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What is love?It is the gold thread connecting between our hearts.In this light-filled and multi-faceted book, her first since being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, Han Kang draws together the threads of her work and life, tracing the connections between her interior and exterior worlds through a sequence of essays, poems, photographs and diaries.A book of reflections, of words and light, it has at its heart the tiny, north-facing courtyard garden at her home, cultivated solely through the reflected sunlight of the mirrors which she must move throughout the day, as the earth turns on its axis.In a poem written at eight years old, Han Kang imagined a ‘gold thread’ of connection – an idea which she explores here with luminous attention, beginning with her Nobel Lecture. She writes of the wonder of following the thread we call language into the depths of other hearts, and her profound sense of an electric current which joins writer and reader.Both intimate and illuminating, Light and Thread is a book for all readers of Han Kang’s unique body of work.

The first essay collection from one of the most acclaimed writers of our time. ‘This trenchant, unrepentant collection reminds you that she’s a brilliant writer… Order a copy in case she’s cancelled by Christmas’ THE TIMES (Book of the Year) ‘You may disagree with Lionel Shriver’s bracing journalism, but her right to spark disquiet goes to the heart of the freedom of expression issue’ Rachel Cooke, OBSERVER ‘Mutinous essays about modern politics and culture… An independent mind and a sense of humour are dangerous things to possess. The spiky, politically incorrect novelist Lionel Shriver has them in abundance’ THE TIMES ‘Testament to the fierce intelligence of a writer who wants us to think more, probe more, challenge more — and who also makes it fun’ THE SUNDAY TIMES Novelist, cultural observer and social satirist Lionel Shriver is among the sharpest talents of our age. A writer who embraces ‘under-expressed, unpopular or downright dangerous’ points of view, she regularly deplores the conformity of thought and attitude that has overtaken society.Bringing together thirty-five works curated from her many columns, features, essays and op-eds for the likes of the Spectator and Guardian, speeches and reviews, and some unpublished pieces, Abominations reveals Shriver at her most iconoclastic and personal. Relentlessly sceptical, cutting and contrarian but also frequently moving and vulnerable, this collection showcases her piquant opinions on a wide range of topics, including religion, politics, illness, mortality, family and friends, tennis, gender, immigration, consumerism, health care and taxes.Though some of the more divisive essays in Abominations have ‘brought hell and damnation down on my head,’ as she cheerfully explains, she also offers insights on her novels and explores the perks and pitfalls of becoming a successful artist. Readers will find plenty to challenge them here, but they may also find many nuanced and considered insights with which they agree.Abominations was a Times Book of the Year in the Literature category on 26.11.2022

In 2008, J.K. Rowling delivered a deeply affecting commencement speech at Harvard University. Now published for the first time in book form, Very Good Lives offers J.K. Rowling's words of wisdom for anyone at a turning point in life, asking the profound and provocative questions: How can we embrace failure? And how can we use our imagination to better both ourselves and others?Drawing from stories of her own post-graduate years, the world-famous author addresses some of life's most important issues with acuity and emotional force.

All We Say is the story of the United States through fifteen speeches – some iconic, others long forgotten, all pivotal – from its founding to the intense divisions of our times, from one of President Obama's former speechwriters.'A learned and excellently sane book' - Sam Leith, Daily Telegraph (5 Stars)'Wonderful – fascinating, thought-provoking and full of insights. Essential reading' - Justin WebFor 250 years, America has debated what it means to be American. The question shaped the compromises in the Constitution and the arguments they’ve had ever since, spawning abolitionism, secession and civil war; populism, mass migration and global leadership; movements for reform and the backlashes to them.Through riveting accounts of the people, movements and moments that produced these speeches, Rhodes traces the history of America's battle over identity. The result is a singular and revealing portrait of the United States: a nation divided between two stories – one of inheritance, power, and exclusion, the other of equality, striving, and belonging.Drawing on a decade writing for Barack Obama, Rhodes also reveals how words can redirect a nation, what makes a speech enduring, and why oratory is a unique form of persuasion in a democracy.These speeches remind us that history is a living argument. At a time when American identity – and truth – is contested, All We Say offers a fresh and powerful look at who America really is, and who it could still become.‘Ben Rhodes reminds us what American greatness actually sounds like, and what it means’ – Ayad Akhtar

‘One of the greatest, most radical public thinkers of our time’ ARUNDHATI ROY Discover the essential guide to Chomsky and his brilliant ideas on the global state of affairsAn extraordinary collection of Chomsky's speeches and his interviews with David Barsamian, edited by Arthur Naiman. With exceptional clarity and power of argument, Noam Chomsky lays bare as no one else can the realities of contemporary geopolitics.Including classic essays such as:* What Uncle Sam Really Wants* The Prosperous Few and the Restless Many* Secrets, Lies and Democracy* The Common Good

In twenty short books, Penguin brings you the classics of the environmental movement.No One is Too Small to Make a Difference collects Greta Thunberg's history-making speeches, from addresses at climate rallies around the world audiences at the UN, the World Economic Forum, and the British Parliament.Over the past 75 years, a new canon has emerged. As life on Earth has become irrevocably altered by humans, visionary thinkers around the world have raised their voices to defend the planet, and affirm our place at the heart of its restoration. Their words have endured through the decades, becoming the classics of a movement. Together, these books show the richness of environmental thought, and point the way to a fairer, saner, greener world.

Admiral McRaven's name has become synonymous with indelible advice for changing your life through hard work and strong character. Now, for the first time, comes an inspiring collection of speeches and poems from throughout his storied career, including tributes to law enforcement officers, doctors, soldiers, the Boy Scouts, Gold Star families, graduating students, the game of football, government officials, Navy SEALs, and "Irishmen." Two of the poems, The Crosses and Departing Afghanistan have been previously published in The Atlantic magazine for Memorial Day.Full of inspiration and wisdom, Duty, Honor, Country, and Life is a reminder to us all of our time-honored American values of civility and decency--and a reflection on what these values mean for the future of our country.

‘Can one part of humanity learn from the bitter experience of another or can it not? Is it possible or impossible to warn someone of danger...to assess soberly the worldwide menace that threatens to swallow the whole world?I was swallowed myself. I have been in the dragon’s belly, in its red-hot innards. It was unable to digest me and threw me up. I have come to you as a witness to what it is like there, in the dragon’s belly’During 1975 and 1976, Nobel Prize-winner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn embarked on a series of speeches across America and Britain that would shock and scandalise both countries. His message: the West was veering towards moral and spiritual bankruptcy, and with it the world’s one hope against tyranny and totalitarianism.From Solzhenitsyn’s warnings about the allure of communism, to his rebuke that the West should not abandon its age-old concepts of ‘good’ and ‘evil’, the speeches collected in Warning to the West provide insight into Solzhenitsyn’s uncompromising moral vision. Read today, their message remains as powerfully urgent as when Solzhenitsyn first delivered them.

"Idag är han väl mer eller mindre bortglömd, men under första halvan av 1900-talet var Ture Nerman en av Sveriges mest kända politiker och författare, eller 'poet och grälmakare' som Per Albin Hansson kallade honom. För med sin vassa penna och radikala diktning retade han inte bara upp den konservativa högern, utan också sina mer moderata kamrater inom arbetarrörelsen." Så inleder Per Leander förordet till detta urval av Ture Nermans tidigare opublicerade brandtal mot nazismen under 1930- och 1940-talet. Leander har sammanställt boken utifrån Nermans originalmanuskript som finns bevarade bland hans privata papper på Arbetarrörelsens arkiv och bibliotek. Under andra världskriget gav Nerman ut den antinazistiska tidningen "Trots allt!" vilket ledde till att han dömdes till fängelse 1940 och tidningen belades med transportförbund för att ha smädat främmande statsöverhuvud (Hitler!). Tidningen fortsatte dock att komma ut under hela kriget och smugglades även in i det naziockuperade Norge. Nerman var också under kriget medlem i Tisdagsklubben, en antinazistisk förening av kulturpersonligheter som ägnade sig åt opinionsbildning och förberedde sig för underjordisk verksamhet i händelse av tysk ockupation. Boken inleds med ett föredrag om fascismens väsen december 1933. Den innehåller första maj-tal, valtal, föredrag om inbördeskriget i Spanien (dit Nerman reste våren 1937 för att som journalist rapportera om kampen mot fascismen samt för att knyta kontakter med socialister). Den innehåller så skilda föredrag som en analys av Cervantes roman Don Quijote som "ger hopp i en hopplös tid" och en grundlig genomgång av Sveriges roll under andra världskriget. Det avslutande talet är ett jultal Nerman höll i radio 1949 då han berättade om sin julafton på Långholmens fängelse 1940.

Fidel Castro åtalades för anfallet på Moncadakasernen i Santiago de Cuba 26 juli 1953. Anfallet misslyckades. Många av de som deltog tillfångatogs, torterades grymt och mördades. Fidels försvarstal avslöjar obarmhärtigt regimens tyranni, tillståndet i Kuba och stakar ut programmet för ett nytt Kuba. Detta nya Kuba har sedan revolutionens seger 1959 förverkligats steg för steg. Det trots USA:s terroristattentat, propagandakampanjer och snart 60 år av ekonomisk krigföring och blockad. Försvarstalet fick namn efter sin sista mening; La Historia me Absolverá. Det smugglades ut ur fängelset, trycktes i hemlighet och spreds underjordiskt i hela Kuba. Detta blev programmet för upproret mot diktaturen. För att få kunskap om Batistadiktaturen, läget i Kuba på 1950-talet och revolutionens mål är det historiska talet ett måste!

Romersk historia är ett väldigt ämne, oavsett om man utgår från arkeologiska eller skriftliga källor. Och vår kunskap har, naturligt nog, stora luckor eftersom tillfälligheter ofta har bestämt vad som har bevarats till vår tid. Men när det finns tillförlitliga källor kan vi ibland komma de gamla romarna överrumplande nära. Nära dem kommer man definitivt i Magnus Wistrands rikligt kommenterade antologi "Romare tar till orda" – som emellertid närmar sig den romerska historien från ett mindre vanligt håll och med hjälp av texter som i strikt mening inte är särskilt tillförlitliga alls. Boken rymmer ett urval av de tal som återges hos fyra romerska författare, Caesar, Sallustius, Livius och Tacitus. Antika historieskrivare låter gärna sina huvudpersoner hålla tal i avgörande situationer, det kan handla om en general som försöker ingjuta mod i sina soldater, en politiker som argumenterar för ett förslag eller en åtalad som försvarar sin heder. Men de 38 talen i "Romare tar till orda" kastar också ljus över sådant som kvinnornas manöverutrymme, slavarnas verklighet och den villkorade politiska mötesfriheten i Rom. Samtliga tal är sannolikt mer eller mindre fiktiva och i den meningen otillförlitliga som källor – romerska historieskrivare ägnade sig inte precis åt modern källkritik. Men talens mentalitetshistoriska rikedom är i gengäld påtaglig och de säger mycket om hur romarna uppfattade sin värld i historie­skrivarens samtid. De öppnar en sidodörr till den världen. Magnus Wistrand är professor emeritus i latin vid Göteborgs universitet och har i sin forskning bland annat fördjupat sig i romerskt underhållningsvåld. Han har för Daidalos översatt Seneca ("Om livets korthet" och "Breven till Lucilius") och Cicero ("Om plikterna" och "Om staten och Om lagarna").

From calls to arms to demands for peace, and from cries of freedom to words of inspiration, this stirring anthology captures the voices of prophets and politicians, rebels and tyrants, soldiers and statesman, placing them in historical context.With over a million copies already sold, this completely revised and updated pocket edition includes speeches by those that have truly shaped the modern world: from Greta Thunberg to Donald Trump, and from Nadia Murad to Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A biography of each speaker reveals how they came to stand at the crossroads of history, and each speech is accompanied by an introduction explaining its historical context and how it influenced the momentous events of the day - as well as those that followed.By turns moving and thought-provoking, this new edition reveals a modern world in which freedom of speech remains a powerful agent of change - and gives unique perspectives on key turning points in history.Contents include: Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, Jr, Queen Elizabeth I, Oliver Cromwell, George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, Abraham Lincoln, Emmeline Pankhurst, Mohandas K. Gandhi, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Charles de Gaulle, George S. Patton, Jr, Malcolm X, Vaclav Havel, Mikhail Gorbachev, Indira Gandhi and Winston Churchill to name a few.

A new collection of Albert Camus' most brilliant speeches and lectures'Freedom is dangerous, as hard to live as it is exalting...'This definitive new collection of Albert Camus' public speeches and lectures gives a compelling insight into one of the twentieth century's most enduring writers. From a pre-war speech on the politics of the Mediterranean - delivered when he was just twenty-two - to his impassioned Nobel Prize acceptance lectures and several pieces appearing in English for the first time, Speaking Out shows Camus' clarity and subtlety of thought, his 'stubborn humanism' and his unerring commitment to freedom and justice.Translated by Quintin Hoare

Seize the day in the name of art. This creative call to arms from the mind of Neil Gaiman combines his extraordinary words with deft and striking illustrations by Chris Riddell. 'Like a bedtime story for the rest of your life, this is a book to live by. At its core, it's about freeing ideas, shedding fear of failure, and learning that "things can be different" ' INSTITUTE OF IMAGINATIONBe bold. Be rebellious. Choose art. It matters.Neil Gaiman once said that 'the world always seems brighter when you've just made something that wasn't there before'. This little book is the embodiment of that vision. Drawn together from speeches, poems and creative manifestos, Art Matters explores how reading, imagining and creating can change the world, and will be inspirational to young and old.THIS PAPERBACK EDITION INCLUDES BEAUTIFUL NEW ILLUSTRATIONS OF 'GOING WODWO'.What readers are saying about ART MATTERS 'A rallying cry for all artists and creators' 'Just the injection of positive thinking I needed' 'What a gorgeous, sweet and very, very wise little book' 'You don't know it yet, but it's likely you need this book''I feel artistically charged up for the first time in ages'

A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR ‘For all those who believe in the politics of principle and hope this a wonderful reminder that they do not always lose. For all those who despair that politics can ever be inspiring again this is a must-read to shake you out of your misery’ Paddy Ashdown ‘By the people, for the people’ ‘I have the heart and stomach of a king’ ‘We shall never surrender’ The right words at the right time can shape history. By analysing twenty-five of the greatest speeches ever given – delivered by iconic figures from Elizabeth I to John F. Kennedy to Barack Obama – Philip Collins tells the story of democracy. For it is through the finest words spoken in public that progress unfolds.When They Go Low, We Go High is a passionate defence of the power of public speaking, and an urgent – and timely – reminder of how words can change the world.‘For all those who believe in the politics of principle and hope, this is a wonderful reminder that they do not always lose. For all those who despair that politics can ever be inspiring again, this is a must read to shake you out of your miser’ Paddy Ashdown

Acclaimed for her novels and short stories, Joyce Carol Oates is also an unparalleled literary critic whose insights and commentary have graced the pages of such publications as the "New York Review of Books", the "Times Literary Supplement", and the "New York Times Book Review". This new collection brings together some of her most brilliant and provocative pieces, covering a diverse range of subjects and ideas. The rough country is both the treacherous geographical/psychological terrains of the writers she analyses - Flannery O'Connor, Shirley Jackson, Cormac McCarthy, Annie Proulx, and Margaret Atwood among others-and also the emotional terrain of Oates's own life following the unexpected death of her husband, Raymond Smith, after 48 years of marriage. As literature is a traditional solace to the bereft, so writing about literature can be a solace to the bereft as it was to me during the days, weeks, and months when the effort of writing fiction often seemed beyond me, as if belonging to another lifetime when I'd been younger, more resilient and reckless, Oates writes.Reading and taking notes, especially late at night when I can't sleep, has been the solace, for me, that saying the rosary or reading "The Book of Common Prayer" might be for another. The result of those meditations are the pieces of In Rough Country-balanced and illuminating essays that demonstrate an artist working at the top of her form. As she engages with forebears and contemporaries, Oates provides clues to her own creative process, for prose is a kind of music: music creates 'mood'. What is argued on the surface may be but ripples rising from a deeper, subtextual urgency.