Henry James

Full text. After her parents' bitter divorce, young Maisie Farange finds herself turned into a 'little feathered shuttlecock' to be swatted back and forth by her selfish mother, Ida, and her vain father, Beale, who value her only as a means of provoking one another. And when both take lovers and remarry, Maisie-solitary, observant and wise beyond her years- is drawn into an entangled adult world of intrigue and sexual betrayal, until she is finally compelled to choose her own future. Published in 1897 when Henry James was becoming increasingly experimental with narrative technique and fascinated by the idea of the child's-eye view, What Maisie Knew is a subtle, intricate yet devastating portrayal of an innocent adrift in a corrupt society. Quote; She had not the spirit of adventure-the child could perfectly see how many subjects she was afraid of. She took refuge on the firm ground of fiction, through which indeed there curled the blue river of truth. She knew swarms of stories, mostly those of the novels she had read; relating them with a memory that never faltered and a wealth of detail that was Maisie's delight. They were all about love and beauty and countesses and wickedness. Her conversation was practically an endless narrative, a great garden of romance, with sudden vistas into her own life and gushing fountains of homeliness.

This story is about Allan Wayworth, a struggling playwright, who has written a play titled "Nona Vincent". This is his first play and he is not quite sure of it's worth, nor how to go about getting it accepted and produced. But he has the strong support of Mrs. Alsager, a wealthy lady who believes in him and believes in his play. After a lengthy series of rejections, the play, with the help of Mrs. Alsager, is finally brought to the stage. Violet Grey is the young actress who is selected to play Nona Vincent. What happens then is the basis for the 2nd half of the story and I won't give that away. It's easy to see that Wayworth is the alter ego of Henry James, an aspiring playwright himself. James first play was a failure, being booed off the stage on the first night. Wayworth, and his play Nona Vincent, faired much better.

The narrator, a writer for a literary newspaper, prides himself on his astute review of Hugh Vereker's latest novel. Vereker inadvertently dismisses his efforts, and then to repair his incivility, confides in the narrator that all critics have "missed my little point," "the particular thing I've written my books most for," "the thing for the critic to find," "my secret," "like a complex figure in a Persian carpet." The narrator racks his brains and, in desperation, tells his friend Corvick of the puzzle. Corvick and his novelist fianc e, Gwendolen, pursue "the trick" without success until Corvick, traveling alone in India, wires Gwendolen and the narrator "Eureka Immense." He refuses, however, to divulge the secret to Gwendolen until after they are married, and then dies in an accident. Since Gwendolen refuses to share her knowledge, the narrator speculates, "the figure in the carpet was] traceable or describable only for husbands and wives-for lovers supremely united." She remarries, and after her death, the narrator approaches her new husband to discover the secret. But the widowed husband is surprised and humiliated by the news of his late wife's great "secret," and he and the narrator conclude by sharing the same curiosity.

The Portrait of a Lady - Vol. II is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1881. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

Portraits of Places is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1885. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

The Portrait of a Lady - Vol. I is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1881. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

»Porträtt av en dam är Henry James stora mänskliga mästerverk.« | THE GUARDIANIsabel Archer avvisar den ene mannen efter den andre. Med arvet efter en rik släkting kan hon uppfylla sin dröm om ett självständigt liv. Hon reser till Italien. I Florence träffar hon exilamerikanen och konstsamlaren Gilbert Osmond. Han har charm och smak, men det är i stort sett allt hon vet om honom. Trots vännernas avrådan säger hon ja när han friar. Till skillnad från andra, låsta i konventioner, ger Osmond intryck av att vara fri. Fast vad ska egentligen Isabel med hans frihet, när hon har sin egen? Isabel Archer är en av litteraturens mest omtalade kvinnogestalter. Det sätt Henry James gestaltar henne, utan analys; enbart genom sina uttryck och sin erfarenhet, gör Porträtt av en dam [Portrait of a Lady, 1881] till en av litteraturhistoriens mest innovativa romaner. Romanen är uppdelad i två band, varav detta är del två. I översättning av Lisbeth & Louis Renner, och med ett nyskrivet förord av litteraturforskaren och kritikern Josefin Holmström. HENRY JAMES [1843 -1916] föddes i New York men emigrerade tidigt till Europa. Han hör till den anglosaxiska sekelskifteslitteraturens viktigaste namn, med romaner som Amerikanen [1877] och skräckromanen När skruven dras åt [1898].» Henry James utforskade privatlivet och vad det kostar att bevara det. Vi behöver honom mer än någonsin.« | THE NEW YORKER»Det är konstnärens uppgift att göra mänskligheten medveten om sig själv. Hos Henry James är det arbetet klart.« | EZRA POUNDOm När skruven dras åt:»Den har kallats världens bästa spökhistoria. Och när jag läser om Henry James klassiska kortroman När skruven dras åt, nu i utmärkt nyöversättning av Ola Klingberg, så instämmer jag. Igen.« | OLA LARSMO, DN»Och i Ola Klingbergs smidiga, lätt arkaiserande översättning har nu boken äntligen! fått en bra svensk titel, till och med bättre än originalets.« | CARL-JOHAN MALMBERG, SvD»Henry James förbereder helt enkelt spökhistorien för ett nytt sekel genom att ge den en ny litterär myndighet.« | MIKAEL VAN REIS, GP

»Porträtt av en dam är Henry James stora mänskliga mästerverk.« | THE GUARDIANIsabel Archer avvisar den ene mannen efter den andre. Med arvet efter en rik släkting kan hon uppfylla sin dröm om ett självständigt liv. Hon reser till Italien. I Florence träffar hon exilamerikanen och konstsamlaren Gilbert Osmond. Han har charm och smak, men det är i stort sett allt hon vet om honom. Trots vännernas avrådan säger hon ja när han friar. Till skillnad från andra, låsta i konventioner, ger Osmond intryck av att vara fri. Fast vad ska egentligen Isabel med hans frihet, när hon har sin egen? Isabel Archer är en av litteraturens mest omtalade kvinnogestalter. Det sätt Henry James gestaltar henne, utan analys; enbart genom sina uttryck och sin erfarenhet, gör Porträtt av en dam [Portrait of a Lady, 1881] till en av litteraturhistoriens mest innovativa romaner. Romanen är uppdelad i två band, varav detta är del ett. I översättning av Lisbeth & Louis Renner, och med ett nyskrivet förord av litteraturforskaren och kritikern Josefin Holmström. HENRY JAMES [1843 -1916] föddes i New York men emigrerade tidigt till Europa. Han hör till den anglosaxiska sekelskifteslitteraturens viktigaste namn, med romaner som Amerikanen [1877] och skräckromanen När skruven dras åt [1898].» Henry James utforskade privatlivet och vad det kostar att bevara det. Vi behöver honom mer än någonsin.« | THE NEW YORKER»Det är konstnärens uppgift att göra mänskligheten medveten om sig själv. Hos Henry James är det arbetet klart.« | EZRA POUNDOm När skruven dras åt:»Den har kallats världens bästa spökhistoria. Och när jag läser om Henry James klassiska kortroman När skruven dras åt, nu i utmärkt nyöversättning av Ola Klingberg, så instämmer jag. Igen.« | OLA LARSMO, DN»Och i Ola Klingbergs smidiga, lätt arkaiserande översättning har nu boken äntligen! fått en bra svensk titel, till och med bättre än originalets.« | CARL-JOHAN MALMBERG, SvD»Henry James förbereder helt enkelt spökhistorien för ett nytt sekel genom att ge den en ny litterär myndighet.« | MIKAEL VAN REIS, GP

The tale of this novel opens in Boston and New England in the middle of the 19th century, and describes the experiences of two European siblings shifting from the old to the new world. The two protagonists are Eugenia M nster and Felix Young, who since their early childhood have lived in Europe, moving from France to Italy and from Spain to Germany. In this last place, Eugenia entered into a Morganatic marriage with Prince Adolf of Silberstadt-Schreckenstein, the younger brother of the reigning prince who is now being urged by his family to dissolve the marriage for political reasons. Because of this, Eugenia and Felix decide to travel to America to meet their distant cousins, so that Eugenia may "seek her fortune" in the form of a wealthy American husband. All the cousins live in the countryside around Boston and spend a lot of time together. The first encounter with them corresponds to the first visit of Felix to his family. Mr Wentworth's family is a puritanical one, far from the Europeans' habits. Felix is fascinated by the patriarchal Mr Wentworth, his son, Clifford, and two daughters, Gertrude and Charlotte. They spend a lot of time together with Mr. Robert Acton and his sister Lizzie, their neighbours. Eugenia's reaction after this first approach differs from Felix's. She is not really interested in sharing her time with this circle. She doesn't like the Wentworth ladies and does not want to visit them frequently. In contrast, her brother is very happy to share his spare time with Charlotte and Gertrude, spending hours in their piazza or garden creating portraits of the two ladies.