Edgar Lee Masters Livres

The innovative free verse collection of small-town life that made Edgar Lee Masters a legend A literary sensation when it appeared in 1915, Spoon River Anthology earned Edgar Lee Masters comparisons to T. S. Eliot and Walt Whitman. The characters who speak here tarnish the pure image of their Midwestern hamlet by holding forth from the grave with tales of illicit love affairs, betrayed confidences, political corruption, and miserable marriages. The first serious work of psychological naturalism, this artful indictment of small-town hypocrisy influenced Theodore Dreiser, William Faulkner, and other luminaries. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Exploring themes of isolation and the longing for connection, the narrative delves into the emotional landscape of a solitary soul. It reflects on the complexities of relationships and the impact of loneliness on one's identity. The protagonist's journey reveals profound insights into the nature of companionship and the human experience, ultimately questioning what it means to truly belong. Through evocative prose, the book invites readers to contemplate their own connections and the essence of companionship in a transient world.

This book is a reproduction of a historical work, produced by the publishing house Megali, which focuses on creating large print editions. This initiative aims to enhance accessibility for readers with impaired vision, ensuring that important historical texts remain available and readable for a wider audience.

The collection features Edgar Lee Masters' signature lyrical expression intertwined with sharp satirical wit. Showcasing his versatility, the early 20th-century compilation includes both poignant, melodic verses and incisive commentary, highlighting the author's unique ability to blend emotion with critique.

The book is a classical work that has maintained its significance over a century, reflecting its enduring importance in human history. Alpha Editions has taken steps to preserve it by republishing it in a modern format, ensuring clarity and readability through reformatting and retyping. This effort aims to make the text accessible for both present and future generations, emphasizing its value in literary heritage.

Edgar Lee Masters (1868-1950) was an American attorney, poet, biographer, and dramatist. He is the author of Spoon River Anthology, The New Star Chamber and Other Essays, Songs and Satires, The Great Valley, The Serpent in the Wilderness, An Obscure Tale, The Spleen, Mark Twain: A Portrait, Lincoln: The Man, and Illinois Poems. In all, Masters published twelve plays, twenty-one books of poetry, six novels and six biographies, including those of Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Vachel Lindsay, and Walt Whitman. The culture around Lewistown, in addition to the town's cemetery at Oak Hill, and the nearby Spoon River were the inspirations for many of his works, most notably Spoon River Anthology, his most famous and acclaimed work. It gained a huge popularity, but shattered his position as a respectable member of establishment.

Da quando Cesare Pavese la presentò nel 1941 nella bella traduzione di Fernanda Pivano, Spoon River Anthology non ha conosciuto soste nella fortuna presso il pubblico dei lettori italiani. E il segreto sta probabilmente nella poetica, universale verità dei personaggi di quella che è stata definita la commedia umana degli Stati Uniti. Spoon River è qualcosa infatti tra la lirica e la narrativa. La storia di una piccola città americana con le sue mille vite, ognuna chiusa nel suo dramma e raccontata attraverso le lapidi del suo cimitero. Con testo a fronte.

L'autoritratto ironico ed essenziale di imbroglioni pentiti e onesti delusi, suicidi e prostitute nei racconti poetici dei defunti che riposano sulla collina del piccolo centro di Spoon River. Una galleria di personaggi indimenticabili che mettono a nudo angosce, contraddizioni e ipocrisie della vita. Il capolavoro di Masters (1869-1950), il libro più letto della poesia americana moderna.

Z dlhého radu kníh E. L. Mastersa mu iba jediná zabezpečila nárok na slávu: Spoonriverská antológia. Úspech tohto diela je o to pozoruhodnejší, že ho autor napísal až po štyridsiatke, keď iní majú najväčší rozmach tvorivých síl už za sebou. Podarilo sa mu však vypovedať istú pravdu o svete a svojej epoche, a tak sa dostáva do dejín literatúry, aj keď už nijaké z jeho diel nedosiahlo veľkosť tejto zbierky. Zostal homo unius libri, človek jedinej knihy.

Oltre trecento personaggi raccontano la storia infelice della loro vita e comunicano il proprio testamento spirituale: "The New Spoon River", pubblicato da Masters nove anni dopo la famosa "Spoon River Anthology", appare oggi un classico della poesia di ogni tempo e paese. La poesia dei morti di Spoon River è, in ultima analisi, un moderno poema dantesco, una "divina commedia" rivisitata attraverso lo sguardo e la voce non di una "persona" singola ma di un centinaio di "peccatori" anonimi che, con la pubblica confessione, si danno finalmente "il" nome che non era stato loro riconosciuto in vita.