Penguin A Bit of Me. From Basildon to Broadway, and back Van Outen Denise

What is human consciousness and how is it possible? These questions fascinate thinking people from poets and painters to physicists, psychologists, and philosophers. This is Daniel C. Dennett's brilliant answer, extending perspectives from his earlier work in surprising directions, exploring the deep interactions of evolution, brains, and human culture. Part philosophical whodunnit, part bold scientific conjecture, this landmark work enlarges themes that have sustained Dennett's legendary career at the forefront of philosophical thought. In his inimitable style, laced with wit and arresting thought experiments, Dennett shows how culture enables reflection by installing a profusion of thinking tools, or memes, in our brains. Language, itself composed of memes, turbocharged this interplay

A unique new volume illuminating the philosophy of the ancient Greek and Roman Cynics • From their founding in the fifth century BC and for over 800 years, the Cynic philosophers sought to cure humanity of greed and vice with their proposal of living simply. They guaranteed happiness to their adherents through freedom of speech, poverty, self-sufficiency and physical hardiness. In this fascinating and completely new collection of Cynic writing through the centuries, from Diogenes and Hipparchia, to Lucian and the Roman emperor Julian, the history and experiences of the Cynic philosophers are explored to the full

From the reign of the Tsars in the early 19th century to the collapse of the Soviet Union and beyond, the short story has long occupied a central place in Russian culture. Included are pieces from many of the acknowledged masters of Russian literature - including Pushkin, Turgenev, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, and Solzhenitsyn - alongside tales by long-suppressed figures such as the subversive Kryzhanowsky and the surrealist Shalamov. Whether written in reaction to the cruelty of the bourgeoisie, the bureaucracy of communism or the torture of the prison camps, they offer a wonderfully wide-ranging and exciting representation of one of the most vital and enduring forms of Russian literature

The third book from the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute and internationally bestselling author of The Little Book of Hygge, Meik Wiking • Why is it that a piece of music, a smell, a taste can take us back to something we had forgotten? How is it that we remember our first kiss in detail, but barely remember anything of a fortnight's holiday from five years ago? Memories are the cornerstones of our identity, shaping who we are, how we act, and how we feel. But how do we make and keep the memories that bring us lasting joy? • Happiness expert Meik Wiking has the answers. In The Art of Making Memories he brings together his extensive research drawn from the world's biggest study on happy memories (which involved 1000 people from 75 countries), conducted at the Happiness Research Institute, along with data and diaries, interviews, global surveys and studies, and real-life behavioural science and happiness experiments, to explain the nuances of nostalgia, the different ways we form memories around our experiences, and how we can become better at recalling them

She turned into a frog, into a lizard, into all kinds of other reptiles and then into a spindle. In these tales, young women go on long and difficult quests, wicked stepmothers turn children into geese and tsars ask dangerous riddles, with help or hindrance from magical dolls, cannibal witches, talking skulls, stolen wives, and brothers disguised as wise birds. Half the tales here are true oral tales, collected by folklorists during the last two centuries, while the others are reworking of oral tales by four great Russian writers: Alexander Pushkin, Nadezhda Teffi, Pavel Bazhov and Andrey Platonov. In his introduction to these new translations, Robert Chandler writes about the primitive magic inherent in these tales and the taboos around them, while in the afterword, Sibelan Forrester discusses the witch Baba Yaga

"Тёмные века" часто считают периодом варварства и невежества, но именно они стали горнилом, в котором была выкована современная Европа • Исторический труд Криса Уикхема рассказывает о значимости для истории и культуры этого времени и живших тогда народов - готов, франков, вандалов, византийцев, арабов, англосаксов и викингов. События от падения Римской империи до возникновения новых европейских государств, разворачивающиеся на просторах от Ирландии до Константинополя и от Балтийского моря до Средиземноморья - эта выдающаяся книга поможет вам понять эпоху, ознаменованную как войнами и смутой, так и преемственностью эпох, творчеством и великими достижениями • Книга на английском языке • The world known as the 'Dark Ages', often seen as a time of barbarism, was in fact the crucible in which modern Europe would be created

For many years, Camilla was portrayed in a poor light, blamed by the public for the break-up of the marriage between Prince Charles and Lady Diana. Initially, the Queen refused to see or speak to her, but, after the death of Prince Philip, the Duchess became one of the Queen's closest companions. Her confidence in Camilla and the transformation she saw in Prince Charles since their wedding resulted in her choosing the first day of her Platinum Jubilee year to tell the world that she wanted Camilla to be Queen Consort not the demeaning Princess Consort suggested in 2005 • Angela Levin uncovers Camilla's rocky journey to be accepted by the royal family and how she coped with the brutal portrayal of her in Netflix's The Crown. The public have witnessed her tremendous contribution to help those in need, especially during Covid

A succinct, expert Pelican history of the most contentious issue of our time • After all the debates, manoeuvrings, recriminations and exaltations, Brexit is upon us. But, as Kevin O'Rourke writes, Brexit did not emerge out of nowhere: it is the culmination of events that have been under way for decades and have historical roots stretching back well beyond that. Brexit has a history • O'Rourke, one of the leading economic historians of his generation, explains not only how British attitudes to Europe have evolved, but also how the EU's history explains why it operates as it does today - and how that history has shaped the ways in which it has responded to Brexit. Why are the economics, the politics and the history so tightly woven together? Crucially, he also explains why the question of the Irish border is not just one of customs and trade, but for the EU goes to the heart of what it is about

A new and original anthology that introduces the key writings on rhetoric in the classical world, from Aristotle to Cicero and beyond • Classical rhetoric is one of the earliest versions of what is today known as media studies. It was absolutely crucial to life in the ancient world, whether in the courtroom, the legislature or on ceremonial occasions, and was described as either the art of persuasion or the art of speaking well. This anthology, edited by Thomas Habinek, brings together all the most important ancient writings on rhetoric, including works by Cicero, Aristotle, Quintilian and Philostratus. Ranging across such themes as memory, persuasion, delivery and style, it provides a fascinating introduction to classical rhetoric and will be an invaluable sourcebook for students of the ancient world

Nikolai Gogol's short fiction, collected here as The Diary of a Madman, The Government Inspector and Selected Stories, deeply influenced later Russian literature with powerful depictions of a society dominated by petty bureaucracy and base corruption. This Penguin Classics edition is translated with notes by Ronald Wilks, and an introduction by Robert A. Maguire • This volume includes a selection of Gogol's most admired short fiction and his most famous drama. A hilarious and biting political satire, 'The Government Inspector' has been popular since its first performance and was regarded by Nabokov as the greatest Russian play ever written. The stories gathered here, meanwhile, range from comic to tragic and describe the isolated lives of low-ranking clerks, lunatics and swindlers

From the bestselling author of The Story of the British Isles in 100 Places comes this inspiring and beautifully written meditation on the wisdom inherited from our ancestors • For all we have gained in the modern world, simple peace of mind is hard to find. In a time that is increasingly fraught with complexity and conflict, we are told that our wellbeing relies on remaining as present as possible. But what if the key to being present lies in the past? • In Wisdom of the Ancients, Neil Oliver takes us back in time, to grab hold of the ideas buried in forgotten cultures and early civilizations. From Laetoli footprints in Tanzania to Keralan rituals, stone circles and cave paintings, Oliver takes us on a global journey through antiquity. A master storyteller, drawing on immense knowledge of our ancient past, he distils this wisdom into twelve messages that have endured the test of time, and invites us to consider how these might apply to our lives today