Literature

To Those who Appreciate Wistaria and Sunshine. Small medieval castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be let For the month of April, above a bay on the Italian Riviera.'Four very different women-the dishevelled and downtrodden Mrs Wilkins, the sad, sweet-faced Mrs Arbuthnot, the formidable widow Mrs Fisher, and the ravishing socialite Lady Caroline Dester-are drawn to the shores of the Mediterranean that April. As each, in turn, blossoms in the warmth of the Italian spring and finds their spirits stirring, quite unexpected changes occur. The Enchanted April (1922) is a deceptive and timely novel immured in a post-war context, a period noted for its wistful and sometimes satiric writings. Von Arnim's novel is part of this oeuvre and portrays an escape to a carefully described pastoral enclave away from encroaching urbanisation and the spread of new technologies, in an era when the Great War had left many emotionally and physically starved. The journey to San Salvatore by four unhappy women is an escape fromstifling parochialism, constraining social and gendered expectations as well as stultifying insularity, but the evocation of an extraordinarily aesthetic and 'enchanted' location suggests more than personal recuperation. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Mrs Wilkins and Mrs Arbuthnot, cowed and neglected by their husbands, make a daring plan: they will have a holiday. Leaving a drab and rainy London one April and arriving on the shores of the Mediterranean, they discover a flower-filled paradise of beauty, warmth and leisure. Joined by the beautiful Lady Caroline and domineering Mrs Fisher, also in flight from the burdens of their daily lives, the four women proceed to transform themselves and their prospects.

‘A brilliant novel… courageous, necessary and deeply touching’ GuardianÉdouard Louis grew up in a village in northern France where many live below the poverty line. His bestselling debut novel about life there, The End of Eddy, has sparked debate on social inequality, sexuality and violence. It is an extraordinary portrait of escaping from an unbearable childhood, inspired by the author’s own. Written with an openness and compassionate intelligence, ultimately, it asks, how can we create our own freedom?‘A mesmerising story about difference and adolescence’ New York Times‘Édouard Louis…is that relatively rare thing – a novelist with something to say and a willingness to say it, without holding back’ The Times‘Louis’ book has become the subject of political discussion in a way that novels rarely do’ Garth Greenwell, New Yorker

This collection of Ovid's poems deals with the whole spectrum of sexual desire, ranging from deeply emotional declarations of eternal devotion to flippant arguments for promiscuity. In the Amores, Ovid addresses himself in a series of elegies to Corinna, his beautiful, elusive mistress. The intimate and vulnerable nature of the poet revealed in these early poems vanishes in the notorious Art of Love, in which he provides a knowing and witty guide to sexual conquest - a work whose alleged obscenity led to Ovid's banishment from Rome in AD 8. This volume also includes the Cures for Love, with instructions on how to terminate a love affair, and On Facial Treatment for Ladies, an incomplete poem on the art of cosmetics.

Edgar Allan Poe''s chilling poems and macabre tales have made him one of the most widely read and beloved American authors ever. Featured here are more than thirty classic tales, major poems, and the seminal novella, "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym. Among the works included: "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Cask of Amontillado," "Annabel Lee" and "The Raven."

one of a series of new editions of Henry James's most famous short stories and novels.

A Times, Guardian, and Good Housekeeping Book of the Year for 2022Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction'It takes the most ferocious intelligence, skill, and a deep reservoir of sadness to write a novel as funny as this. I adored it' - Meg Mason, bestselling author of Sorrow & BlissMeet the Hanrahan family. Ray, the father.

Acclaimed artist and notorious narcissist, who is obsessed with his own reputation. Lucia, his long-suffering wife. A lauded sculptor yet terrified of what recognition could bring.

And she has a secret of her own which could tear the family apart. Leah, the eldest daughter, devoted to her father and convinced of his genius. Patrick, Lucia's sensitive son, who has finally decided to strike out by himself.

Jess, the youngest daughter, insecure and facing a daunting decision. As they gather for a momentous weekend - the first exhibition of Ray's artwork in many decades - each member of the family must finally make a choice. And when they do, once tensions have boiled over and the guests have departed, what will be left of the Hanrahans?Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2022, The Exhibitionist is the extraordinary fifth novel from Charlotte Mendelson, a dazzling exploration of art, sacrifice, toxic family politics, queer desire and personal freedom.

'A devastating treat of a novel: funny, furious, dark and delicious' - Sarah Waters, bestselling author of Fingersmith

'The Faber Book of Beasts is a generous and intelligent round- up of old favourites, new juxtapositions, and poems we mightn't know about ... Will set heads shaking, as well as nodding with pleasure.' Independent William Wordsworth's 'To a Skylark'W.B. Yeats' 'Leda and the Swan'Elizabeth Bishop's 'The Moose'D.H. Lawrence's 'Bat'Marianne Moore's 'Elephants'William Blake's 'The Tyger' Gerard Manley Hopkins' 'The Windhover'Thom Gunn's 'The Snail'Seamus Heaney's 'Otter'John Donne's 'The Flea'Christopher Smart's 'My Cat Jeoffry''Baa Baa Black Sheep' From childhood rhymes to canonical classics, Homer to Ted Hughes, this eclectic poetry anthology celebrating the earth's creatures brims with beastly delights. Celebrated poet Paul Muldoon's bestiary shows that we are 'most human in the presence of animals', whether tame or wild, common or exotic, mammals or reptiles, real or imaginary - and the result is a must-read for animal-lovers of all ages everywhere. 'Animals bring the best out in us [and make] the best art ... Elephants, skunks, otters, hedgehogs and hippos feature in Muldoon's menagerie; how charming it is to observe how they nuzzle along together in his engaging anthology.' Irish Times

In his brilliantly constructed novel, Spiros Plaskovitis counterpoints his enigmatic heroine -Anghelina Dassiou- agianst the touristic "development" (or destruction?) of most Greek islands today. Anghelina, although forced by circumstances to work as a sales-lady in the deluxe tourist hotel, still personifies nostalgia for the traditional couleur locale of Corfu -particularly the old Venetian town. The big buisness explotation of the island is represended by Nikias Zavolis, the odious manager of the hotel, where the hero -Dimos Hairetis- is spending his holiday with his exotic half-caste mistress. [...]