Our stories are like little audiobooks, and feature everything from romance, to sci-fi thrillers, to drama, and even detective/crime fiction. We sometimes even welcome special guests to our story, like Sherlock Holmes, everyone's favorite sleuth (or at least ours). Other popular genres are fantasy, comedy, satire, and tragedy. You can get Biographics. We even read some narrative poetry sometimes!
We don't offer writing tips, but we feature a wide variety of legendary authors from around the world. Reading good literature is one of the best ways to improve your own writing skill.
We're not an English-language course, but our stories are helpful for grasping idioms and English writing styles.
The Stranger - novel by Albert Camus, Its theme and outlook are often cited as examples of Camus' philosophy of the absurd and existentialism, though Camus personally rejected the latter label.
George Orwell was an English novelist, essayist and critic most famous for his novels 'Animal Farm' (1945) and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' (1949). ... George Orwell’s Most Famous Books. Sometimes called the conscience of a generation, Orwell is best known for two novels: Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Both books, published toward the end of Orwell’s life, have been turned into films and enjoyed tremendous popularity over the years. ...
Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell's chilling prophecy about the future. And while the year 1984 has come and gone, Orwell's narrative is timelier than ever. 1984 presents a startling and haunting vision of the world, so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of multiple generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions. A legacy that seems only to grow with the passage of time
About the poet - Pablo Neruda (1904 - 1973) was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He was born in Parral, Chile. He covered variety of areas in his writing such as love poems, surrealist poems, historical epics and political manifestos. Neruda won Nobel Prize in Literature in the year 1971.
So, as it turns out, this is actually pretty rare; many fans of Roald Dahl don't even know this story and the only audiobook version publically available is read by Andrew Scott. So, here's the original version, read by Martin Jarvis, which I happened to have and figured I would share with the world. You're welcome.
Alan Everard, a successful modernist painter, is married to the beautiful society girl Isobel Loring, who eagerly promotes her husband's work. At one of her tea parties, to which she invites the London art critics, she unveils her husband's latest masterpiece—a portrait of herself. But Alan realizes the picture is lifeless. However, a sketch he has done of his daughter's godmother, Jane Haworth, is full of life and honesty. Alan soon discovers that the real contribution Jane has made to his life is not just her artistic judgment.
Description: "Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) was born on 19 January 1839 in Aix-en-Provence, in Provence in south of France. His father was a successful banker and his father wished him to pursue a ‘respectable’ career. To please his father, between 1859 and 1861 Paul Cezanne attended the law school of the University of Aix. However, in 1861, he became disillusioned with this career path and dropped out to pursue his life’s passion – art.
With the encouragement of his great friend Emil Zola, Paul left for Paris and sought to further his artistic career. Initially his father was upset at his son’s choice of career. But, on evidence of his talent, his father later became reconciled to his choice and on the death of his father, Paul inherited a substantial sum which enabled him to pursue art without any financial worries.
In Paris, he met the Impressionist artist, Camille Pissaro. Pissaro acted as Master to the young Paul. However, over time, the student became as respected as the Master.
In 1870, the Franco-Prussian war broke out and Paul Cezanne fled with his mistress to Marseille. He was caught as a draft dodger, but, soon after, the war fortunately ended. In this period in the south of France, Paul drew an increasing number of landscapes and abandoned the dark colours which had dominated his rather somber paintings. In this period Paul Cezanne became one of the leading impressionists though his difficult personality made it hard for him to mix with many of the leading artists of the time.
His final years of his life from 1878-1905 were spent in Provence. It was here that he increasingly developed the style of his paintings and moved beyond a classic impressionist style. He used planes and blocks of colour to give a more abstracted observation of nature. It was this abstract innovation that was said to be a key element in the link between the 19th Century impressionist art and the modern art of Matisse and Picasso of the Twentieth Century."
This video features a collection of Vincent Van Gogh famous paintings. We have put together a collection of Van Gogh great masterpieces of Post-Impressionism artworks. We hope you enjoy the slideshow compilation.
"Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin, the most exotic of the Post-Impressionists, was born in Paris, France. The son of a French journalist and a Peruvian woman, Gauguin spent his early childhood in Peru, attended a boarding school in France, and was a merchant seaman before becoming a stockbroker's assistant in 1871. An occasional painter at first, Gauguin frequented the Nouvelle Athenes Café where he met Pissarro and the Impressionists, whose works he purchased.
Gauguin had married in 1873, and it was not until 10 years later that he decided to give up the business world and devote himself to art. After a period in Rouen where he stayed with Pissarro, Gauguin went to Copenhagen with his Danish wife, only to leave his family forever a few months later. Gauguin was past age 35 and almost penniless, though a loan from Degas, who approved of his theories on the importance of line, permitted him to go to Pont-Aven. At Pont-Aven Gauguin and Emile Bernard would develop Synthetism, a style in which the expression of ideas and emotions are more important than naturalistic representations, and flat color areas reminiscent of Japanese woodcuts are outlined by heavy black lines in the manner of cloisonné enamels or stained-glass windows.
Gauguin, abandoning his earlier Impressionism, painted in this manner and also made ceramics and wood carvings to earn money. These were decorative, finely conceived Art Nouveau pieces, with a symbolism learned from Puvis de Chavannes, whom he had also admired. In 1887, Gauguin made an unsuccessful trip to Martinique to search for a primitive way of life. He spent 1888, the year of his great Synthetist work "The Yellow Christ", in Arles with Vincent van Gogh. This adventure ended in near tragedy, as Vincent van Gogh exhibited signs of madness. Gauguin returned shortly to Brittany before leaving for Tahiti on his constant quest for the simple life and the peace of mind he would never really find.
Gauguin's style, developed in the South, is a fusion of Oriental influences, personal symbolism, strong design, warm color, and musically rich expression that offers a spiritual image of the creative artist constantly seeking the unattainable. Gauguin remained in Tahiti until 1893, when poor health and lack of funds forced his return to Paris. He remained there until 1895, when he again settled in Tahiti. Gauguin's stay there ended in 1901 when he became seriously ill with syphilis and in trouble with the French authorities. He moved to the Marquesas, seeking an easier and cheaper life. His health, unfortunately, deteriorated further, but he continued to paint until he died on May 8, 1903."
