european

The nine stories contained in this book are truly extraordinary in every way. As I was reading them, I was struck by how much Kis's style resembles that of Borges: Both authors were cerebral yet playful; both wrote thematically-based stories; both were obsessed with the fantastic.

All of the stories in THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE DEAD are well-written, thoroughly engrossing, complex and extremely thought-provoking. All are woven around the theme of death and while this may seem to make them very depressing they are anything but.

I think it's probably better for most people to read these stories one at a time, giving each one plenty of thought and consideration, but the stories are just so good and so enticing that I often read two or three at a sitting and then found myself rereading them individually later on, giving them more time to "digest."

If you like stories centered around a fast-paced plot or a fascinating character, these stories might not be the ones you should choose. If, however, you find the exploration of life and "life after life" fascinating, then these are definitely stories you'll enjoy. The themes they explore are universal; the stories could really take place anywhere, at any time. I think these stories are stories that any reflective person could relate to and, because of this, they have a luminous, timeless quality about them that I just loved.

I think it's wonderful that more and more literature from Eastern Europe is being translated into English. THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE DEAD is one of the finest collections of short stories I've ever read. I'd recomment it highly to anyone who loves good literature.

I highly recommend all of Danilo Kis's works.

_The Encyclopedia of the Dead_ is one of the best short story collections of this or any century, I'm not shy to say, and it is my personal favorite of Kis' books (_A Tomb for Boris Davidovich [forthcoming from Dalkey Archive] coming in a close second). Kis' writes in a wonderful type of lyrical documentary style, mixing fact and fiction (though it is difficult to tell sometimes whether the fact is not fiction and vice-versa), reminiscent of some of the contemporary younger western writers (namely, William T. Vollmann, who himself is a big fan). In short, buy this book! (If you don't have a penny to your name and you can't buy one...you should not steal it, thought you would have it and be able to read and devour it like you need to.)

Though not written in Alexander Pushkin's native Russian, this edition of his immortal classic "Eugene Onegin" is as near to perfection as it could possibly be. This particular translation is eloquent and full of the lighthearted humor and poetry that I believe to be an integral part of Pushkin himself. Yet the novel in poetry is also able to evoke a melancholy sadness, and it leaves the reader with feelings that aren't easily shaken.

It is written by one of the famous russian writers of the 19 century. I love reading his poems and novelizatiosn to no end.

"Eugene Onegin" was the first major work written in Russian, helping to establish that language's illustrious literary tradition. This novel in verse brought to fame Aleksandr Pushkin, who later turned his talents from poetry on to prose fiction with such titles as "The Captain's Daughter", "The Queen of Spades", and "Dubrovskii".

Briefly, the story concerns the encounter between two landed gentry, Eugene, who is disillusioned by his former experiences of St. Petersburg, and Tatyana, a provincial girl who sees the world through her English romance poetry. Obviously, the meeting is an ugly one. The ending is left for the reader to discover, but we all get to see how pitiful Onegin really is.

This edition includes the unfinished poem, "Onegin's Journey", and the classic "The Bronze Horseman", which is famous for describing the unstoppable and cruel will of Peter the Great in modernizing Russia.

The only problem that I had was in the English translation of "Eugene Onegin". Translating a poem from one lanaguage to another, while still maintaining proper meter and rhyme is no mean feat. Nevertheless, something is lost in the delivery of the poem and unfortunately, we can appreciate only part of Pushkin's genius by reading the English translation. I'd like to learn Russian well enough to be able to read Pushkin's poetry in order to appreciate his work more fully. Well I'm working on it!

This generous compilation of major works from the principle players in modern European (non-British) philosophy remains the one-volume sourcebook for every undergrad who has to write a paper and, more substantially, everyone who wants a real nose-to-the-grindstone encounter with the major philosophers. Spinoza, Kant, Rousseau, and Nietzsche are represented by substantial, and judicious, abridgments of major works (the "Ethics", "Critique of Pure Reason", "Social Contract", and "Beyond Good and Evil" respectively), while Descartes' entire "Meditations", the famous "Discourse on Metaphysics" and "Monadology" of Leibnitz, and the Introduction to "The Philosophy of History" of Hegel (which essentially comprises a book unto itself) are complete. Schopenhauer's "The World as Will and Idea" is also given about eighty pages, and the seldom-seen Fichte leaves a powerful mark with the Third Part of the "Vocation of Man". Fleeting but powerful selections from Pascal provide the dissent from the Age of Reason. Comte and Mach are, at least by my prejudices, footnotes today (their offerings, particularly the latter's, remain mostly unthumbed), but appendices of brief selections from Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz, Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche offer further elucidations of some of their key concepts and arguments (this volume makes for a particularly good introduction to Descartes and Kant). The brief editorial prefaces are also noteworthy both for their keen appreciations of each philosopher's contributions (the tone is always sober but generous-- sober indeed largely because of the editors' awareness of just how much we owe to these thinkers) and for very full catalogs of available editions of the philosophers's works in English and of scholarly examinations of their lives and work. To put it banally, this is one-stop shopping for the Descartes-to-Nietzsche block of post-Renaissance thinking. And the spine on my copy has proved surprisingly enduring-- despite being blown off a truck, left in a hostile dormitory for over a month, and constant perusal, it has remained largely intact, though I'm about to lose a few pages of Spinoza. After ten years, this is saying a lot.

This is, of course, a compilation of European philosophers. The book is 870 pages long and contains parts or entire works from famous theologians such as Descartes, Pascal, Spinoza, Leibniz, Kant, Fichte, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Comte, Mach, and Nietzsche. Most of the primary works of these men (at least in part or in their entirety) are present in this work. Each philosopher covered is given a nice introduction describing his life, works, etc. The works are translated quite well. This book would be a great edition to add to anyone's philosophy collection, especially since it is a collection of primary works. Some of the works that are included are Descartes' "Discourse on Method," Pascal's "Thoughts," Spinoza's "Nature of Evil," Leibniz's "Relation Between Soul and Body," Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason," Hegel's "Intro to the Philosophy of History," Comte's "General View of Positivism," Nietzsche's "Beyond Good and Evil," and much, much more. If you are wanting a collection of philosophical writings then this is one of the better texts to add to your library.

This book is a wonderful resource for aquiring a much more profound idea of the most renkowned thinkers of the modern era. The contents of this book includes twelve great thinkers, within the span of two-hundred and fifty years, and their ideals of the world around them.

The author has selected these individuals due to the diversity of their philisophical world-views. Just look at the likes of Rene` Descartes in comparison with the eccentricity of Mr. Friedrich Nietzsche. One of course, would see that these two are extreme contraries, thus engendering an induction of pure thought from these contrary opinions, which in turn you as the reader may attain new insights resulting in a possible thesis or anti-thesis of your own. Then their are those who share simalar ideas such as Kant, Hegel, and Descsartes. They all hold that innate thought is to be venerated as the sole good of the world. Whereas an Empericist or Materialist would rather adhere to the product of nature to find the meaning of this chaotic earth. Any way you look at it all of their views are to be reverred and worthy of thought.

With the absence of a few great philosophers of that period, I was left just a little dissapointed, but the intuitiveness and profoundity of this work has left me invigorated. So if you would like to get to know these great thinkers all little more in this miraculous compilement of thought, pick up a copy today.

I often travel to Europe. Hop the trains with my Eurail Pass and hit as many countries as I can in less than 10 days.

On one trip I took about 6 different phrase books with me and wrapped them all up with a rubber band. Too bulky!

What's better for European travelers are phrase books with multiple languages. The European Menu Translator fits perfectly in a backpack and even in your back pocket.

Great reference for eating out all over Western Europe.

If I had one criticism, it would be that they might want to include a couple more languages. Maybe expand it a bit and include some other important Euro languages, like Dutch, Czech, or even Russian. Certainly Greek should be added.

But otherwise great job Galbraiths!

Collaboratively written by Whitney and Anne Galbraith, European Menu Translator is a "user friendly" pocket-sized dictionary specifically designed for tourists and travelers seeking to understand the specialized cuisine terminology of France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. A brief introduction to the fine dining basics of each nation supplements the lists of alphabetically arranged terms, subdivided by language. European Menu Translator is an excellent and very highly recommended reference whether when dining abroad or simply eating at a European-style restaurant here at home.

This is an excellent travel book. Because it is small, it's easy to tuck in your purse, back pack or whatever. It's so thorough it makes the most of each meal on the road. It can bring a great new dimension to eating in countries with French, German, Spanish or Italian menus!

It's so inexpensive, it's a great bon voyage gift for a friend or for yourself.
We love ours!
Julie & Peter Dawson.

The life and work of Federico Garcia Lorca tower over me - his delicate balance of exhaltation and alienation, of romanticism and cynicism, of life and death. Through the eyes of his poems, the gray skys and cold winds all around me blaze with a new vision. If I can ever do a tenth of what Lorca has done, as a writer, as a thinker, as a person trying to enjoy life, than I shall be more than satisfied.

There is a pocket in my old Swiss Backpack that perfectly fits only one book for when I am away from home. This is the book that goes in it: You could take a whole case of Lorca's works but you would always be missing something. Instead, most of my favorate poems are in here, bilingual so there is no need for anyone to complain about the translator.

The best way to experience any poet's work is through the ark of their life, over the vast ups and downs that go with any carrer. In this book, you can begin to feel that in Lorca's transitions and transformations of the mundane world into the extraordinary.

Whether you have children or not Buy this book. If you have children read them the landscape poetry in here. They will sing them in their sleep. It will take them on magical journeys to happy places and you also.

I just started browsing through a book of his poems in spanish one day and loved them, but my spanish is marginal. This has the spanish poems side by side with english translations, many of which I don't really like because they do things like switch words and lines and take a little too much freedom and change the spirit of the poem, but that's okay. You can read the spanish, read the english, and see exactly what has been changed, but the beauty is in the spanish ones, and though his vocabulary is large, yours doesn't really have to be to appreciate the sound and sight of these poems in spanish. I love many of the sonnets, plus the king of harlem, which reminds me of HCE from Finnegans Wake, this character that becomes the landscape itself, "after walking", and many others from the poet in new york. I've just been getting into some spanish poets after reading some st john of the cross and seeing what types of flows and life can be infused into words in this language, and these dark, bloody grimy oozes of language have had me high for weeks.

For any Ukrainian food/holiday tradition enthusiast tired of struggling through encoded recipes from "babtsia," this is the book for you!!! It provides simple recipes and introductions to the mysterious art of Ukrainian cooking -- "borshcht kvas," "pravdyviy hryby," et. al. -- as well as modern versions of the old traditions. Makes a traditional Ukrainian Christmas a reality.

Used to drive me crazy when my mother cooked Ukrainian foods and never had a recipe. Well, with this book all that has changed. I use it for those recipes where "a little of this and a little of that and then you mix it together" mean little to me. Also has excellent explanations of the different holidays and foods appropriate for the holiday.

If you enjoy Ukrainian food, this is the book to get. Most repipes use easy-to-get ingridients. The meals pleased many a Ukrainian homesick for native food.

I read this a number of years ago. It is not a paen to freedom, but a description of the hatred between the Cretans and the Turks made virtually unabateable by regligious prejudice and historic experience.

Today, it informs my view of the unabateable hatred in the Middle East.

The book is excellent. The characters are larger than life in their strengths and in their flaws--from the Homeric captains to the pitiful (not pitiable) Hadji, the Muslim fool unable to resist Captain Michaelis' demand to drink and who thereafter spreads dung on his head in further self-abasement and repentence.

Wonderful character development, a plat that moves and develops well, and an ending leaving food for thought in the early 21st Century on planet Earth.

Nikos Kazantzakis is one of the most under appreciated authors of the 20th century. The fact that this book, arguably his greatest work, is out of print is a prime example of that fact. Many readers have come to the mistaken conclusion that this book is primarily about the Greek, more specifically Cretan, struggle for freedom from Ottoman rule. The subject of this book is far greater. This book is truly about man's struggle for freedom from his own shortcomings. Some may even argue that Kazantzakis is seeking not only to define his own struggle, but also to understand his father. Captain Mihalis (The primary character in the books) is patterned after the author's own father.

I've had the opportunity to read this edition, and Greek editions of this book numerous times over the years, and have never grown tired of this book. I've come away with something new after each reading. I typically find myself conserving pages (reading slower) towards the end of this book because I don't want it to end. This is one of those books that will haunt you after you've read it.

In the island of Crete the Teacher was born. In the island of Crete where his people remained under Turkish occupation for more than two centuries. Is there a diamond in the greek history which cannot be linked to Crete? Incredulous one might remain to extreme stories described-imagined by Kazantzakis, but then let this "Thomas" read into the history of the Cretans, their constant revolts against Othoman occupation, their "aposyrsis" to the mountains where their life displayed the attrocious but noble feature of Freedom. Was/is it really the Turks? No, Kapetan Michalis was not the man to enjoy peace, war and fighting were his nature, there abolished he the tornment of having been given life. Kazantzakis shares: I asked my mother, "How was my grandfather?" "Like your father only darker." "What did he do? " "He fought." "And where there was no war?" "He smoked his pipe and looked at the mountains."

It is the nature of man, the nature of the warrior who restrained from life, restrained because life he has been given , choses he to continue by fighting... It is in this isolation of the self, in this denial of peace that man reaches the crest of alienation, the crest of silent freedom, Death...

Having read several books on the move to EMU, this is definitely one of the most thoughtful and incisive (and by far the best written!!). Clearly the French perspective on the EMS and EMU is absolutely crucial to understanding why European monetary integration happened at all. Well done! This book enters into impressive detail about the French perspective but places the development of French policy clearly in the context of wider European developments so that the non-specialist can follow the text and learn about monetary integration more generally.

This is a well-balanced, thoughtful study of French policy on European monetary integration. For those looking to understand EMU go no further!

This is a detailed yet highly readable account of the reasons why the French sought European monetary integration. I recommend it all those interested in why the French embraced EMU.

In this book, Jenkins describes his choice of the thousand best churches in England. Churches range from tiny, rural chapels notable for their remote, dramatic settings, to grand and majestic churches. (Cathedrals, however, are not covered, only parish churches.) He also rates the churches from one star through 5 stars.
The descriptions are generally full and compelling. However, I took off one star from my rating, because, for the armchair traveller, more pictures would have been welcome. (How frustrating to read about glorious stained glass windows, and have no idea what they actually look like!) Only about one in 10 churches is illustrated with either an interior or exterior photo.

For those interested in knowing more about England's wonderful parish churches, this book is a must. Organized by county, the book should prove useful for travellers like me who fall victim to every village spire. I appreciated both his wit and knowledge about the subject.

The history presented, and the wonderful photographs, are a panorama of architectural beauty and fascination topped only by Jenkins' insightful and witty comments. This is a perfect "coffee table volume" for anyone interested in the Church, the arts, or history, and for others who plan travel to areas of England they have not previously explored. An added bonus is that those passionate about any one of the topics will, as I have found, have the further entertainment of arguing whether Simon's choices actually were of the 1,000 best, and which of their own favourites would have topped them.

I am very glad to have been exposed to this classic and am definitely pleased to have read this particular translation of it. Though the rhythm was occasionally jarring (see review below), Luke's EXTENSIVE introduction (50 pages or so!) and explanatory notes helped me get so much out of this piece. I received glimpses of insight on German history, the Germanic culture, witchcraft, superstition, how 18th century "geniuses" viewed Shakespeare, traditional church customs, etc.

For those who don't know, the basic premise of this story is based on a German folk legend. In that legend from the 16th century, a learned man named Faust sold his soul to the Devil in order to gain more knowledge and understanding. As that legend grew and became incorporated in the Germanic culture, so did its appeal to many artists. There have been apparently many writers and such who have used this legend as a foundation for their works.

However, of all the Faust tales, Goethe's appears to be the preeminent one today. Why? Well, for one thing, he worked on this intermittantly from 1770 to 1808 with 3 main versions cited. Goethe became quite famous for many of his other works, and this one apparently gives great insight to his personal philosophies at different stages. Thus, many find it worth studying.

Also, as Goethe was a central figure in Germany's emergence from the Enlightenment era into the Romantic era, his work - and especially this piece - was celebrated by those trying to usher in a new way. While the number of submovements is slightly tricky to keep track of, the main thrust is that the young intellectuals idolized Goethe and championed his cause. His version of Faust became the source for many plays and even an opera which I think is still performed today.

But what about the tale itself? Goethe certainly has a genius and it blooms in a novel way in this piece. Though he left the Christian faith early on in life, he realized that the concepts of good, evil, sin, temptation, condemnation to hell, hedonism, etc. all had a dramatic weight to them that was irresistable to his as an artist. Thus, as he developed this piece, he leaned heavily on the faith, superstition and legends of his day in order to weave this tale. As such, you get a wonderful, power tale that gives you a great - though somewhat twisted - picture of the Germanic culture of his time.

HOWEVER, Goethe does some really odd things as well. For instance, as he added to this piece over the years, he often didn't change much of the former material. Therefore, in the piece there are many internal contradictions and dangling references. In addition, he tended to throw in verses he developed for other purposes - such as one of the prologues and the "Walpurgis Night Dream" scenario - which don't technically have anything to do with the storyline. Even his whole focus on Gretchen - while generally the focus of most plays and operas - actually wasn't a part of the original Faust legened. And yet, it all worked together somehow and was a delight to read.

All in all, I think reading this short, weighty classic was well worth the time. It helped add a piece of understanding about Euporean thought and culture 200 years ago as well as speak some to my own life.

The fact that it is a classic is one of the reason to read it, but it isn't one of those books that requires a great understanding of the time and era to appreciate. Not only is it, as some think, a book about what Goethe knew; it is aswell a book about everything he didn't know. And a review about it could go on forever.
Since Goethe did not only have a sharp brilliant understanding, he was (I'm sure this is mentioned in other reviews) also compelled to all sorts of superstition and truly obnoxious arrogant behaviour, stressing his own importance, which is why rational people such as J.S.Mill didn't care much about his works, while on the other hand some self-indulging people have made him their God. This play, that he wrote on 20 years or so, sums it all up pretty neat, If you don't want to read it to get your questions about the universe and everything answered or un-answered, at least it is interesting for its imagination alone.

My opinions on the book are probable to change as my life progresses, but anyhow this review shows, if nothing else, what a person *can* think of it, as everyone for sure has their own opinion about it.

The previous review is clear about the value of this translation. Knowing a bit of German, I can say that this translation does use shapes instead of forms for Gestalten. the real value of the work beyond the translation, however, especially for first time readers, is found in the notes made by David Luke. These notes are helpful for the historical context, allusions to Goethe's personal life and work, and allusions to philosophy, literature, and more ... all essential to understanding the work.