The fifties in New Zealand were glory days. It was a carefree time for children, whose parents were finally happy that the war was over. Everyone worked together to rebuild their lives and looked to the future. I helped my father when I could, spraying the orchards, harvesting, making hay and I attended a country school and mixed with local Maori families. Aged eleven I went to Boarding School in Auckland. It was a dramatic change and, along with my regular studies, I learnt to be independent and to think for myself. Upon leaving school, my parents had tertiary education in mind for me; I had in mind joining the workforce. My parents conceded and I left school with the intention to go farming. I worked on differing types of farms in New Zealand, followed by a stint in Australia, working on broadacre farming techniques. When I was sufficiently qualified, I began work with my father on the family farm in the Waikato region. After a period on the farm, I found that I was unable to work amicably with my father and I took my leave. For two years I crewed on two different yachts in the Pacific and Indonesian waters. This was a period of adventure and personal development which has provided many of the anecdotes I have related here. When I returned to the family farm, it was obvious that my father and I still could not work together. I left the farm for good and headed to the city to seek whatever came my way. I worked at several casual jobs until I could afford to travel and I flew to London with the promise of a job there. A new beginning, another book.
Drawing on his thirty years in newspapers, the former editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail examines the crisis of serious journalism in the digital era, and searches for ways the invaluable tradition can thrive in a radically changed future. John Stackhouse entered the newspaper business in a golden age: 1980s circulations were huge and wealthy companies lined up for the privilege of advertising in every city's best-read pages. Television and radio could never rival newspapers for hard news, analysis and opinion, and the papers' brand of serious journalism was considered a crucial part of life in a democratic country. Then came the Internet... After decades as a Globe journalist, foreign bureau chief and then editor of its Report on Business (not to mention former Scarborough delivery boy), he assumed one of the biggest jobs in Canadian journalism: The Globe and Mail's editor-in-chief. Beginning in 2009, he faced the unthinkable: the possible end of not just Canada's "national" newspaper, but the steep and steady financial decline of newspapers everywhere. A non-stop torrent of free digital content stole advertisers and devalued advertising space so quickly that newspapers struggled to finance the serious journalism that distinguished them in a world of Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, Yahoo and innumerable bloggers and citizen journalists. Meanwhile, ambitious online media aspired to the credibility of newspapers. The solution was clear, if the path to arriving at it was less so: the new school needed to meet the old school, and the future lay in undiscovered ground between them. Having led the Globe during this period of sudden and radical change, Stackhouse continues to champion the vital role of great reporting and analysis. Filled with stories from his three decades in the business, Mass Disruption tracks decisions good and bad, examines how some of the world's major newspapers--the Guardian, New York Times--are learning to cope, and lays out strategies for the future, of both newspapers and serious journalism, wherever it may live.
It is the summer of 1939 in England when soldiers start digging trenches in a local park. Suddenly, seven-year-old John Adams is forced to face a new reality. He and his school are abruptly evacuated to an unknown destination. Two days later, war is declared. As the sky lights up with searchlights and German bombing raids increase, Adams natural instincts to dig for the real story kick inbeginning what would eventually become a remarkable journey as a journalist. By fourteen, Adams had published his ?rst article in a major national paper, Britains Daily Mirror. At nineteen, he was ?ghting in the Korean War. He became a military reporter for Londons Daily Telegraph and battled against communist propaganda during the Cold War as a correspondent and news director of Radio Free Europe. He offers an unforgettable glimpse into the fascinating world of news , including insights into what it was like to interact with such disparate public ?gures as the Duke of Wellington, Otto von Habsburg, Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite. In the Trenches explores one mans experiences, perspectives, and memories as he witnesses extraordinary times in history through the ever-curious eyes of a reporter. Adams saw it all with his own eyes, heard it with his own ears. He lived it. Andrew Alexander, former Ombudsman, the Washington Post, and Washington bureau chief, Cox Newspapers
Hope Bourne has been described as one of the finest writers about the British countryside in the 20th century. Her work published in her lifetime invariably included some supporting line drawings and full-colour works for the covers. This text gives the opportunity to view Hope Bourne and her achievements through the media of her paintbox and her pencil.
R.D. Blackmore's deep affection for, and understanding of, Exmoor's landscape,people and legends shines through his immortal novel Lorna Doone. Throughwords and pictures this book, The Lorna Doone Trail, traces the Exmoor adventuresof Jan Ridd and Lorna Doone and the host of other characters such asJeremy Stickles and Tom Faggus who feature in the grand sweep of the story.Using Blackmore's own words as the starting point, The Lorna Doone Trail helpsto marry plot with place, using generous illustrations and expert commentary toput the narrative in its real-life context. It enables lovers of the novel and itsabounding life to follow confidently in Blackmore's footsteps and revisit the keylocations of the timeless Exmoor story of derring-do, and love enduring againstthe odds.
Burlingame takes great pains to establish authorship of the items reproduced here. He convincingly demonstrates that the essays and letters written for the Providence Journal, the Springfield Illinois State Journal, and the St. Louis Missouri Democrat under the pseudonym "Ecarte" are the work of Hay. And he finds much circumstantial and stylistic evidence that Hay wrote as "our special correspondent" for the Washington World and for the St. Louis Missouri Republican.
A compilation of the best work of the author, a pioneer in the science fiction genre, includes his first publication, "The Man with the Strange Head," his dystopian novel Paradise and Iron, stories, the essay "The Future of Scientification," a critical statement of his genre, and some of his letters. Original.
Dads On The Air, often shortened to DOTA, is a community radio program which began in western Sydney in August of 2000 with a small group of extremely disgruntled separated men who had no experience of radio and no resources. The author of Chaos at the Crossroads: The Birth of Dads On The Air, William John Stapleton, worked as a mainstream journalist and was the only one with any media experience. The series of short books in the Chaos at the Crossroads series tell the story of the long struggle for family law reform in Australia, not just by separated fathers, their supporters and their lobby groups, but by grandparents and other family members cut out of children's lives by the discriminatory and destructive sole-custody model purveyed by the court. Chaos also tells the story of how, from the humble beginnings of a disheveled group of disgruntled separated fathers, Dads On The Air became the world's most famous radio program dedicated to fatherhood issues. The program evolved with the information revolution. The technology which would allow a small group of people with few resources to make available a weekly 90 minute radio program and give it the penetration and power it went on to achieve simply had not existed five years before. Dads On The Air has over time interviewed almost all the world's leading national and international activists, advocates, academics and authors.
Inspector Troy of Scotland Yard stars in thriller that’s “part murder mystery, part spy tale . . . a wickedly seductive entertainment” (TheWashington Post). London, 1958. Chief Superintendent Frederick Troy of Scotland Yard, newly promoted after good service during Nikita Khrushchev’s visit to Britain, is not looking forward to a European trip with his older brother, Rod. Rod has decided to take his entire family on “the Grand Tour” for his fifty-first birthday: a whirlwind of restaurants, galleries, and concert halls from Paris to Florence to Vienna to Amsterdam. But Frederick Troy only gets as far as Vienna. It is there that he crosses paths with an old acquaintance, a man who always seems to be followed by trouble: British-spy-turned-Soviet-agent Guy Burgess. Suffice it to say that Troy is more than surprised when Burgess, who has escaped from the bosom of Moscow for a quick visit to Vienna, tells him something extraordinary: “I want to come home.” Troy knows this news will cause a ruckus in London—but even Troy doesn’t expect an MI5 man to be gunned down as a result, with Troy himself suspected of doing the deed . . . “An artful blend of two ever-popular subjects: espionage and British police work.” —The Seattle Times “The surprises keep coming, not merely up to the last chapter but even to the novel’s very last line.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “Lawton’s superb eighth Inspector Troy novel . . . [a] smart, fascinating historical thriller.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A beguiling interpretation of [Guy] Burgess’ life both before and after his defection in 1951.” —Booklist (starred review)
How did fears of the Cold War shape Australian images of Asia? What was the nature of the Vietnamese revolution, which some 50 000 Australian troops failed to reverse in the 1960s? How did a small and marginal peace movement grow into the powerful Moratorium and did it have any impact on the course of the War? Harvest of Fear is a beautifully craf
Discusses the craft of writing, explains how to make effective use of one's time, and gives advice concerning writer's block, revision, inspiration, and manuscript submission.
What became of Harold Prettyman, a German agent captured by the British during World War Two? Eighty years later, an investigation by reporter Jack Flynt seems to end at a new dormer bungalow with white pebble-dash walls, not the grey stone terraced house in the Welsh valleys from which, according to a recently declassified MI5 file, Prettyman operated a radio transmitter from the attic alerting German U-Boats to Allied shipping movements. Dead ducks are news stories destined for the News Editor's spike and Flynt suspects he has found one until a letter arrives at the bungalow with the same coded message --Many Happy Returns Harold Prettyman--used by Prettyman and his accomplice in 1940. But there are no Allied food convoys in the North Atlantic and, believing the letter a hoax Flynt's newspaper moves him to another assignment—the disappearance of a Foreign Office diplomat suspected of fleeing to Moscow like his predecessors Burgess and Maclean. But Scotland Yard seems more interested in the Coal Miner, a missing Van Gogh masterpiece looted by the Red Army Trophy Brigade as war reparations, but now the focus of an exhibition at Tate Britain after being returned to its owner by the Commission for the Recovery of Looted Art in Europe. The painting discovered hanging on the kitchen wall of the apartment of a dead Trophy Brigade officer had been taken in lieu of pension. Private homes, art galleries and museums across the Russian Federation continue to hold large quantities of booty from the Second World War, worthless since President Putin banned the repatriation of cultural artifacts, but priceless in the West. So, is the Coal Miner exhibited at the Tate the missing Van Gogh or a forgery made by a copyist at the Hermitage in St Petersburg? A zig-zag trail leads Flynt's search for Harold Prettyman into the world of Diplomatic Bags, fakes, and money laundering.
The classic work on the art of fiction by the “refreshingly unpredictable” novelist and literary critic (Publishers Weekly) In this posthumously published collection of his essays and reviews, acclaimed novelist John Gardner discusses the craft of fiction writing, taking to task some of his best-known contemporaries in the process. Gardner criticizes some for writing disingenuous fiction, and commends others who produce literature that acts as a life-affirming force. He offers insights into and exacting critiques on such writers as Vladimir Nabokov, John Updike, Saul Bellow, and John Cheever, while addressing his personal influences and delivering broad-ranging observations on literary culture. Provocative and poignant, On Writers & Writing is a must-read for both aspiring writers and careful readers of American literature. This ebook features a new illustrated biography of John Gardner, including original letters, rare photos, and never-before-seen documents from the Gardner family and the University of Rochester Archives.
Three books in one volume: Advice and reflections on modern fiction from “one of the greatest creative writing teachers we’ve ever had” (Frederick Busch). In On Becoming a Novelist, John Gardner advises the aspiring fiction author on such topics as the value of creative writing workshops, the developmental stages of literary growth, and the inevitable experience of writer’s block. Drawn from his two decades of experience in creative writing, Gardner balances his compassion for his students with his knowledge of the publishing industry, and truthfully relates his experiences of the hardships that lie ahead for aspiring authors. In On Writers & Writing, acclaimed novelist John Gardner discusses the craft of fiction writing, taking to task some of his best-known contemporaries in the process. Gardner criticizes some for writing disingenuous fiction, and commends others who produce literature that acts as a life-affirming force. He offers insights into and exacting critiques on such writers as Vladimir Nabokov, John Updike, Saul Bellow, and John Cheever, while addressing his personal influences and delivering broad-ranging observations on literary culture. And in On Moral Fiction, John Gardner’s thesis is simple: “True art is by its nature moral.” Since the book’s first publication, the passion behind Gardner’s assertion has both provoked and inspired readers. In examining the work of his peers, Gardner analyzes what has gone wrong, in his view, in modern art and literature, and how shortcomings in artistic criticism have contributed to the problem. He develops his argument by showing how artists and critics can reintroduce morality and substance to their work to improve society and cultivate our morality.
(Screen World). Movie fans eagerly await each year's new edition of Screen World , the definitive record of the cinema since 1949. Volume 54 provides an illustrated listing of every American and foreign film released in the United States in 2002, all documented with more than 1000 photographs. The 2003 edition of Screen World features such notable films as Chicago , the Academy Award winner for Best Picture; Martin Scorsese's Academy Award-nominated Gangs of New York ; The Pianist , featuring the surprise Academy Award winners Adrien Brody for Best Actor and Roman Polanski for Best Director; Spider-Man , the highest grossing film of 2002; The Hours with Academy Award winner for Best Actress Nicole Kidman; and About Schmidt starring Academy Award nominees Jack Nicholson and Kathy Bates. As always, Screen World's outstanding features include: photographic stills and shots of the four Academy Award-winning actors as well as all acting nominees; a look at the year's most promising new screen personalities; complete filmographies cast and characters, credits, production company, date released, rating and running time; and biographical entries a priceless reference for over 2,400 living stars, including real name, school, and date and place of birth. Includes over 1,000 photos! "The enduring film classic." Variety
Now in its fifth hardcover printing, Deadline Artists celebrates the relevance of the newspaper column through the simple power of excellent writing. It is an inspiration for a new generation of writers— whether their medium is print or digital—looking to learn from the best of their predecessors. Contributors include: Jimmy Breslin, Ernie Pyle, Dorothy Thompson, Thomas L. Friedman, David Brooks, Ernest Hemingway, Will Rogers, Langston Hughes, Woody Guthrie, Ambrose Bierce, Mark Twain, H.L. Mencken, Art Buchwald, William F. Buckley, Dave Barry, Anna Quindlen, George Will, and Pete Hamill.
Examines the career of sociologist Alfred R. Lindesmith, who argued against drug prohibitions from the 1930s onward, warning of the threat to democracy and advocating more humane drug control laws.
The first comprehensive volume on the impact of digital media on Australian politics, this book examines the way these technologies shape political communication, alter key public and private institutions, and serve as the new arena in which discursive and expressive political life is performed. -- Publisher's description.
From “quite possibly the best historical novelist we have” (Philadelphia Inquirer), the fourth Joe Wilderness spy thriller, moving from Red Scare-era Washington, D.C. to a KGB prison near Moscow’s Kremlin In Moscow Exile, John Lawton departs from his usual stomping grounds of England and Germany to jump across the Atlantic to Washington, D.C., in the fragile postwar period where the Red Scare is growing noisier every day. Charlotte is a British expatriate who has recently settled in the nation’s capital with her second husband, a man who looks intriguingly like Clark Gable, but her enviable dinner parties and soirées aren’t the only things she is planning. Meanwhile, Charlie Leigh-Hunt has been posted to Washington as a replacement for Guy Burgess, last seen disappearing around the corner and into the Soviet Union. Charlie is soon shocked to cross paths with Charlotte, an old flame of his, who, thanks to all her gossipy parties, has a packed pocketbook full of secrets she is eager to share. Two decades or so later, in 1969, Joe Wilderness is stuck on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain, held captive by the KGB, a chip in a game way above his pay grade—but his old friends Frank and Eddie are going to try to spring him out of the toughest prison in the world. All roads lead back to Berlin, and to the famous Bridge of Spies… Featuring crackling dialogue, brilliantly plotted Cold War intrigue, and the return of beloved characters, including Inspector Troy, Moscow Exile is a gripping thriller populated by larger-than-life personalities in a Cold War plot that feels strangely in tune with our present.
One of the leading poets and cultural icons of the 20th century, Stephen Spender was a prominent writer, literary critic, and social commentator--and close friend of some of the best-know creative talents of his day. Now, in this penetrating biography, John Sutherland paints a vivid portrait of Spender and of the glittering literary world of which he was a part, drawing on exclusive access to Spender's private papers. This briskly paced, compelling narrative illuminates the vast range of Spender's literary, political, and artistic interests. We follow Spender from childhood to his days at Oxford (where he first became friends with W.H. Auden, Christopher Isherwood, and Isaiah Berlin); to his meteoric rise as poet in the 1930s, while still in his twenties; to his later years as cultural statesman, at home in both Britain and America. We witness many of the century's defining moments through Spender's eyes: the Spanish Civil War, World War II, the Cold War, the 1960s sexual revolution, and the rise of America as a cultural force. And along the way, we are introduced to many of Spender's accomplished friends, including Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, Cecil Day-Lewis, Joseph Brodsky, Lucian Freud, George Orwell, Virginia Woolf, and T.S. Eliot. Perhaps most important, Sutherland has been granted exclusive access to Spender's private papers by his wife Natasha Spender. Thus he is able to provide a far more intimate look at the poet's personal life than has appeared in previous biographies. Featuring 36 unpublished photographs, Stephen Spender: A Literary Life throws light not only on this supremely gifted writer, but also on the literary and social history of the twentieth century.
This is the first comprehensive, daily compendium of more than 18,000 performances that took place in Dublin's theatres, music halls, pleasure gardens, and circus amphitheatres between Thomas Sheridan's becoming the manager at Smock Alley Theatre in 1745 and the dissolution of the Crow Street Theatre in 1820.
The letters collected in this volume are greatly enhanced by Eileen Myles's preface and Stewart's thorough introduction, notes, and brief bios of the poets, writers, artists, and editors with whom Wieners corresponded.
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