Paul Scott - Böcker

It is the last, bitter days of World War II and the British Raj in India is crumbling. Ensconced in the Indian Hill Station of Pankot are the English wives, mothers, daughters and widows of the officers embroiled in the ongoing conflict. With their old beliefs and assumptions under increasingly virulent attack, all eyes are upon Captain Merrick and the British military to protect them in this troubled time. But Merrick, though outwardly a consummate professional, is brutal and corrupt, and not even his machinations can stop the change that is swiftly and inevitably approaching, change which is increasingly undermining the old myth of British invincibility...

___________________NOW A BBC RADIO 4 EXTRA DRAMATISATION STARRING ANNA MAXWELL MARTIN AND PRASANNA PUWANARAJAH___________________BOOK ONE OF THE RAJ QUARTETIndia 1942: everything is in flux. World War II has shown that the British are not invincible and the self-rule lobby is gaining many supporters. Against this background, Daphne Manners, a young English girl, is brutally raped in the Bibighat Gardens. The racism, brutality and hatred launched upon the head of her young Indian lover echo the dreadful violence perpetrated on Daphne and reveal the desperate state of Anglo-Indian relations.The rift that will eventually prise India - the jewel in the Imperial Crown - from colonial rule is beginning to gape wide.___________________'A major work, a glittering combination of brilliant craftsmanship, psychological perception and objective reporting... Rarely have the sounds and smells and total atmosphere been so evocatively suggested' - New York Times'Absorbing and brilliant... A triumph' - Evening Standard'One of the most important landmarks of post-war fiction... A mighty literary experience' - The Times'Quite simply, monumental' - Washington Post

Tusker and Lily Smalley stayed on in India. Given the chance to return 'home' when Tusker, once a Colonel in the British Army, retired, they chose instead to remain in the small hill town of Pangkot, with its eccentric inhabitants and archaic rituals left over from the days of the Empire. Only the tyranny of their landlady, the imposing Mrs Bhoolabhoy, threatens to upset the quiet rhythm of their days. Both funny and deeply moving, Staying On is a unique, engrossing portrait of the end of an empire and of a forty-year love affair.

BOOK TWO OF THE RAJ QUARTET India, August 9th 1942. The morning brings raids and the arrest by British police of Congress Party members. Amongst the prisoners is the distinguished ex-Chief Minister Mohammed Ali Kasim. Loyal to the party's central vision of a unified free India, his incarceration is a symptom of the growing deterioration of Anglo-Indian relations.For the long-serving British family, the Laytons, the political and social ramifications are immediate, disturbing and tragic. Some, like Ronald Merrick, believe that true intimacy between the races is impossible; others, such as Sarah Layton, struggle to come to terms with their Anglo-Indian past. With growing confusion and bewilderment, the British are forced to confront the violent and often brutal years that lie ahead of them.

BOOK FOUR OF THE RAJ QUARTETThe British Raj in India is in its final days. But the fall of the Empire is both the end of one era and the beginning of another. For the Hindus and Muslims, the political reality signals inevitable post-war recriminations and future territorial wrangles. For Guy Perron, Field Sergeant and historian, these last days are a time to reflect on the legacy the British has left behind in India. And for the British families still residing in India, decisions about their future must be made and final goodbyes must be said, all against the backdrop of one of the most turbulent periods of social change the world has ever seen.

In this swiftly paced and lyrical novel about British expatriates at the time of Indian independence, Paul Scott grapples with the themes of race, possession, and history that dominate all four novels of his masterpiece, The Raj Quartet. As always, Scott fills his book with vivid characters: the seductive, bigoted war widow; the sophisticated, wily Hindu politician; and the athletic young American who only gradually begins to understand the legacy of pain and hatred veiling the woman he has come to rescue. Set against the backdrop of a nation in violent transition - a climate of exhilaration and shifting loyalties - Six Days in Marapore unfolds amidst the possibility of reconciliation, freedom, and healing.

This volume follows the fate of the Laytons and the retired missionary techer, who can forsee the end of the Raj, and both welcome and lament its passing.

Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow - together and apart, these two men have dominated the charts for the best part of twenty years. And it is their fractured 'bromance' that has shaped the history of one of the world's most successful bands.Based on years of in-depth research, this authoritative biography uncovers the truth about their tortured relationship. It reveals why sixteen-year-old Robbie idolised the older and more talented Gary when, as unknowns, they were put together in the newly formed Take That. We see how the stresses brought on by fame and money destroyed their fragile friendship and resulted in Robbie trying to take Gary's position as front man. We also discover how far they'd go to hurt each other during a feud that lasted fifteen years and continued to shape their solo careers.Explaining why the two men finally reconciled in 2010, and analysing how their reunion is coping with the stresses of touring once more, Robbie and Gary offers a unique insight into the lives of these much loved stars.

The Republic of Letters emerged during the seventeenth century as a concept to describe the interaction between scholars across Europe and beyond. While the concept was an imaginary one, it was firmly grounded in a reality of close circles of interaction between intellectuals, which had always existed but which was now endowed with a renewed sense of collaboration and participation within this community without barriers of statehood or creed. These fifteen essays explore differing aspects of collaboration and interdisciplinarity in the context of the radical change in mindset that the emergence of the Republic of Letters had fostered. Essays deal with French and English theatre, travel writing, the identity of the woman writer, the nature and function of gossip, scholarly interaction, and political and theological ideologies. The concluding essay provides a synthesis of the nature of seventeenth-century scholarship. The volume offers new insights into the mechanisms and workings of the Republic of Letters and charters the transition of scholarly pursuit being classified, even by some scholars themselves, as a solitary and sometimes pedantic pursuit to the notion of a network of ideas and interchange. This self-identification with a transnational league which knew no limits of geography, resources, gender or class marks a radical transition in the history of ideas and was to have far-reaching consequences, solidly preparing the way for the Enlightenment.

From the Yardbirds to Cream, Blind Faith to Derek and the Dominos, and a hugely-successful solo career, Eric Clapton's fifty years in the music business can look like an uninterrupted rise to become one of the greatest guitar players who ever lived. But his story is as complicated as it is fascinating.Clapton's god-like skill with a guitar was matched by an almost equal talent for self-destruction. He has never shied away from telling the truth about his battles with drink and drugs - or the sometimes catastrophic impact they had on the other people in his life, including his first wife Pattie Boyd. And without those deep personal lows we may never have had the musical highs that won him millions of fans. His story is also one of a long but successful road to sobriety, redemption and happiness.Motherless Child chronicles Clapton's remarkable journey: the music, the women, the drugs, the cars, the guitars, the heartbreak and the triumphs are all here. The book includes interviews with some people close to Clapton who have never spoken on the record before. It explores his musical legacy as one of the most influential musicians of his generation, and as the keeper of the flame for the blues.

Paul Scott's epic study of British India in its final years has no equal. Tolstoyan in scope and Proustian in detail but completely individual in effect, it records the encounter between East and West through the experiences of a dozen people caught up in the upheavals of the Second World War and the growing campaign for Indian independence. Book one, The Jewel in the Crown, describes the doomed love between an English girl and an Indian boy, Daphne Manners and Hari Kumar. This affair touches the lives of other characters in three subsequent books, most of them unknown to Hari and Daphne but involved in the larger social and political conflicts which destroy the lovers.On occasions unsparing in its study of personal dramas and racial differences, the Raj Quartet is at all times profoundly humane, not least in the author's capacity to identify with a huge range of characters. It is also illuminated by delicate social comedy and wonderful evocations of the Indian scene, all narrated in luminous prose.

Paul Scott's epic study of British India in its final years has no equal. Tolstoyan in scope and Proustian in detail but completely individual in effect, it records the encounter between East and West through the experiences of a dozen people caught up in the upheavals of the Second World War and the growing campaign for Indian independence. Book one, The Jewel in the Crown, describes the doomed love between an English girl and an Indian boy, Daphne Manners and Hari Kumar. This affair touches the lives of other characters in three subsequent books, most of them unknown to Hari and Daphne but involved in the larger social and political conflicts which destroy the lovers.On occasions unsparing in its study of personal dramas and racial differences, the Raj Quartet is at all times profoundly humane, not least in the author's capacity to identify with a huge range of characters. It is also illuminated by delicate social comedy and wonderful evocations of the Indian scene, all narrated in luminous prose.

This updated third edition explores new techniques in digital and 3D printing, as well as refreshing older techniques such as mono-printing.Printing has become a common part of the ceramic artist's practice and today there are more possibilities than ever before. From low-tech mono-prints to digital laser decal, it is now possible to employ a range of techniques to print on clay and vitreous surfaces. With the ongoing advancement of new technologies and more developed studio-based transfer processes artists continue to push the boundaries of the medium.In this comprehensive update of his popular Ceramics Handbook title, Paul Scott explains the historical context for contemporary printed ceramics before explaining the principles of core techniques and their application in the studio. He explores photographic processes, as well as the new opportunities presented by digital technology, including digital and 3D printing.Illustrated with brand new images of beautiful works by leading artists working in printed ceramics, Ceramics and Print is a must-read guide for artists and makers interested in this ever-developing field.