Книги, похожие на «Lucy Hughes-Hallett, The Pike: Gabriele d’Annunzio, Poet, Seducer and Preacher of War»

In one corner, a godless young warrior, Voltaire’s heralded ‘philosopher-king’, the It Boy of the Enlightenment. In the other, a devout if bad-tempered old composer of ‘outdated’ music, a scorned genius in his last years. The sparks from their brief conflict illuminate a turbulent age.Behind the pomp and flash, Prussia's Frederick the Great was a tormented man, son of an abusive king who forced him to watch as his best friend (probably his lover) was beheaded. In what may have been one of history's crueler practical jokes, Frederick challenged ‘old Bach’ to a musical duel, asking him to improvise a six-part fugue based on an impossibly intricate theme (possibly devised for him by Bach's own son).Bach left the court fuming, but in a fever of composition, he used the coded, alchemical language of counterpoint to write ‘A Musical Offering’ in response. A stirring declaration of faith, it represented ‘as stark a rebuke of his beliefs and world view as an absolute monarch has ever received,’ Gaines writes. It is also one of the great works of art in the history of music.Set at the tipping point between the ancient and the modern world, the triumphant story of Bach's victory expands to take in the tumult of the eighteenth century: the legacy of the Reformation, wars and conquest, the birth of the Enlightenment. Brimming with originality and wit, ‘Evening in the Palace of Reason’ is history of the best kind – intimate in scale and broad in its vision.

Prince William and Kate Middleton's fairytale romance is the greatest love story of the century, with a happy ending to come – a Royal wedding that will truly capture the hearts of the British people.Will was the boy who would one day be king; Kate was the middle class girl who had harboured a crush on him since her school days. Both were new students at the University of St Andrews in 2001, facing the same challenges that any new student faces – away from the family nest and striving to find their niche – albeit under the scrutiny and expectation of the watching world.Competition for Will's affections was inevitably fierce, with a variety of society beauties deemed suitable for a Prince vying for his hand. But Kate was unperturbed and refused to be intimidated by the social circles he moved in. She would have her prince charming, and a romance began to blossom. Before long she was firmly ensconced in the Royal fold.Life after University became more difficult for the couple. Kate found the intrusiveness of the paparazzi and the social chasm between their families a great strain, and with Will's military career becoming his priority it looked like this would be the end of the affair.But Kate was a fighter – and she fought to keep her prince. The couple's appearance at Camilla's 60th birthday bash public confirmation that this would in fact be an affair to remember.Since then their love has grown stronger and stronger, and Will has finally proposed to his 'adorable Kate'. With the wedding confirmed to take place 29 April 2011, not since Charles and Diana has there been so much good will and desire for a Royal wedding.Written by James Clench, the Sun’s Royal correspondent and containing 150 beautiful photographs from Arthur Edwards the Sun’s Royal photographer, Kate and Will: A Royal Love Story is the story behind the most remarkable romance of our times.