Barry Unsworth Knihy

Passionate, erotic and haunting, this is a brilliant novel by one of Britain's most important novelists. Simon Rakes - a conservation expert - is restoring the Stone Virgin, a statue that cost the life of its creator in the 14th century. The statue is of great beauty but its past is soaked with a history of violence, sexual passion and human greed. As Simon's work continues and he meets Chiara, the enigmatic and beautiful wife of another sculptor, the past spills uncontrollably into the present.

Lesen macht Spaß - und das umso mehr mit Lektüren, die Ihre Schüler/innen auch allein zu Hause bewältigen können. Mit den Literaturpaketen ist das problemlos möglich. Diese spannenden und kontroversen Lesehefte können das Fundament einer Klassenbibliothek bilden. Die ungekürzten Originaltexte sind für Jugendliche geschrieben und eignen sich für die Jahrgangsstufen 11 bis 13.

Set in twelfth-century Norman Sicily, the story follows young Thurstan Beauchamp, a civil servant navigating the complex political landscape under King Roger. Amidst a fragile coexistence of diverse cultures, he is tasked with investigating a conspiracy that challenges his loyalties. As he reconnects with his childhood sweetheart and encounters a captivating dancer, Thurstan's ambitions collide with his personal desires. This narrative explores themes of ambition, politics, and innocence against the rich historical backdrop of medieval Europe, reflecting contemporary issues of cultural conflict.

1914, and an English archaeologist called Somerville is fulfilling a lifelong dream: to direct an excavation in the desert of Mesopotamia. And Somerville, whose intention is purely to discover and preserve the land's ancient treasures finds his idealism sorely tested.

A Turkish spy for twenty years, Basil Pascali is puzzled by the arrival of a mysterious Englishman posing as an archaeologist.

A nautical tour-de-force featuring tales by some of the outstanding writers of the genre, including:Jonathan SwiftCharles DickensDaniel DefoeRobert Louis StevensonEdage Allan PoeHerman MelvilleFrancois RabelaisJules VerneDante AlighieriGiovanni BoccaccioChristopher ColumbusSir Walter Raleigh

The novel covers the period between 1752-1765 it contains the entangled conflicting fortunes of two cousins.

When he receives a tip about some mines for sale in East Durham, Kemp sees the business opportunity he has been waiting for, and he too makes his way north, to the very same village that Sullivan is heading for...

The plot revolves around Kennedy, whose manipulative scheme leads to both expected and unforeseen outcomes. Meanwhile, Mitsos grapples with a haunting family tragedy and a deep-seated desire for vengeance over his parents' deaths. Barry Unsworth skillfully depicts complex characters, exploring themes of ambition and revenge against the backdrop of Western civilization's darker aspects.

A brilliant retelling of an ancient myth, The Songs of the Kings offers up a different narrative of the Trojan War, one devoid of honor, wherein the mission to rescue Helen is a pretext for plundering Troy of its treasures. As the ships of the Greek fleet find themselves stalled in the straits at Aulis, waiting vainly for the gods to deliver more favorable winds, Odysseus cynically advances a call for the sacrifice of Agamemnon’s daughter, Calchas the diviner interprets events for the reader, and a Homer-like figure called the Singer is persuaded to proclaim a tale of a just war to hide the corrupt motivations of those in power. But couched within the Singer’s spin is a message at once timely and timeless: “There is always another story. But it is the stories told by the strong, the songs of kings, that are believed in the end.”