Moving beyond travelogue, The Masque of Afric” considers the effects of belief (in indigenous animisms, the foreign religions of Christianity & Islam, the cults of leaders & mythical history) upon the progress of African civilization. Beginning in Uganda, at the centre of the continent, Naipaul`s journey takes in Ghana & Nigeria, the Ivory Coast & Gabon, & ends, as the country does, in South Africa. Focusing upon the theme of belief
- though sometimes the political or economical realities are so overwhelming that they have to be taken into account
- Naipaul examines the fragile but enduring quality of the old world of magic.

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Reportage resists easy definition & comes in many forms
- travel essay, narrative history, autobiography
- but at its finest

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In January 1895 Henry James anticipates the opening of his first play, Guy Domville, in London. The production fails, & he returns, chastened & humiliated, to his writing desk. The result is a string of masterpieces, but they are produced at a high personal cost. In The Master Colm Toibin captures the exquisite anguish of a man who circulated in the grand parlours & palazzos of Europe, who was astonishingly vibrant & alive in his art, & yet whose attempts at intimacy inevitably failed him & those he tried to love. It is a powerful account of the hazards of putting the life of the mind before affairs of the heart. ...

Mikhail Bulgakov`s ” The Master & Margarita” is a fiercely satirical fantasy that remained unpublished in its author`s home country for over thirty years. This ” Penguin Classics” edition is translated with an introduction by Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky, the acclaimed translators of Tolstoy`s Anna Karenina. In Soviet Moscow, God is dead, but the devil
- to say nothing of his retinue of demons, from a loudmouthed, gun-toting tomcat, to the fanged fallen angel Koroviev
- is very much alive. As death & destruction spread through the city like wildfire, condemning Moscow`s cultural elite to prison cells & body bags, only a madman, the ” Master & Margarita”, his beautiful, courageous lover, can hope to end the chaos. Written in secret during the darkest days of Stalin`s reign & circulated in samizdat form for decades, when ” The Master & the Margarita” was finally published it became an overnight literary phenomenon, signalling artistic freedom for Russians everywhere. This luminous translation from the complete & unabridged Russian text is accompanied by an introduction by Richard Pevear exploring the extraordinary circumstances of the novel`s composition & publication, & how Bulgakov drew on carnivalesque folk traditions to create his ironic subversion of Soviet propaganda. This edition also contains a list of further reading & a note on the text. After finishing high school, Mikhail Bulgakov (1891-1940) entered the Medical School of Kiev University, graduating in 1916. He wrote about his experiences as a doctor in his early works ” Notes of a Young Country Doctor”. His later works treated the subject of the artist & the tyrant under the guise of historical characters, but ” The Master & Margarita” is generally considered his masterpiece. If you enjoyed ” The Master & Margarita”, you might like Jonathan Swift`s ” Gulliver`s Travels”, also available in ” Penguin Classics”. ” One of the great novels of the 20th century, a scary, darkly comic allegory”. (” Daily Telegraph”).

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` Manuscripts don`t burn`. In Soviet Moscow, God is dead, but the devil
- to say nothing of his retinue of demons, from a loudmouthed,
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The K Apartments for Ladies in Tokyo conceals a sinister past behind each door; a woman who has buried a child; a scavenger mad by ill-health; a wife mysteriously guarding her late husband`s manuscripts; a talented violinist tortured by her own guilt. The master key, which opens the door to all 150 rooms, links their tangled stories. But now it has been stolen, & dirty tricks are afoot. ...

Master painter Hans Memling is without peer in the artistic world of fifteenth-century Bruges. But when he falls in love with the Princess Marie, daughter of his powerful patron, the Duke of Burgundy, his life begins to unravel. Made reckless by his passion for Marie, Hans accepts an invitation to visit old allies in London. But there he will find himself plunged into the final stages of the War of the Roses & embroiled in one of the greatest political mysteries of all time. At once a spellbinding historical thriller & a vivid examination of the artistic impulse, The Master of Bruges is an enthralling debut. 'A stunning debut.. . An intelligent & exciting new voice in historical fiction'
- Lancashire Evening Post.
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In The Master of Petersburg, J M Coetzee dares to imagine the life of Dostoevsky. Set in 1869, when Dostoevsky was summoned from Germany to St Petersburg by the sudden death of his stepson, this novel is at once a compelling mystery steeped in the atmosphere of pre-revolutionary Russia & a brilliant & courageous meditation on authority & rebellion, art & imagination. Dostoevsky is seen obsessively following his stepson`s ghost, trying to ascertain whether he was a suicide or a murder victim & whether he loved or despised his stepfather. ...

Bestselling author Javier Sierra takes you on a grand tour of the Prado museum in this historical novel that illuminates the fascinating mysteries behind European art-complete with gorgeous, full-colour inserts of artwork by da Vinci, Boticelli, & other master artists. Presented as a fictionalized autobiography, The Master of Pradobegins in Madrid in 1990, when Sierra encounters a mysterious stranger named Luis Fovel within the halls of the Prado. Fovel takes him on a whirlwind tour & promises to uncover startling secrets hidden in the museum`s masterpieces-secrets that open up a whole new world to Sierra. The enigmatic Fovel reveals how a variety of visions, prophesies, conspiracies, & even heresies inspired masters such as Raphael, Titian, Hieronymus Bosch, Botticelli, Brueghel, & El Greco. The secrets they concealed in their paintings are stunning enough to change the way we think about art, uncovering mysteries about historical facts, secret sects, & prophetical theories. It is these secrets that lead Sierra to question his entire understanding of art history & unearth ground-breaking discoveries about European art. At once a captivating novel & a beautifully illustrated reference guide to Madrid`s famed museum, The Master of the Pradois full of insights & intriguing mysteries. Sierra brings historical characters alive in this astounding narrative filled with dazzling surprises that will entrance you as much as the pictures within. ...

The Masterpiece is the tragic story of Claude Lantier, an ambitious & talented young artist from the provinces who has come to conquer Paris & is conquered by the flaws in his own genius. While his boyhood friend Pierre Sandoz becomes a successful novelist, Claude`s originality is mocked at the Salon & turns gradually into a doomed obsession with one great canvas. Life
- in the form of his model & wife Christine & their deformed child Jacques
- is sacrificed on the altar of Art. The Masterpiece is the most autobiographical of the twenty novels in Zola`s Rougon-Macquart series. Set in the 1860s & 1870s, it provides a unique insight into his career as a writer & his relationship with Cezanne, a friend since their schooldays in Aix-en-Provence. It also presents a well-documented account of the turbulent Bohemia world in which the Impressionists came to prominence despit the conservatism of the Academy & the ridicule of the general public. 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, & much more.

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