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Eminence (novel)
''Eminence'' (1998) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by HarperCollins in Australia in 1998. Synopsis As a young man Cardinal Luca Rossini was tortured in an Argentine military prison. He was nursed back to health by Isabel, wife of an Agentine diplomat, with whom he has an affair and a child. After his recovery he is sent to Rome to work in the Vatican. Over time he becomes the confidante of the reigning Pope. When that Pope falls ill and it becomes apparent that he must be replaced, Rossini takes a leading role in the process. While this is going on Isabel and her daughter arrive in Rome and Rossini must confront both his past and his future. Critical reception Pamela Ruskin, in ''The Australian Jewish News'' wrote of the novel: "West gives us a picture, obviously of Pope John Paul II of a sick, cantankerous, stubborn, rigidly conservative man who should have been retired long before. Perhaps over emotional and at times sentimental, this ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morris West
Morris Langlo West (26 April 19169 October 1999) was an Australian novelist and playwright, best known for his novels ''The Devil's Advocate (West novel), The Devil's Advocate'' (1959), ''The Shoes of the Fisherman (novel), The Shoes of the Fisherman'' (1963) and ''The Clowns of God'' (1981). His books were published in 27 languages and sold more than 60 million copies worldwide. Each new book he wrote after he became an established writer sold more than one million copies. West's works were often focused on international politics and the role of the Roman Catholic Church in international affairs. In ''The Shoes of the Fisherman'' he described the election and career of a Slav as Pope, 15 years before the historic election of Karol Wojtyła as Pope John Paul II. The sequel, ''The Clowns of God'', described a successor Pope who resigned the papacy to live in seclusion, 32 years before the abdication of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013. Early life West was born in St Kilda, Victoria, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmillan Publishers, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster. HarperCollins is headquartered in New York City and London and is a subsidiary of News Corp. The company's name is derived from a combination of the firm's predecessors. Harper & Brothers, founded in 1817 in New York, merged with Row, Peterson & Company in 1962 to form Harper & Row, which was acquired by News Corp in 1987. The Scotland, Scottish publishing company William Collins, Sons, founded in 1819 in Glasgow, was acquired by News Corp in 1987 and merged with Harper & Row to form HarperCollins. The logo for the firm combines the fire from Harper's torch and the water from Collins' fountain. HarperCollins operates publishing groups in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Austr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vanishing Point (West Novel)
''Vanishing Point'' (1996) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by HarperCollins in England in 1993. Synopsis When the son-in-law of New York banker Emil Strassberger goes missing after completing a major financial coup for the bank, Strassberger seeks out his son Carl, an artist who has turned his back on the banking world, to find out what has happened. Critical reception A reviewer in ''The Australian Jewish News'' was not impressed with the book: "I have read all of Morris West’s novels and his combination of sheer readability with a respect for the English language mark him as a born storyteller who is never facile or superficial. But I have to say that ''Vanishing Point'' is not one of his better books. It's flawed because it doesn’t deliver the tense finale that the greater part of the plot leads one to expect." In her literary study of West and his work, Maryanne Confoy noted: "The primary way in which West chose to say sorry wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Last Confession (West Novel)
''The Last Confession'' (2000) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by HarperCollins in Australia in 2000. It was West's last novel and was published posthumously. Synopsis The novel concerns the trials and imprisonment of Giordano Bruno who was burned at the stake for heresy in 1600. It details Bruno's life, his religious beliefs and his final days in prison. Background West died while working at his desk on the final chapters of this novel. Giordano Bruno was a person with whom West had long sympathised and even identified. In 1969 he had published a blank-verse play, ''The Heretic'', on the same subject. This was staged in London in 1970.Margaret Jones, "Vale a reluctant heretic", critique of ''The Last Confession'', ''Sydney Morning Herald'', Spectrum, 5 August 2000. Of all his writings, he said this play had "the most of me in it".Murray Waldren"Last charge of an old warhorse" ''Weekend Australian'', 17–18 June 2000. In 1998 he conve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harcourt Brace
Harcourt () was an American publishing firm with a long history of publishing fiction and nonfiction for adults and children. It was known at different stages in its history as Harcourt Brace, & Co. and Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. From 1919 to 1982, it was based in New York City. The company was last based in San Diego, California, with editorial/sales/marketing/rights offices in New York City and Orlando, Florida, Houghton Mifflin acquired Harcourt in 2007. It incorporated the Harcourt name to form Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. As of 2012, all Harcourt books that have been re-released are under the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt name. The Harcourt Children's Books division left the name intact on all of its books under that name as part of HMH. In 2007 the U.S. Schools Education and Trade Publishing parts of Harcourt Education were sold by Reed Elsevier to Houghton Mifflin Riverdeep Group. Harcourt Assessment and Harcourt Education International were acquired by Pearson, the inter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harvill Press
Harvill Secker is a British publishing company formed in 2005 from the merger of Secker & Warburg and the Harvill Press. History Secker & Warburg Secker & Warburg was formed in 1935 from a takeover of Martin Secker, which was in receivership, by Fredric Warburg and Roger Senhouse. The firm became renowned for its political stance, being both anti-fascist and anti-communist, a position that put them at loggerheads with the ethos of many intellectuals of the time. When George Orwell parted company with Communist Party sympathizer Victor Gollancz over his editing of ''The Road to Wigan Pier'' (1937), he took his next book ''Homage to Catalonia'' to Secker & Warburg, who published it in 1938. They also published, after 18 months of rejections and setbacks, ''Animal Farm'' (1945), and Orwell's subsequent books.Orwell, Sonia, and Ian Angus (eds), ''The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell Volume 4: In Front of Your Nose (1945–1950)''. Penguin, 1970. Orwell an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allen & Unwin
George Allen & Unwin was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when Sir Stanley Unwin purchased a controlling interest in George Allen & Co. It became one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and established an Australian subsidiary in 1976. In 1990 Allen & Unwin was sold to HarperCollins, and the Australian branch was the subject of a management buy-out. George Allen & Unwin in the UK George Allen & Sons was established in 1871 by George Allen, with the backing of John Ruskin, becoming George Allen & Co. Ltd. in 1911 when it merged with Swan Sonnenschein and then George Allen & Unwin on 4 August 1914 as a result of Stanley Unwin's purchase of a controlling interest. Frank Arthur Mumby and Frances Helena Swan Stallybrass, Unwin's son Rayner S. Unwin and his nephew Philip helped him to run the company, which published works by Bertrand Russell, Arthur Waley, Roald Dahl, Lancelot Hogben and Thor Heyerdahl. It became well known as J. R. R. Tolkien's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1998 In Australian Literature
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1998. Events * Peter Carey (novelist) won the Miles Franklin Award for ''Jack Maggs'' * The NSW Premier's Literary Awards were not presented as the eligibility dates were amended Major publications Novels * Murray Bail – ''Eucalyptus'' * Carmel Bird – ''Red Shoes'' * Bryce Courtenay – '' Jessica'' * Luke Davies – '' Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction'' * Martin Flanagan – '' The Call'' * Marion Halligan – ''The Golden Dress'' * Colleen McCullough – ''The Song of Troy'' * Roger McDonald – '' Mr Darwin's Shooter'' * Les Murray – '' Fredy Neptune: A Novel in Verse'' * Elliot Perlman – ''Three Dollars'' * Morris West – ''Eminence'' Short story anthologies * Jack Dann & Janeen Webb (ed) – ''Dreaming Down-Under'' Science fiction and fantasy * Sara Douglass – ''Pilgrim'' * Greg Egan ** '' Luminous'' (short story collection) ** "Oceanic" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1998 Australian Novels
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently shadowed craters near the Moon's poles. * January 11 – Over 100 people are killed in the Sidi-Hamed massacre in Algeria. * January 12 – Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning. * January 17 – The ''Drudge Report'' breaks the story about U.S. President Bill Clinton's alleged affair with Monica Lewinsky, which will lead to the House of Representatives' impeachment of him. February * February 3 – Cavalese cable car disaster: A United States military pilot causes the deaths of 20 people near Trento, Italy, when his low-flying EA-6B Prowler severs the cable of a cable-car. * February 4 – The 5.9 Afghanistan earthquake shakes the Takhar Province with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (''Very strong''). With up ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
