James Wood Bücher

Eine mitreißend und elegant geschriebene Schule des Lesens. Was unterscheidet einen guten Roman von einem schlechten? Kaum jemand könnte das besser erklären als James Wood, «einer der besten Kritiker unserer Zeit» (Newsweek) und selbst ein herausragender Stilist. Erzählperspektive oder Detailauswahl, Figurenzeichnung und Dialoge – Wood zeigt, worauf zu achten lohnt. Anhand vieler Beispiele von der Bibel über Flaubert bis zu David Foster Wallace erklärt er, was manche Autoren besser machen als andere. Doch es geht Wood nicht allein um die Elemente gelungenen Erzählens. Er beantwortet auch grundlegende Fragen: Was hat die Literatur mit der Wirklichkeit zu tun? Und vor allem: Warum bewegt sie uns so? Denn bei aller analytischen Präzision bleibt Wood ein begeisterter Leser, dessen Leidenschaft ansteckend wirkt. So gelingt ihm das Kunststück, die Geheimnisse der Literatur zu lüften, ohne ihren Zauber zu zerstören.

Alan Querry, ein erfolgreicher Bauentwickler aus Nordengland, hat zwei Töchter: Vanessa ist Philosophin und lehrt in Saratoga Springs, New York; Helen arbeitet für ein internationales Musiklabel mit Sitz in London. Die Schwestern haben sich nie richtig von der bitteren Trennung ihrer Eltern und dem frühen Tod ihrer Mutter erholt, vor allem Vanessa nicht, die immer wieder in Depressionen verfällt. Beim jüngsten Schub fliegen Alan und Helen nach Saratoga Springs. Im Verlauf von sechs Wintertagen upstate beginnen die Querrys mit den Fragen zu ringen, die diesen Roman so eindringlich machen: Warum fällt manchen Menschen das Leben so viel schwerer als anderen? Kann Glücklichsein gelernt werden, oder wird man einfach so geboren? Hilft nachdenken? Wenn, wie Vanessas Lieblingsphilosoph sich ausdrückt, „das Leben selbst das einzig ernsthafte Unternehmen“ ist, wie sollten wir dann leben? „Upstate“ ist ein tiefgründiger Roman, reich an menschlicher Einsicht, fein gezeichneten Charakteren und voll mit jenen Dingen, die uns in unseren stillsten Momenten beschäftigen.

Finalist, Minnesota Book Awards. The spirit of Minnesota lives in many things. It is a radiant dawn breaking through the pines of the North Woods. It is the unceasing pounding of waves on the rocky North Shore of Lake Superior. It is the delicate fragrance of prickly wild roses in the Heartland. It is the timeless flow of the Mississippi River carving its way through the Bluff Country. It is the wind through the tall grasses of the Prairie region. This is the spirit of the land that is Minnesota. Minnesota: The Spirit of the Land is the first collaboration between Douglas Wood, author of the ward-winning Old Turtle, and photographer Greg Ryan. It is a tribute to the state's enduring heritage a look at the soul of the state's wilderness and what that spirit means to its people.

The definitive collection of literary essays by The New Yorker’s award-winning longtime book critic Ever since the publication of his first essay collection, The Broken Estate, in 1999, James Wood has been widely regarded as a leading literary critic of the English-speaking world. His essays on canonical writers (Gustav Flaubert, Herman Melville), recent legends (Don DeLillo, Marilynne Robinson) and significant contemporaries (Zadie Smith, Elena Ferrante) have established a standard for informed and incisive appreciation, composed in a distinctive literary style all their own. Together, Wood’s essays, and his bestselling How Fiction Works, share an abiding preoccupation with how fiction tells its own truths, and with the vocation of the writer in a world haunted by the absence of God. In Serious Noticing, Wood collects his best essays from two decades of his career, supplementing earlier work with autobiographical reflections from his book The Nearest Thing to Life and recent essays from The New Yorker on young writers of extraordinary promise. The result is an essential guide to literature in the new millennium.

"The 10th anniversary edition of the canonical How Fiction Works will include a new introduction and writers Mr. Woods has discussed between 2006 and 2017. These include Alejandro Zambra, Lydia Davis, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Elena Ferrante, and Teju Cole. In turn, the expanded edition will become more international and diverse, featuring more women and non-white writers. An additional chapter will be added on form/plot, which was a topic not discussed in the original publication. Finally, in response to the book being seen as a manifesto for literary realism, James Wood will be modifying his arguments to explore--rather than defend--the question of realism in the novel"-- Provided by publisher

Für Antoine Roquentin, Einzelgänger und Außenseiter in einer Provinzstadt, verliert das Leben plötzlich seine Selbstverständlichkeit. Unnachsichtig um Selbsterforschung bemüht, versucht er seinem immer stärkeren Ekel vor Dingen und Menschen auf den Grund zu gehen. Die Erfahrungen, Empfindungen und Visionen des Helden dieses ersten und bedeutendsten Romans des Existentialismus gaben Anstöße zu einer neuen Lebensphilosophie, die bis heute nichts von ihrer Brisanz eingebüßt hat.

Thomas Bunting, the charming, chaotic, and deeply untruthful narrator of James Wood's wonderful first novel, is in despair. His marriage is disintegrating, and his academic career is in ruins- instead of completing his philosophy PhD (still unfinished after seven years), he is secretly writing what he hopes will be his masterwork, a vast atheistic project he has privately entitled THE BOOK AGAINST GOD. But when his father is suddenly taken ill Thomas returns home, to the tiny village in the north of England where he grew up, and where his father still works as a parish priest. Thomas hopes that at home he may finally be able to communicate honestly with his father, a brilliant and formidable Christian example, and sort out his wayward life. But Thomas is a chronic liar, as well as an atheist, and he finds, instead, that once at home he only falls back into the disastrous and evasive patterns of his childhood years. James Wood's novel brings a new comic voice to British fiction- edgy, lyrical, intellectual and passionate. THE BOOK AGAINST GOD explores questions of belief and unbelief, truth and lies, the relation of father and son, and husband and wife, in a tone that is at once poignant and funny. Above all, it introduces readers to the irrepressible presence of its narrator, Thomas Bunting, liar, doubter, and the strangest philosopher in contemporary fiction.

Delving into the diverse realm of LGBT literature, this collection highlights themes of love, identity, and self-discovery. The narratives authentically capture the challenges of contemporary life, exploring the intricacies of relationships. Readers will encounter a rich array of experiences, ranging from passionate romances to poignant coming-of-age tales, reflecting the multifaceted nature of the LGBTQ+ journey.

Are you an amateur ABAP cook looking for professional ABAP dishes? Or are you already the executive chef in your ABAP kitchen, just looking for more flavors or different spices? Either way, you ll find classical and new recipes for common and specific development tasks in this ABAP Cookbook! This book is intended to quickly provide answers to typical ABAP development problems or tasks: persistence programming, interface programming, security and tracing techniques, etc. You ll discover best practices in developing solutions, and you can use this book to broaden your skills and see how to apply ABAP to solve various types of problems. The complexity of the recipes ranges from the simple starter plates to the complex main courses and some sweet deserts, of course! Each chapter is a short tutorial in itself, all organized and consolidated into an easy-to-read format. Many code samples, screenshots, and different icons will help you to follow the best practices provided. Enjoy your ABAP meal!