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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] |
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] |
The Lovers (West Novel)
''The Lovers'' (1993) is a novel by Australian writer Morris West. It was originally published by Heinemann in England in 1993. Synopsis Bryan de Courcy Cavanagh is an Australian of Irish descent who joins the crew of the yacht Salamandra D'oro, as navigator and pseudo-first officer. The yacht is owned by American millionaire Lou Molloy, who is travelling with his fiancée Giulia Farnese and her father. Cavanagh has an affair with Giulia but it is destined to go nowhere as she is determined to marry Molloy to please her father. Forty years later, back home in Australia, Cavanagh receives a message from Giulia telling him that Molloy is dead and that she needs his help with a legal matter. Critical reception Leonard Ward, writing in ''The Canberra Times'', observed: "It is hardly necessary to state that he is one of Australia's most distinguished and successful writers. His prose is elegant and sometimes downright lyrical and his plots always logical and usually a credible refl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eminence (West 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] |
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] |
1996 In Australian Literature
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1996. Events * Christopher Koch won the Miles Franklin Award for '' Highways to a War'' * David Malouf won the International Dublin Literary Award for '' Remembering Babylon'' * The Ned Kelly Awards, honouring excellence in Australian crime writing, are presented for the first time Major publications Novels * Thea Astley — '' The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow'' * James Cowan — '' A Mapmaker's Dream'' * Robert Dessaix — ''Night Letters: A Journey Through Switzerland and Italy Edited and Annotated by Igor Miazmov'' * Garry Disher — ''The Sunken Road'' * Robert Drewe — '' The Drowner'' * David Foster — '' The Glade Within the Grove'' * Clive James — ''The Silver Castle'' * David Malouf — '' The Conversations at Curlow Creek'' * John A. Scott — '' Before I Wake'' * Janette Turner Hospital — '' Oyster'' * Morris West — '' Vanishing Point'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1996 Australian Novels
1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kinshasa, killing around 300 people. * January 9– 20 – Serious fighting breaks out between Russian soldiers and rebel fighters in Chechnya. * January 11 – Ryutaro Hashimoto, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, becomes Prime Minister of Japan. * January 13 – Italy's Prime Minister, Lamberto Dini, resigns after the failure of all-party talks to confirm him. New talks are initiated by President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro to form a new government. * January 14 – Jorge Sampaio is elected President of Portugal. * January 16 – President of Sierra Leone Valentine Strasser is deposed by the chief of defence, Julius Maada Bio. Bio promises to restore power following elections scheduled for February. * January 19 ** Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
