A Journey Through Literary America

A Journey Through Literary America
Author: Thomas R. Hummel
Publisher: Val de Grace
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2009
Genre: Authors, American
ISBN: 9780981742519

This 304 page coffee table book takes a look at 26 of America s great authors and the places that inspired them. Unique to this book of literary biography is the element of the photograph. With over 140 photographs throughout, the images add mood and dimension to the writing and they are often shockingly close to what the featured authors described in their own words. Lushly illustrated, and beautifully designed, the book is as much of a pleasure to look at as it is to read. Rags to riches. Forbidden loves. Supernatural experiences. Narrow escapes. Some of the greatest stories of American literature are the stories of the scribes themselves and of the places that sparked their imaginations. In 2007, writer Thomas Hummel and photographer Tamra Dempsey set out in search of the sources of inspiration for 26 of this country's greatest authors. Two years and twenty thousand miles later, the result is A Journey Through Literary America -- a literary pilgrimage in photography and prose. In the words of one reviewer, "this is a beautiful and necessary book."

A Journey Through American Literature

A Journey Through American Literature
Author: Kevin J. Hayes
Publisher: OUP USA
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2012-03-02
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0199862060

A spirited and lively introduction to American literature, this book acquaints readers with the key authors, works, and events in the nation's rich and eclectic literary tradition.

Journey Through America

Journey Through America
Author: Wolfgang Koeppen
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Total Pages: 171
Release: 2012-08-01
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 0857454374

Amerikafahrt by Wolfgang Koeppen is a masterpiece of observation, analysis, and writing, based on his 1958 trip to the United States. A major twentieth-century German writer, Koeppen presents a vivid and fascinating portrait of the US in the late 1950s: its major cities, its literary culture, its troubled race relations, its multi-culturalism and its vast loneliness, a motif drawn, in part, from Kafka’s Amerika. A modernist travelogue, the text employs symbol, myth, and image, as if Koeppen sought to answer de Tocqueville’s questions in the manner of Joyce and Kafka. Journey through America is also a meditation on America, intended for a German audience and mindful of the destiny of postwar Europe under many Americanizing influences.

Africans in America

Africans in America
Author: Charles Johnson
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 554
Release: 1999
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780156008549

Chronicles the lives of Africans as slaves in America through the eve of the Civil War.

Inlandia

Inlandia
Author: Gayle Wattawa
Publisher: Heyday Books
Total Pages: 472
Release: 2006
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN:

A land of dramatic landscapes and increasingly dynamic human developments, the Inland Empire is becoming much more than just "the area east of Los Angeles." As tract homes creep over desert areas once thought uninhabitable, the region--comprised of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties--is one of the fastest growing regions in America. Unique in its own history and a microcosm of America at large, it is a land of startling racial, socio-economic, and ideological diversity that has long produced innovative and passionate writing. Inlandia is a study of the journey of a people bound by geography yet striving for self-identity and artistic recognition, and of a land that is becoming both more prosperous and endangered. Over eighty writers are represented in the anthology, with material ranging from Indian stories and early explorers' narratives to pieces written by local emerging authors.--From publisher description.

Writing the Nation: A Concise Introduction to American Literature 1865 to Present

Writing the Nation: A Concise Introduction to American Literature 1865 to Present
Author: Amy Berke
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 743
Release: 2023-12-01
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN:

In 'Writing the Nation: A Concise Introduction to American Literature 1865 to Present,' editors Amy Berke, Robert Bleil, Jordan Cofer, and Doug Davis curate a comprehensive exploration of American literary evolution from the aftermath of the Civil War to contemporary times. This anthology expertly weaves a tapestry of diverse literary styles and themes, encapsulating the dynamic shifts in American culture and identity. Through carefully selected works, the collection illustrates the rich dialogue between historical contexts and literary expression, showcasing seminal pieces that have shaped American literatures landscape. The diversity of periods and perspectives offers readers a panoramic view of the countrys literary heritage, making it a significant compilation for scholars and enthusiasts alike. The contributing authors and editors, each with robust backgrounds in American literature, bring to the table a depth of scholarly expertise and a passion for the subject matter. Their collective work reflects a broad spectrum of American life and thought, aligning with major historical and cultural movements from Realism and Modernism to Postmodernism. This anthology not only marks the evolution of American literary forms and themes but also mirrors the nations complex history and diverse narratives. 'Writing the Nation' is an essential volume for those who wish to delve into the heart of American literature. It offers readers a unique opportunity to experience the multitude of voices, styles, and themes that have shaped the countrys literary tradition. This collection represents an invaluable resource for students, scholars, and anyone interested in the development of American literature and the cultural forces that have influenced it. The anthology invites readers to engage with the vibrant dialogue among its pages, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the United States' literary and cultural heritage.

Things I Like About America

Things I Like About America
Author: Poe Ballantine
Publisher: Hawthorne Books
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2011-03-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0983304939

POE BALLANTINE’S RISKY PERSONAL ESSAYS are populated with odd jobs, eccentric characters, boarding houses, buses, and beer. He takes us along on his Greyhound bus journey through small town America (including a detour to Mexico) exploring what it means to be human. Written with piercing intimacy and self-effacing humor, Ballantine’stories provide entertainment, social commentary, and completely compelling slices of life.

Journey to the United States of North America / Viaje a los Estados Unidos del Norte de Am?rica

Journey to the United States of North America / Viaje a los Estados Unidos del Norte de Am?rica
Author: Lorenzo de Zavala
Publisher: Arte Publico Press
Total Pages: 436
Release: 2005-04-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781611920444

First published in Paris in 1834, Journey to the United States of America / Viaje a los Estados Unidos del Norte América, by Lorenzo de Zavala, is an elegantly written travel narrative that maps de Zavala's journey through the United States during his exile from Mexico in 1830. Embracing U.S., Texas, and Mexican history; early ethnography; geography; and political philosophy, de Zavala outlines the cultural and political institutions of Jacksonian America and post-independence Mexico. de Zavala's commentary rivals Alex de Tocqueville's classic travel narrative, Democracy in America, which was published in Paris one year after de Zavala's. The narrative presents the first account of U.S. political culture from a Mexican point of view and constructs the first comparative political and historical framework for the relationship between Mexico and the United States. In passionate prose, de Zavala argues for the incorporation of the true democratic ideals of the enlightenment in the fledgling Republic of Texas. He hoped Texas would meld the best of both Mexican and American cultures. de Zavala believed that if his colleagues who helped frame the Texas Constitution understood the complexities of democracy and the ideals that their state could achieve through a liberal, federal government that gave equal rights to all of its constituents: Native Americans, Mexicans, Euro-Americans, and free African Americans. The original text is accompanied by eight pages of maps and historical photos, John-Michael Rivera's critical introduction, and an English translation based upon Wallace Woolsey's deft translation, expanded and revised for the purposes of this volume.

Crossing Into America

Crossing Into America
Author: Louis Gerard Mendoza
Publisher:
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2005-04-30
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 9781565848955

Collects writings by such top contributors as Jamaica Kincaid, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Richard Rodriguez, as well as a host of new writers, to present a history of modern immigration and reflections on the immigrant experience.

Around the World in 80 Books

Around the World in 80 Books
Author: David Damrosch
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 279
Release: 2021-11-04
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0141981504

'Restlessly curious, insightful, and quirky, David Damrosch is the perfect guide to a round-the-world adventure in reading' Stephen Greenblatt A transporting and illuminating voyage around the globe, told through eighty classic and modern books 'It is always a pleasure to talk about books with David Damrosch, who has read all of them, and he is so eloquent and understanding about them all' Orhan Pamuk Inspired by Jules Verne's hero Phileas Fogg, David Damrosch, chair of Harvard's Department of Comparative Literature and founder of Harvard's Institute for World Literature, set out to counter a pandemic's restrictions on travel by exploring eighty exceptional books from around the globe. Following a literary itinerary from London to Venice, Tehran and points beyond, and via authors from Woolf and Dante to Nobel prizewinners Orhan Pamuk, Wole Soyinka, Mo Yan and Olga Tokarczuk, he explores how these works have shaped our idea of the world, and the ways the world bleeds into literature. To chart the expansive landscape of world literature today, Damrosch explores how writers live in two very different worlds: the world of their personal experience, and the world of books that have enabled great writers to give shape and meaning to their lives. In his literary cartography, Damrosch includes compelling contemporary works as well as perennial classics, hard-bitten crime fiction as well as haunting works of fantasy, and the formative tales that introduce us as children to the world we're entering. Taken together, these eighty titles offer us fresh perspective on perennial problems, from the social consequences of epidemics to the rising inequality that Thomas More designed Utopia to combat and the patriarchal structures within and against which many of these books' heroines have to struggle, from the work of Murasaki Shikibu a millennium ago to that of Margaret Atwood today. Around the World in 80 Books is a global invitation to look beyond ourselves and our surroundings, and to see our world and its literature in new ways.