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The Myth of Sisyphus
In this profound and moving philosophical statement, Camus poses the fundamental question: Is life worth living? If human existence holds no significance, what can keep us from suicide? As Camus argues, if there is no God to give meaning to our lives, humans must take on that purpose themselves. This is our 'absurd' task, like Sisyphus forever rolling his rock up a hill, as the inevitability of death constantly overshadows us. Written during the bleakest days of the Second World War, The Myth of Sisyphus argues for an acceptance of reality that encompasses revolt, passion and, above all, liberty. This volume contains several other essays, including lyrical evocations of the sunlit cities of Algiers and Oran, the settings of his great novels The Outsider and The Plague . Albert Camus is the author of a number of best-selling and highly influential works, all of which are published by Penguin. They include The Fall , The Outsider and The First Man . He is remembered as one of the few writers to have shaped the intellectual climate of post-war France, but beyond that, his fame has been international.
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Sholay: The Making Of A Classic
National Award Winner: 'Best Book On Film' Year 2000. Film Journalist Anupama Chopra Tells The Fascinating Story Of How A Four-Line Idea Grew To Become The Greatest Blockbuster Of Indian Cinema. Starting With The Tricky Process Of Casting, Moving On To The Actual Filming Over Two Years In A Barren, Rocky Landscape, And Finally The First Weeks After The Film'S Release When The Audience Stayed Away And The Trade Declared It A Flop, This Is A Story As Dramatic And Entertaining As Sholay Itself. With The Skill Of A Consummate Storyteller, Anupama Chopra Describes Amitabh Bachchan'S Struggle To Convince The Sippys To Choose Him, An Actor With Ten Flops Behind Him, Over The Flamboyant Shatrughan Sinha; The Last-Minute Confusion Over Dates That Led To Danny Dengzongpa'S Exit From The Fim, Handing The Role Of Gabbar Singh To Amjad Khan; And The Budding Romance Between Hema Malini And Dharmendra During The Shooting That Made The Spot Boys Some Extra Money And Almost Killed Amitabh.
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Travels with Charley in Search of America
An intimate journey across America, as told by one of its most beloved writers To hear the speech of the real America, to smell the grass and the trees, to see the colors and the light—these were John Steinbeck's goals as he set out, at the age of fifty-eight, to rediscover the country he had been writing about for so many years. With Charley, his French poodle, Steinbeck drives the interstates and the country roads, dines with truckers, encounters bears at Yellowstone and old friends in San Francisco. Along the way he reflects on the American character, racial hostility, the particular form of American loneliness he finds almost everywhere, and the unexpected kindness of strangers.
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The Happy Return
Sailing the frigate "Lydia" in South American waters, Captain Hornblower has orders to sink the "Natividad", a Spanish two-decker. But this proves the least of his worries, for he is also commanded to aid the revolutionary El Supremo, a madman whose bestialities stagger the Spanish authorities.
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Mr Midshipman Hornblower
The first Horatio Hornblower Tale of the Sea 1793, the eve of the Napoleonic Wars, and Midshipman Horatio Hornblower receives his first command . . . As a seventeen-year-old with a touch of sea sickness, young Horatio Hornblower hardly cuts a dash in His Majesty's navy. Yet from the moment he is ordered to board a French merchant ship in the Bay of Biscay and take command of crew and cargo, he proves his seafaring mettle on the waves. After a character-forming duel, several deadly chases and some dramatic captures and escapes, the young Hornblower is soon forged into a formidable man of the sea. This is the first of eleven books chronicling the nautical adventures of C. S. Forester's inimitable hero, Horatio Hornblower. Featuring an exclusive introduction by Bernard Cornwell, creator of Sharpe 'Absolutely compelling. One of the great masters of narrative' San Francisco Chronicle
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Lord Hornblower
1813, and Horatio Hornblower is propelled toward the heart of the French Empire and his old enemy, Napoleon . . . Sir Horatio Hornblower has received strict and highly confidential orders from the highest rank: he must embark upon a grave and perilous mission to recapture the Flame in the Bay of Seine, where the brutal and foul-tempered Lieutenant Augustine Chadwick is being held prisoner by a mutinous crew. Rescuing the Lieutenant demands all of Horatio's spirit and seafaring prowess - for at the same time, he must contend with capturing two French cargo vessels and take part in negotiations to topple the faltering Napoleon once and for all . . . This is the ninth of eleven books chronicling the adventures of C.S. Forester's inimitable nautical hero, Horatio Hornblower.
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Rethinking Competitive Advantage
From the million-copy-bestselling author of Execution'The most influential consultant alive.' FortuneWelcome to the age of big tech. The old rules no longer apply.How do companies build a competitive advantage in the digital age? In this lively, accessible guide, Ram Charan - million-copy-bestselling author and advisor to some of the world's top CEOs - reveals that the tech giants have radically rewritten the rules of business. If you want to win, you need to learn to play a new game.Delving into the inner workings of the likes of Netflix, Amazon and Alibaba, Charan uncovers the six unwritten rules that make the digital giants thrive: from how they use digital platforms and create corporate 'ecosystems', to the way they approach team organisation and moneymaking. But these rules are not the preserve of Silicon Valley. Charan shows that they can be applied to any company that wants to be competitive. And with stories of how traditional companies like Disney, Walmart, and BMW have adopted them, he offers a practical toolbox for applying them to your business, starting today.Whether you're a C-suite executive or a fledgling entrepreneur, your company can succeed in the digital age. This book will show you how.'One of the world's preeminent counselors to CEOs.' Harvard Business Review
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In Search of Sita: Revisiting Mythology
Sita is one of the defining figures of Indian womanhood, yet there is no single version of her story. Different accounts coexist in myth, literature and folktale. Canonical texts deify Sita while regional variations humanize her. Folk songs and ballads connect her timeless predicament to the daily lives of rural women. Modern-day women continue to see themselves reflected in films, serials and soap operas based on Sita’s narrative. Sacrifice, self denial and unquestioning loyalty are some of the ideals associated with popular perceptions of Sita. But the Janaki who symbolized strength, who could lift Shiva’s mighty bow, who courageously chose to accompany Rama into exile and who refused to follow him back after a second trial, is often forgotten. However she is remembered, revered or written about, Sita continues to exert a powerful influence on the collective Indian psyche. In Search of Sita presents essays, conversations and commentaries that explore different aspects of her life. It revisits mythology, reopening the debate on her birth, her days in exile, her abduction, the test by fire, the birth of her sons and finally her return to the earth—offering fresh interpretations of this enigmatic figure and her indelible impact on our everyday lives.
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Lost Empire
Lost Empire is the second phenomenal FARGO Adventure from international bestseller, Clive Cussler. Some treasures are best left buried . . . Scuba diving off the Tanzanian coast, husband-and-wife treasure-hunting team, Sam and Remi Fargo discover a huge ship's bell, covered in cryptic carvings. But as they struggle to first recover the bell and then decode its clues, they find they are not alone in wanting to discover its secrets. When news of the find is publicised, Mexican President Quauhtli Garza is forced to act. He knows that this bell comes from a former Confederate ship that sank off the African coast and he fears that the discovery of a missing piece of a Quetzalcoatl statuette, which was aboard the ship, will undermine his plans for Mexico's future. With Garza determined to stop the Fargos investigation at all costs, the couple are drawn into a deadly conspiracy that connects the 1883 Krakatoa explosion with an attempt to resurrect the fallen Aztec empire ... Clive Cussler, author of the celebrated Dirk Pitt novels Arctic Drift and Crescent Dawn, presents the second in the series following the adventures of treasure hunters Sam and Remi Fargo. Lost Empire is the second of the FARGO Adventures; Spartan Gold is the first. Praise for Clive Cussler: 'Clive Cussler is hard to beat' Daily Mail
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Billion Dollar Lessons
Analyzes the costly mistakes of companies throughout the past quarter century to counsel business professionals on what not to do, in a guide that profiles key strategy failures and challenges popular beliefs about leadership, luck, and effective execution. 25,000 first printing.
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Charlie
er forces that seem intent on shattering her family and even her belief in her parents. But she is not alone. Charlie meets kind, funny student Andrew, whose love helps her through the hard times and further unexpected tragedy. Together, can they unravel the mysteries of the past that haunt the Welsh family? And will facing up to those mysteries destroy their love for each other or make it stronger?
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The Storyteller:Tales from the Arabian Nights
What if your life depended on being able to tell a good story? Schariar, King of Persia, would marry a woman every night only to chop off her head every morning. He had sentenced the beautiful and clever Scherazade to the same fate. Determined to save herself and other women from this gruesome decree, Queen Scherazade began telling him stories one night -- of magic lamps and genies, of fishermen and caliphs, of treasure-caves and strange potions. Tales so wonderful that the one night turned into 1001.But what would happen when Scherazade ran out of yarns to spin? This new collection of Tales from the Arabian Nights will make you gasp with wonder and laugh with delight and the magical storyteller Scherazade will keep you spellbound for days.
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Forgive Me her mothers dying words
Lesley Pearse, No. 1 UK bestselling author of Dead to Me and The Woman in the Wood, brings Forgive Me, a compelling story of a daughter uncovering her mother's secret past. Eva Patterson's life is forever altered by the devastating discovery of her mother, Flora, dead in the bath leaving only a note: 'Forgive Me'. Until Flora's suicide, Eva's world had been secure - but overnight everything changes. For when Flora leaves Eva a London artist's studio in her will, she finds her mother had a secret past. In the studio's attic are Flora's paintings and diaries, and Eva learns her mother was a popular artist in the swinging sixties. Eva's hunt for answers uncovers clues to a shocking crime which led Flora to hide her past. But will discovering the truth destroy Eva's belief in everything she holds dear? And will this journey lead her and those she loves into danger? From the author of international bestseller, Stolen, Forgive Me is an intense and gripping story of love and forgiveness. 'Engrossing and emotional, it's another winner from Lesley Pearse' Woman's Own 'I absolutely loved this book. The characters are likeable and the writing is always brilliant' Sun 'Intriguing, heart-tugging, beautifully written' Closer
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Tomb of Sand
In northern India, an eighty-year-old woman slips into a deep depression after the death of her husband, and then resurfaces to gain a new lease on life. Her determination to fly in the face of convention - including striking up a friendship with a transgender person - confuses her bohemian daughter, who is used to thinking of herself as the more 'modern' of the two. To her family's consternation, Ma insists on travelling to Pakistan, simultaneously confronting the unresolved trauma of her teenage experiences of Partition, and re-evaluating what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a woman, a feminist. Rather than respond to tragedy with seriousness, Geetanjali Shree's playful tone and exuberant wordplay results in a book that is engaging, funny, and utterly original, at the same time as being an urgent and timely protest against the destructive impact of borders and boundaries, whether between religions, countries, or genders.
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The Mayan Secrets
The Mayan Secrets is the exceptional fifth Fargo Adventure novel by Clive Cussler.Mexico, present day: a revelation of precious knowledge from the past has the power to change the course of humanity's future.Treasure-hunting husband and wife team Sam and Remi Fargo are in Central America when they come upon a remarkable discovery - the skeleton of a man clutching an ancient sealed pot. Inside the pot is a well-preserved Mayan book, larger than any previously found by archaeologists.The book contains astonishing information about the Mayans, about their cities, and about mankind itself. The secrets are so powerful that some people would do anything to possess them - as the Fargos are about to find out.Before their adventure is done, men and women will die for the riches contained in the ancient book - and it's just possible that Sam and Remi may be among them . . .With all the breakneck pace, wild imagination and high stakes thrills that Clive Cussler has made his own, The Mayan Secrets proves once again that the World's No.1 Adventure Writer is in a league of his own. It is the latest in the gripping Fargo Adventure series, following the bestselling titles Spartan Gold, Lost Empire, The Kingdom and The Tombs.Praise for Clive Cussler:'Clive Cussler is hard to beat' Daily Mail'The guy I read' Tom Clancy'The adventure king' Daily Express
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The Tunnel of Time
From being tormented by gamblers convinced they see lucky numbers concealed in his cartoons to being mistaken for a Mexican and debarred from attending an invitation dinner on Park Avenue because he is carrying a raincoat to being charged with importing obscene literature into the country because a friend has sent him a copy of Playboy, R.K. Laxman’s experiences could rival the most uncanny adventures of his most enduring creation, the Common Man. In The Tunnel of Time Laxman narrates the story of his life with the same acerbic wit, keen sense of humour and the satirist’s ability to take a whimsical, cock-eyed look at just about anything under the sun that we are so familiar with.
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Across the Line
A tale of borders and beliefs shaped by the games people play 1947 New Delhi. Cyril Radcliffe's hands are clammy, partly from the heat but mostly from the enormity of the task assigned. Mopping the sweat off his brow, he picks up his pen, draws a deep breath--and a dark line. Rawalpindi. A barbaric frenzy of rioters fills the streets, disrupting a game of pithoo between Toshi and her brother, Tarlok, shattering their lives unimaginably. 2008 Rawalpindi. Cricket-crazy Inaya is sneaking out behind her father's back for net practice when she discovers that she is not the only one in her family keeping a secret. New Delhi. Jai accidentally stumbles upon an old, hidden away diary in his kitchen. The date of its last entry: 17 August 1947. As Jai and Inaya's unlikely worlds collide, another story unfolds. A story that started with the drawing of a line. A story that shifts the truth in their lives.
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Best Loved Indian Stories II
An anthology that reveals the immense diversity of Indian literature. The rich and varied body of writing in the Indian languages has grown immeasurably in the last hundred years. This collection of short stories brings together some perennial favoritess from this vast treasure trove, written by acknowledgement masters of the art and sensitively translated. The twenty-three stories included here deal with themes central to modern India: caste, gender politics and emerging changes in the traditional family structure. These are striking vignettes from all parts of the country, evocative of different lifestyles yet reflective of common problems and issues with which we can all identify.