Publisher: Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Gambler is a short novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky about a young tutor in the employment of a formerly wealthy Russian general. The novella reflects Dostoyevsky's own addiction to roulette, which was in more ways than one the inspiration for the book: Dostoyevsky completed the novella under a strict deadline to pay off gambling debt.
Based on true events, two men, both desperate and looking for a better life. The Australian Citizenship Ceremony tells the story of Awsame (Awe-sa-me) and Barrisa (ba-ris-a) who escape their homelands in Africa and face the trials of hunger, people smuggling, exploitation and the politics of being a modern day refugee. The hardships they face forge the characters they become with hope, determination and humour their only munition as they tackle the challenges of integration and migrant life. A colourful and enriching story. 'If you didn't laugh you'd cry'Show book
A captivating, darkly comic play that questions what it means to be human. In a world where using technology to erase people's imperfections and disabilities is increasingly normal, one couple is going back to basics. Far from the city, Mark and Violet are looking forward to the natural birth of their first baby. But one of them has a secret that threatens to undermine their perfect world.Show book
A two-play dramatisation of Philip Pullman's extraordinary award-winning fantasy trilogy, first seen at the National Theatre. His Dark Materials takes us on a thrilling journey through worlds familiar and unknown. For Lyra and Will, its two central characters, it's a coming of age and a transforming spiritual experience. Their great quest demands a savage struggle against the most dangerous of enemies. They encounter fantastical creatures in parallel worlds – rebellious angels, soul-eating spectres, child-catching Gobblers and the armoured bears and witch-clans of the Arctic. Finally, before reaching, perhaps, the republic of heaven, they must visit the land of the dead. Note to performers: although conceived for a theatre with rich resources, this adaptation can also be staged in imaginative ways without the aid of sophisticated technology. 'Nicholas Wright... has risen to the challenge with brilliance' - Mail on Sunday '"Unstageable" was the first reaction of the National Theatre's artistic director, Nicholas Hytner, to the idea of dramatising His Dark Materials. But last night's opening has triumphantly proved him wrong' - Sunday Times 'Children's theatre of an uncommon maturity and ambition... dazzling in just the right way... moments of heart-stopping simplicity' - Independent 'The hottest ticket in town long before press day... Book to see it next Christmas' - Financial TimesShow book
Auguries of Innocence is the first book of poetry from Patti Smith in more than a decade. It marks a major accomplishment from a poet and performer who has inscribed her vision of our world in powerful anthems, ballads, and lyrics. In this intimate and searing collection of poems, Smith joins in that great tradition of troubadours, journeymen, wordsmiths, and artists who respond to the world around them in fresh and original language. Her influences are eclectic and striking: Blake, Rimbaud, Picasso, Arbus, and Johnny Appleseed. Smith is an American original; her poems are oracles for our times.Show book
‘The Works and Days’ is a didactic poem of some 800 lines composed by the ancient Greek poet Hesiod. The poem deals with daily life and work, interwoven with allegory, fable and personal history. It also serves as a farmer's almanac, through which Hesiod instructs his brother Perses in the agricultural arts, and as a compendium of advice for life as a farmer. As such it opens a window on archaic Greek society, ethics, and superstition. ‘The Works and Days’ contains two mythological etiologies for the pain and trouble of the human condition, the earliest versions of the tale of Prometheus and Pandora, and of the Ages of Man.Show book
On the set of a new film about Victorian artist J.M.W. Turner, young actress Lou is haunted by an unresolved history. Meanwhile, in 1840, Londoners Lucy and Thomas try to come to terms with the meaning of freedom. Moving between London past and present, Winsome Pinnock's astonishing play retells British history through the prism of the slave trade. Fusing fact with fiction, and the powerfully personal with the fiercely political, Rockets and Blue Lights asks who owns our past – and who has the right to tell its stories? Winner of the 2018 Alfred Fagon Award, the play opened at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in 2020, directed by Miranda Cromwell. It transferred to the National Theatre, London, in 2021.Show book
