulevard. But when a film history student comes to interview Claude about The Electric Hotel—the lost masterpiece that bankrupted him and ended the career of his muse, Sabine Montrose—the past comes surging back. In his run-down hotel suite, the ravages of the past are waiting to be excavated: celluloid fragments in desperate need of restoration, as well as Claude’s memories of the woman who inspired and beguiled him. The Electric Hotel is a portrait of a man entranced by the magic of moviemaking, a luminous romance, and a whirlwind trip through early cinema. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
A comprehensive photographic field guide to the mammals of Great Britain and Ireland Britain’s Mammals is a comprehensive and beautifully designed photographic field guide to all the mammals recorded in the wild in Great Britain and Ireland in recent times—including marine mammals, bats and introduced species that have bred. The book features 500 stunning photographs and incorporates invaluable tips and suggestions to help you track down and identify even the most difficult species. This easy-to-use book provides an introduction to the different types of mammal. Concise species accounts focus on identification, and include up-to-date information on sounds, habitat, food, habits, breeding behaviour, and population and status, as well as descriptions of key field signs—including tracks, droppings and nests—that give away the presence of mammals even when they are out of sight. Guidance is also provided on ways of studying and observing mammals—including small-mammal trapping, bat detecting and whale watching. In addition, the book contains sections on mammal conservation, legislation and further sources of useful information. Handy and informative, this guide is the ideal companion for anyone interested in watching mammals in Great Britain and Ireland. Comprehensive coverage of all 126 mammal species recorded 500 superb colour photographs carefully selected to show key identification features Up-to-date distribution maps Detailed illustrations of tracks, dentition and other identification features Helpful tips for identifying tracks and other signs you may encounter Latest information on status, population, distribution and conservation designations Advice on finding and watching mammals
Birds: ID Insights is ideal for birders of all levels. Its unique layout, comparing the plumages of similar pairs and groups of species, makes it perfect for identifying the more difficult birds found in Britain and other parts of north-west Europe. It has more images showing how to age birds than any comparable guide, and its handy compact size makes it practical for taking out into the field. The book is based on a long-running series of identification features in Bird Watching magazine. Author Dominic Couzens and artist David Nurney have spent years compiling the field notes and artworks for this series, and here their efforts are drawn together and made complete in a single volume that is easy to carry in the field and practical for birders to use. In addition they have expanded the species list from the magazine series and added many new birds, including the likes of Subalpine Warbler, Short-toed Lark, and Red-rumped Swallow. in total, the book covers more than 230 species, with easy-to-identify species such as Magpie and Kingfisher given minimal coverage so that the more difficult ID issues can be covered as fully as possible.
The novel is a story of forbidden love, which takes the reader on a poignant but delightful journey that begins in a little Wheatbelt country town in Western Australia and leads to world-famous Opera Houses. It was a serendipitous encounter between Emily Grey and Father Matteo da Luca, a young and recently ordained Catholic Parish Priest. They were instantly attracted to each other - Emily fell in love with Father Matteo on that very first day. Emily is a strikingly beautiful woman whose effect on Father Matteo is to make him emotionally conflicted between his growing affections for Emily and his Priestly vocation. Father Matteo is seriously affected by Emily's beauty, but he has taken Vows of Chastity. Also, he is already in a relationship with God. God has presented him with a tainted chalice. His dilemma could be solved by deciding between his Priesthood or his relationship with Emily - Or, he could have both. Father Matteo is a very principled, and he would never allow himself to be in two relationships, although he knows priests do have sexual relationships. In his mind, that would be cheating, badly. Emily understands Matteo's conflicted state. Both don't want to 'break up', so they decided to have a Romantic Relationship that is based on music rather than sexual desires. Emily is always hopeful that their relationship will develop to more than that. Regardless, their relationship becomes entwined by their special gift - their singing voices. Emily is an emerging opera diva with a beautiful soprano voice, and Matteo has a God-given tenor voice. The story follows the lives of these two protagonists. Matteo's story begins in a small Wheatbelt town in Western Australia through to him being ordained a Catholic Priest and assigned as Parish Priest to a Perth Parish. Meanwhile, Emily is studying Law at the University of Western Australia. She discovers that Law is a mistaken career choice. With the help of a good friend, she switches to classical voice training under the tutelage of a retired but world-renowned opera diva. The relationship between Emily and Matteo continues to strengthen. Finally, Father Matteo admits to himself that he loves Emily. He wants to marry her and enjoy a lifetime of music with her. In his Church, and under the hanging Crucifix overhead, Father Matteo tells God that he is going to quit the Priesthood. But God has other plans for His disciple. He will decide Matteo's destiny.
With debate about police ethics intensifying, this stimulating book considers afresh the fundamental role of officers and their relations with society. - It is a comprehensive and up to date introduction to ethical policing, taking a moral philosophical perspective to the evidence base and literature on the subject. - Leading contemporary thinker Dominic Wood tackles the ethical issues of policing as a matter of compliance and discipline and reviews them in the context of contemporary challenges in policing and the wider criminal justice framework. - From the parameters of moral policing to the role of human rights to embedding ethics within police operations, this is a thorough overview of the subject of police ethics and legitimacy, and a springboard for further research and analysis. A timely contribution to discussions about the police and their legitimacy, this is essential reading for all those studying, teaching and leading the profession.
That reputation has been well earned. A world champion in both the professional and unlicensed circuits, Dominic made headlines after infamously head butting Audley Harrison when the pair clashed at Wembley. Dominic has an impressive ring record against some of the toughest guys in boxing but he has also lived a violent lifestyle outside the ring and has been arrested in connection with an armed kidnapping. But what goes around comes around. Dominic was to find that out to his cost when three masked men burst into the changing room at the gym where he had been working out. While one of the men pointed a gun at Dominic's trainer, the others set about Dominic with an axe inflicting life-threatening injuries. The attack was the turning point for Dominic and now he claims he has turned his back on his violent lifestyle. Can a man with a violent reputation like Dominic really become a 'respectable' member of society? He's determined to try but, for someone who has lived life in the shadows for so long, only time will really tell. This is his amazing story.
Manual for success' The Athletic With an opening chapter by Sir Jim Ratcliffe To mark the 25th Anniversary of the founding of INEOS in 1998, seven leading specialist authors explore the main strands of INEOS's business, including its core chemical business to its ventures into sport, automotive, consumer goods, sustainability, next generation and philanthropy. * Dominic O'Connell on INEOS' core petrochemicals and energy business * Patrick Barclay on INEOS's involvement in sport from the America's Cup to cycling, athletics to Formula 1 and football * Quentin Willson on the building of the Grenadier from scratch in response to the demise of the Land Rover Defender * Steph McGovern on INEOS' move into the consumer goods sector with brands such as Belstaff and INEOS Hygienics, so vital during the pandemic * Sean Keach on INEOS' journey to Net Zero and sustainable investment * Lord Sebastian Coe on the vital importance of exercise for the next generation, with a particular focus on INEOS's worldwide children's exercise initiative, 'The Daily Mile', and the 'Forgotten 40', the 40% of the UK's young who are affected by a lack of basic resources to remain fit and healthy * Sir Andrew Likierman on INEOS' philanthropic projects and investments Grit, Rigour & Humour offers an extraordinary and balanced insight into the rise of one of the world's most successful companies, which produces the essential building blocks used in most of the products you use daily from medical products and packaging to electronics and transport, and has expanded rapidly over the past decade into one with interests in many diverse walks of life.
Embark on a trip into a life immersed in the harsh reality of alcohol abuse, casual sex, and family instability as Trent Bowen attempts to manage a promising college baseball career with a myriad of bad habits. Daniels takes you through the self-indulgent life of a young man struggling to find his place while dealing with complex relationships with his family and the women that he encounters. Trent embodies the typical misogynistic male as he uses and discards women without remorse. It's not until one woman turns the tables on him and another woman teaches him how to trust and to love that you begin to care for Trent. This novel brings forth all emotions as you evolve from hating this man to loving his imperfections and understanding how they came to be. Daniels constructs a world that unveils the tragic life of a “player” and the developing soul of a young man.
After his definitive The Historical Jesus, John Dominic Crossan delivered Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography--a popularized, bestselling account of what we can know about the life of Jesus. Here he offers the core of his life's work--a concise and astonishing presentation of the authentic teachings and earliest images of the revolutionary Galilean sage. Crossan's fresh translations of Jesus' sayings show Jesus to be a teacher whose radical message that all are equal before God is as timely today as it was two thousand years ago. This picture is dramatically confirmed by the preConstantinian, Christian renderings of Jesus, which show that he was remembered by the first Christians not as God but as a revolutionary healer and leader.
An epic and hilarious quest which reads like The Princess Bride meets Monty Python. Features a feisty princess, a disaffected dwarf, a soft-hearted warrior, a wise wizard and the very reluctant hero, Blart, himself.
A perceptive and potent glimpse of youth in Edwardian England, reveling in the naivety and bluster of a young boy, on the fledgling cusp of adulthood and responsibility Life has been kind to Roderick Brannan in his first 14 years, and in the autumn of 1906 there is nothing he wants more than to make a sporting name for himself at school. But with the breeze of the shifting seasons comes an imperceptible breath of change, for England, and for Roderick, and when his father, a car manufacturer, dies he must return to the family home. There follows a tumultuous summer, for Roderick and his young cousin, Dorothea. Swapping the strictures of boarding school for the cloistered quiet of a remote country house leads Roderick to reassess his goals, and awakens in him desires he had never considred possible.
Chronicles the experiences of immigrants in two iconic South Side Polish neighborhoods in Chicago to demonstrate how Poles created new communities in an attempt to preserve the customs of their homeland.
Brain injury is a worldwide leading cause of mortality and morbidity and requires early and appropriate management to minimize these adverse sequelae. Despite such needs, access to specialist centers is limited, forcing both immediate and secondary care of these patients onto generalist staff. These responsibilities are made more problematical by differences in patient management between and even within specialist centers, due in part to an insuffcient evidence-base for many interventions directed at brain injury. This book is borne out of the above observations and is targeted at em- gency and acute medicine, anesthetic and general intensive care staff caring for brain injury of diverse etiology, or surgical teams responsible for the inpatient care of minor to moderate head trauma. Although explaining the various facets of specialist care, the book is not intended to compete with texts directed at neurosciences staff, but aims to advise on optimal care in general hospitals, including criteria for transfer, by a combination of narrative on pathophysiology, principles of care, templates for documentation, and highly specifc algorithms for particular problems. It is intended that the content and structure can form the basis of guidelines and protocols that refect the needs of individual units and that can be constantly refned. Our ultimate goal is to promote informed, consistent, auditable, multidisciplinary care for this cohort of patients and we hope that this text contributes to that process.
A SUNDAY TIMES BEST FILM AND THEATRE BOOK OF 2022 'Anyone in love with the arts will fall in love with this beautifully written and fascinating book' Kathy Burke Astonish Me! is an adrenaline-charged rollercoaster through history's seismic first nights, exploring how individual artists can change and shape the story of culture - and allow us to see ourselves in new ways. It tells of times when 'the air between people seems to alter' as art achieves profound change, across the globe and across history. Dominic Dromgoole has created a radical and fresh canon. He begins in New York in 1963, as Lorraine Hansberry remakes American theatre and a nation's perception of race. And then, as the lights go up, we find ourselves in Renaissance Florence, watching Michelangelo's David being hauled into the Piazza della Signoria. The dust settles and we are transported to the birth of theatre in fifth-century Athens - and then to Paris to meet with Diaghilev and Stravinsky for the Rite of Spring. We witness kabuki's creation, as a radical women's performance, in Kyoto; the Sex Pistols shattering Thatcherite Britain at Manchester's Free Trade Hall; and watch as Hitchcock directs Psycho.
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