Free eBooks Nonrequired Reading: Prose Pieces Available To Downloads
Wislawa Szymborska's poems are admired around the world, and her unsparing vision, tireless wit, and deep sense of humanity are cherished by countless readers. Unknown to most of them, however, Szymborska also worked for several decades as a columnist, reviewing a wide variety of books under the unassuming title "Nonrequired Reading." As readers of her poems would expect, the short prose pieces collected here are anything but ordinary. Reflecting the author's own eclectic tastes and interests, the pretexts for these ruminations range from books on wallpapering, cooking, gardening, and yoga, to more lofty volumes on opera and world literature. Unpretentious yet incisive, these charming pieces are on a par with Szymborska's finest lyrics, tackling the same large and small questions with a wonderful curiosity.
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Harcourt; 1 edition (October 28, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0151006601
ISBN-13: 978-0151006601
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #92,862 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #6 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Regional & Cultural > European > Eastern #37 in Books > Textbooks > Communication & Journalism > Journalism #52 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Literature > World Literature > European
This is a book of prose essays by the 1996 Nobel Prize winning author Wislawa Szymborska. They were from her newspaper column of 30+ years ago, "Nonrequired Reading". They are the musings on everyday books and subjects. It is a wide ranging and eclectic collection. There will be one essay on a touching Korean fable. Then, the next will be on how to make a reptile aquarium. Many of these essays were book reviews. However,they are more her thoughts on the subjects than reviews. When I say this book is like a "box of chocolates" it is in the Gumpian sense of the word. You never know what you're going to get and it will be interesting no matter what the topic. The aforementioned reptile aquarium piece was not only interesting but, philosophical as well.That the book was from a translation was not a problem. Ms. Cavanaugh, the tranlator, was the winner of the PEN Translator prize. Reading this, it seems to have travelled without a problem.For those buying this book: please read it! Do not put it on your coffee table to show off your erudition of having a Nobel Prize winning author's book so prominently on display. There is too much enjoyment to be had by reading this book.The essays are from one page to a page and a half in length. Hopefully, there will be more essays to come in the future.
I love Wislawa Szymborska. Although I am not a fan of poetry in general, I began reading this book of her thoughts and feelings and criticisms which are never vicious, cruel, or even negative. She finds something positive about everytyhing from Ella Fitzgerald to Alfred Hitchcock and many other subjects about books. I think there is a fascination with this woman because she is a NObel Prize winner for literature in 1996 and from Poland. She is the first Polish woman to receive such an honor. She is quite humble about such honors. We know little about her life. We know she has a sister. She might be a widow and she has no children. She is a smoker and lives in a three room flat in Cracow where she has lived since her family moved there. Wislawa has now popularity because of her top honors for her services to literature. I would love to read a biography or autobiography about her. I loved her story about her relationship with another Polish Nobel prizewinner and fellow poet, Czeslaw Milosz. As long as there are writers like Wislawa around, we can be sure that she is not done yet.
I love the sweep. Szymborska can make any topic fascinating. She finds deep and homey lessons in a broad range of topics. And of course, she's a real writer.
Nonrequired Reading: Prose Pieces 25 Short Pieces from "L'Organiste": Easier Piano Pieces 29 (Easier Piano Pieces (Abrsm)) Lyric Pieces, Op. 12 and Poetic Tone-pictures, Op. 3: Easier Piano Pieces 11 (Easier Piano Pieces (ABRSM)) Speed Reading: 7 Simple and Effective Speed Reading Techniques That Will Significantly Reduce Your Reading Time (Speed Reading Techniques, Read Faster, ... Focus, Memory Recall, Improve Productivity) Speed Reading: Seven Speed Reading Tactics To Read Faster, Improve Memory And Increase Profits (Speed Reading Techniques, Read Faster, Speed Reading For Professionals, Entrepreneurs) Arensky - 6 Pieces Enfantines, Op. 34; Stravinsky - 3 Easy Pieces for Piano Duet: Music Minus One Piano (Music Minus One (Numbered)) Piano Exam Pieces 2015 & 2016, Grade 3: Selected from the 2015 & 2016 Syllabus (ABRSM Exam Pieces) Eighteen Little Preludes, Bwv 924-8, 930, 933-43 & 999: Easier Piano Pieces 18 (Easier Piano Pieces (ABRSM)) Speed Reading: The Comprehensive Guide To Speed Reading - Increase Your Reading Speed By 300% In Less Than 24 Hours Reading Log: Gifts for Book Lovers / Reading Journal [ Softback * Large (8" x 10") * Antique Books * 100 Spacious Record Pages & More... ] (Reading Logs & Journals) LADIES OF ROMANCE: SERIES READING ORDERS & BOOK CHECKLISTS:VOLUME #1: THIS READING ORDER CHECKLIST INCLUDES ALL THE STANDALONE & SERIES OF EACH OF THE ... ROMANCE READING ORDERS & CHECKLISTS) Palmistry: The Complete Guide To Palm Reading And Fortune Telling For Beginners - Learn How To Read Palms Like A Pro In No Time! (Numerology, Palm Reading, Hand Reading) Garden Blessings: Prose, Poems and Prayers Celebrating the Love of Gardening Nice Fish: New and Selected Prose Poems Ceremonies : Prose and Poetry Poetry and Prose in the Sixteenth Century (Oxford History of English Literature) Contract Drafting: Powerful Prose in Transactional Practice Contract Drafting: Powerful Prose in Transactional Practice (ABA Fundamentals) The Complete Poetry & Prose of William Blake The Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse (Oxford Books of Prose & Verse)
