In una Terra del lontano futuro una spaventosa catastrofe ecologica ha provocato lo sprofondamento delle Americhe e la decadenza della potenza terrestre nello spazio. La società del Terzo Ciclo si è strutturata in corporazioni feudali ed attende l’arrivo degli invasori, gli alieni che hanno salvato l’umanità dall’estinzione e che verranno a reclamare il possesso del pianeta. Quando l’invasione arriva le misere forze della Terra vengono sconfitte, e gli invasori occupano con facilità quello che considerano un loro dominio. L’affascinante vicenda si svolge in tre città, Roum (Roma), Perris (Parigi) e Jorslem (Gerusalemme), seguendo le avventure e gli incontri di Tomis, una Vedetta il cui lavoro, proiettare la mente negli spazi per avvertire dell’arrivo degli invasori, diventerà senza senso dopo l’invasione. La rottura dell’equilibrio della società feudale porterà gli uomini a stabilire nuovi rapporti umani e ad incrementare i loro poteri mentali, sino ad arrivare a dominare gli invasori, che non verranno combattuti con le armi ma con l’amore e la fratellanza, contribuendo a formare una società di impensabile ricchezza. Un romanzo leggibile su più livelli e pieno di idee, un premio Hugo più che meritato

Baku, XX amžiaus pradžia. Dramatiškų įvykių fone užsimezga graži istorija: kilmingas musulmonų jaunuolis Ali ir krikščionė kunigaikštytė Nino pamilsta vienas kitą. Religija ir papročiai prieštarauja jųdviejų ryšiui, bet įsikišus tarpininkui kunigaikštis Kipianis sutinka išleisti dukrą už musulmono. Tačiau tada Nino pagrobiama. Ali, laikydamasis papročio, turėtų nužudyti ne tik varžovą, bet ir sužadėtinę

Am Vorabend der Russischen Revolution verlieben sich der temperamentvolle Muslim Ali und die schöne Christin Nino ineinander. Eine Verbindung scheint unmöglich, denn Religion und Sitte verbieten es. Mit Hilfe eines Vermittlers, der bei den Eltern vorspricht, rückt die von beiden so ersehnte Hochzeit in greifbare Nähe. Doch dann wird Nino entführt und Ali muß nach islamischem Gesetz den Nebenbuhler und seine Braut, Prinzessin Nino, töten. Mit dem prächtigsten Pferd aus Karabagh verfolgt Ali die in einem modernen Automobil Flüchtenden. Sein Zorn ist groß, aber seine Liebe ist überwältigend. Ali und Nino erschien erstmals 1937 in Wien. Als Verfasser wurde ein gewisser Kurban Said genannt, doch der Autorenvertrag lautete auf Baronin Elfriede Ehrenfels von Bodmershof. Lange war das Buch verschollen und tauchte erst in den 70er Jahren als Übersetzung ins Englische wieder auf. Das Pseudonym Kurban Said wurde jahrzehntelang der vom Orient begeisterten Baronin zugeschrieben, die zudem mit dem Islam-Konvertiten Baron Umar Rolf von Ehrenfels, dem berühmten Asienforscher, verheiratet war. Heute glaubt man, daß nicht nur die Baronin, sondern auch Lev Nussimbaum, ein zum Islam konvertierter Jude, der Urheber der tragischen Liebe zwischen Okzident und Orient sein könnte. Zum erstenmal seit 1937 liegt jetzt die Originalfassung vor, die nichts von ihrem Zauber verloren hat

THE NATIONAL DEBT In which the Saint disguises himself as a dusty professor in order to save a lovely damsel from the clutches of a sinister conspiracy. THE MAN WHO COULD NOT DIE In which the Saint's well known sensitivity to the adventurous possibilities of any situation lead him to pursue the current fortunes of the extraordinary Miles Hallin, a seemingly unimpeachable man about whom it has been said that if Miles Hallin could have walked a tight rope he would have walked a tight rope stretched across the crater of Vesuvius as a kind of appetizer before breakfast

Инсайдерское откровение о том, как один человек построил мировую корпорацию, способную противостоять таким гигантам как Walmart и Amazon. Всего за десять лет Джек Ма, бывший преподаватель английского, основал и построил Alibaba Group, в которую сегодня входят: Alibaba.com, Alibaba Pictures, AliExpress.com, Taobao.com, Tmall.com, Alipay и другие. Джек Ма – Рокфеллер XXI века, акции Alibaba в 2014 году побили рекорды, достигнув 25 млрд долларов. Перед вами история компании и самого Джека, иконы частного предпринимательства и привратника миллионов потребителей от китайского Ханчжоу до тверского Торжка

Titel des Originals: »The Murder of Roger Ackroyd«

Baguettes, bodies, and haute couture galore! Shoe designer turned amateur sleuth Maddie Springer is at it again-this time in fabulously fashionable Paris. When Europe's designer du jour, Jean Luc LeCroix, invites Maddie to show her creations at Paris Fashion Week, Maddie's sure she's died and gone to heaven. That is, until Jean Luc's top model is found dead on the runway, stabbed with a familiar stiletto heel. Sure someone is trying to frame her, Maddie enlists the help of her friends, including the sexy Detective Jack Ramirez, to uncover a daring jewel heist, a devious blackmailer, and even a few skeletons lurking in the closets of those closest to her. But as the evidence mounts, Maddie becomes the prime suspect and Ramirez is stuck between a badge and a cute blonde with a tendency for trouble. With her love life on the rocks and a murderer on the loose, if Maddie doesn't uncover the real killer soon, she might be saying her final adieu

When someone very close to you dies your whole life changes. Everything is different. Alice is the central figure in these five inter-connected narratives, which tell of her life at times of loss

A heart-breaking, page-turning, life-affirming novel about love, marriage, family, and fighting for your life, for readers of Jonathan Franzen and Meg Wolitzer. Alice Culvert is a force: passionate, independent, smart, and gorgeous, she — to her delight — attracts attention wherever she goes, even amid the buzz of mid-90s New York. In knee-high boots, with her newborn daughter, Doe, strapped to her chest, Alice is one of those people who just seem so vividly alive, which makes her cancer diagnosis feel almost incongruous. How could such a being not go on? But all at once, Alice’s existence, and that of her husband Oliver, is reduced to a single purpose: survival. As they combat the disease, the couple must also face off against the serpentine healthcare system, the good intentions of loved ones, and the deep, dangerous stressors that threaten to push the two of them apart. With veracity, humor, wisdom, and love, Charles Bock navigates one family’s unforgettable story — inspired by his own

Dans cet ouvrage, tu prendras connaissance de l'événement le plus important qui ce soit produit depuis que l'homme a marché sur la lune. Un événement que l'on jugeait tellement impensable qu'on y pensait plus. La nouvelle a créé un remue-ménage extrême dans le vie française. Au point que M. le président de la République a honoré ce livre d'une préface. Si mon éditeur a refusé de la publier, c'est parce qu'il était convaincu que, d'ici quelques années, San-Antonio sera bien plus connu que le président ; et qu'il sera donc anormal qu'un auteur célèbre fût cautionné par un président oublié. Il n'en reste pas moins que c'était un très bel élan du cœur dont je remercie vivement le Pommier des Français. Ce qui l'avait motivé ? Je vais te dire, prépare-toi au choc : Béru et Berthe viennent d'avoir un enfant. Un vrai, bien à eux, déjà gras et dégueulasse, car bon sang ne peut mentir. C'est pas l'événement pur fruit, ça ? Ouvre vite la fenêtre, je sens que tu vas t'évanouir

Jouant dans sa maison, Alice aperçoit un lapin vêtu à la mode victorienne. Elle décide alors de le suivre jusque dans son terrier souhaitant voir ce qu'il y a "de l'autre côté du miroir". Dans ce nouveau monde fantastique tout est inversé,…

Jouant dans sa maison, Alice aperçoit un lapin vêtu à la mode victorienne. Elle décide alors de le suivre jusque dans son terrier souhaitant voir ce qu'il y a "de l'autre côté du miroir". Dans ce nouveau monde fantastique tout est inversé,…

Civilization as we know it ended more than fifteen years ago, leaving as it's legacy barren wastelands called the Deadland and a new terror for the humans who survived-hordes of undead Biters. Fifteen year-old Alice has spent her entire life in the Deadland, her education consisting of how best to use guns and knives in the ongoing war for survival against the Biters. One day, Alice spots a Biter disappearing into a hole in the ground and follows it, in search of fabled underground Biter bases. What Alice discovers there propels her into an action-packed adventure that changes her life and that of all humans in the Deadland forever. An adventure where she learns the terrible conspiracy behind the ruin of humanity, the truth behind the origin of the Biters, and the prophecy the mysterious Biter Queen believes Alice is destined to fulfill. A prophecy based on the charred remains of the last book in the Deadland-a book called Alice in Wonderland

It's a nightmare no parent should ever endure. Especially Alice Glendenning, a South Florida real estate agent who hasn't managed to sell a single home — or collect any insurance money — after her husband's fatal boating accident. Her daughter and son's kidnappers demand $250,000, the exact amount she's supposed to receive from the insurance company. To complicate matters, her housekeeper has contacted the police — a glaring error in judgment that puts a spotlight on the crime, the children's lives at risk… and Alice in jeopardy

She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever. Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone. Her father was right. The monsters are real. To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies

Can Alice escape Zombieland before the Dead Red Queen catches up to her? When little Alice falls asleep, she finds herself in an undead nightmare of rotting flesh and insanity. Following a talking rat, she ventures further into this land of zombies and monsters. There’s also something else troubling poor Alice: her skin is rotting and her hair is falling out. She’s cold and there’s the haunting feeling that if she remains in Zombieland any longer, she might never leave and forever be caught between life and death. Have a seat at the table for the Tea Party of your life and explore the wondrous adventure that is Zombieland

Short story from 'All the stories of Muriel Spark

In her lengthy and fascinating introduction Margaret Atwood says “Alice Munro is among the major writers of English fiction of our time…. Among writers themselves, her name is spoken in hushed tones.” This splendid gift edition is sure to delight Alice Munro’s growing body of admirers, what Atwood calls her “devoted international readership.” Long-time fans of her stories will enjoy meeting old favourites, where their new setting in this book may reveal new sides to what once seemed a familiar story; devoted followers may even dispute the exclusion of a specially-beloved story. Readers lucky enough to have found her recently will be delighted, as one masterpiece succeeds another. The 17 stories are carefully arranged in the order in which she wrote them, which allows us to follow the development of her range. “A Wilderness Station,” for example, breaks “short story rules” by taking us right back to the 1830s then jumping forward more than 100 years. “The Albanian Virgin” destroys the idea that her stories are set in B.C. or in Ontario’s “Alice Munro Country.” And “The Bear Came Over the Mountain,” the story behind the film Away From Her, takes us far from the world of young girls learning about sex into unflinching old age. This is a book to read slowly, savouring each story. It deserves a place in every Canadian book-lover’s library

Aus dem Englischen von Antonie Zimmermann Autorisierte Ausgabe Mit den Illustrationen von John Tenniel Koloriert von Günter Jürgensmeier Leipzig Johann Friedrich Hartknoch [1869] Der Verfasser wünscht hiermit seine Anerkennung gegen die Übersetzerin auszusprechen, die einige eingestreute Parodien englischer Kinderlieder, welche der deutschen Jugend unverständlich gewesen wären, durch dergleichen von bekannten deutschen Gedichten ersetzt hat. Ebenso sind für die oft unübersetzbaren englischen Wortspiele passende deutsche eingeschoben worden, welche das Buch allein der Gewandtheit der Übersetzerin verdankt

Bored on a hot afternoon, Alice follows a White Rabbit down a rabbit-hole and tumbles into Wonderland: a topsy-turvy world of riddles and nonsense where animals answer back, a baby turns into a pig, time stands still at a disorderly tea party, croquet is played with hedgehogs and flamingos, and the Mock Turtle and Gryphon dance the Lobster Quadrille. In a land in which nothing is as it seems and cakes, potions and mushrooms can make her shrink to ten inches or grow to the size of a house, will she ever find her way home?

В издании представлены под одним переплетом классическая детская повесть-сказка английского писателя Льюиса Кэрролла в оригинале и ее перевод-пересказ, принадлежащий перу известного русско-американского писателя, классика XX века Владимира Набокова. Издание сопровождается вступительной статьей Нины Демуровой и ее комментариями  к тексту

Another well known series of Bulychev's stories are young adult stories about Alisa Seleznyova, a young girl from the future. A number of them were made into films, with Guest from the Future ("Гостья из будущего"), based on Bulychev's novel One Hundred Years Ahead ("Сто лет тому вперед"), the most widely known about a girl Alice living in the future. Another famous film was the animated feature The Mystery of the Third Planet (1981), for which Bulychev penned the screenplay. Alice's Birthday is a 2009 animated film based on one of his tales

Los cuentos de Alicia, que han hecho célebre el nombre de Lewis Carroll en todo el mundo y han sido traducidos a numerosas lenguas, fueron escritos originalmente en 1862 para Alice Liddell, hija de Henry George Liddell, deán de Christ Church. Tras su publicación, los relatos, ilustrados por el dibujante inglés sir John Tenniel, se hicieron famosos de inmediato como libros infantiles. En una época de implacable didacticismo de los libros infantiles, Alicia fue el primer personaje de la literatura infantil que entrevió la hipocresía y la presuntuosidad didáctica del mundo de los adultos. El atractivo de estos relatos para los mayores reside en la ingeniosa mezcla de fantasía y realidad, suave sátira, absurdidad y lógica. Los nombres y las expresiones de los personajes la Liebre de Marzo, El sombrerero, El gato de Cheshire o la Reina de Corazones han entrado a formar parte de personajes clásicos de la literatura

A crew of spaceship Nostromo is suddenly woken up from a cryogenic sleep because of mysterious signals coming from an unknown planet and received by a ship computer. The astronauts land on the planet surface and go to investigate an alien spaceship where one of them is attacked by an alien which fasten itself on his face. When the crew returns to their ship and abandon the planet, nobody forefeels that the real horror will begin very soon…

A novelization of the upcoming movie sequel starring Sigourney Weaver follows Ripley as she crashes down onto a prison planet and must battle the Alien once more before it destroys the whole world. Movie tie-in

When Jana leaves Earth to get married, she discovers that her fianc has kept a secret. On his planet, the groom isn't the only one having sex with the bride. It's the best man's privilege too. And the best man is someone she knows. And fears. The best man takes what he wants-and he wants Jana. In his bed, she embraces both males and her darkest desires. And she experiences how pleasurable the use of a riding crop can be when wielded by a dominant alien

This time the humans are taking the offensive! Stan Myakovsky is a once-famous scientist fallen on hard times. Now he dodges spaceship repo men and dreams of the marketability of his cybernetic ant. Then a woman named Julie Lish walks into his life. She is beautiful, mysterious, and totally amoral. She is also skilled in the arts of thievery and Oriental self-defense. What's more, she has a plan so outrageous there might be one chance in a million to pull it off. Together Stan and Julie become the most unlikely pair of pirates in the universe. With a hijacked spaceship and a crew of hardcase misfits, they’re searching for the ultimate pot of gold at the end of a bloody intergalactic rainbow: royal jelly from an alien hive. The only problem is that the fortune lies on the universe’s most godforsaken planet. And once they get their hands on it, they’ll have to fight their way past the aliens to get off the planet alive

When rumors of a new super-drug surface, the FBI comes to Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini for help. It becomes quickly apparent that the drug is merely the tip of a deadly iceberg and a much more insidious plan is underway involving Titan Security, Gaultier Enterprises, and YatesCorp. As newly discovered A-Cs and hybrids begin to surface, each with expanded and deadly talents, more and more signs point to a new evil genius who’s using the A-Cs and their enemies both as guinea pigs. Then Area 51 and the Dulce Science Center go silent while Alpha Team, Airborne, and most of the worldwide A-C Security team are there for training. And if that’s not bad enough, Centaurion Division is hit with more bad, and deadly, news: Chernobog the Ultimate, isn’t a hacker myth, he’s a real person -- and he’s on the bad guys’ side. Now Kitty and company must find the real Dr. Feelgood and stop him or her before the latest version of Surcenthumain hits the streets and more people they love are harmed, or worse. But when the inconceivable happens, Kitty’s focused on two things only: reviving the ACE entity before their enemies realize Earth’s best protection isn’t actually active…and revenge

Harlan Ellison, Richard Christian Matheson, Connie Willis, and many more contribute to a compelling psychological exploration of the many shades of love. An incubus disguised as a high school girl puts a disturbing spin on the teacher/student fantasy. An engineer creates a robot with unexpected consequences during the end of the world. A man becomes the pet of alien invaders. From stories of aliens in other worlds to those living among us, these tales will move you out of your comfort zone and open you up to experiencing something—or someone—completely different

Harlan Ellison, Richard Christian Matheson, Connie Willis, and many more contribute to a compelling psychological exploration of the many shades of love. An incubus disguised as a high school girl puts a disturbing spin on the teacher/student fantasy. An engineer creates a robot with unexpected consequences during the end of the world. A man becomes the pet of alien invaders. From stories of aliens in other worlds to those living among us, these tales will move you out of your comfort zone and open you up to experiencing something—or someone—completely different

A 1950s hospital. Temporary amnesia. A naked man running through Central Park yelling something about alien space tentacles. Tinfoil, duct tape, and bananas. These are the ingredients for a spectacular romp through a world you never thought possible as aliens reach out and make contact with Earth. This novella extends a short story from The Alien Chronicles

Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created, with Alien: Covenant, a new chapter in his groundbreaking Alien adventure. The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise. But it is actually a dark, dangerous world. When they uncover a threat beyond their imaginations, they must attempt a harrowing escape. Acclaimed author Alan Dean Foster also returns to the universe he first encountered with the official novelization of the original Alien film. Alien: Covenant is the pivotal adventure that preceded that seminal film, and leads to the events that will yield one of the most terrifying sagas of all time

The Covenant mission is the most ambitious endeavor in the history of Weyland-Yutani. A ship bound for Origae-6, carrying two thousand colonists beyond the limits of known space, this is make-or-break investment for the corporation—and for the future of all mankind. Yet there are those who would die to stop the mission. As the colony ship hovers in Earth orbit, several violent events reveal a deadly conspiracy to sabotage the launch. While Captain Jacob Branson and his wife Daniels complete their preparations, security chief Daniel Lopé recruits the final key member of his team. Together they seek to stop the perpetrators before the ship and its passengers can be destroyed. An original novel by the acclaimed ALAN DEAN FOSTER, author of the groundbreaking Alien novelization, Origins is the official chronicle of the events that led up to Alien: Covenant. It also reveals the world the colonists left behind

THE FIRST IN AN ALL NEW, OFFICIAL TRILOGY SET IN THE ALIEN UNIVERSE! Featuring the iconic Ellen Ripley in a terrifying new adventure that bridges the gap between Alien and Aliens. Officially sanctioned and true to the Alien cannon, Alien: Out of the Shadows expands upon the well-loved mythos and is a must for all Alien fans

THE FIRST IN AN ALL NEW, OFFICIAL TRILOGY SET IN THE ALIEN UNIVERSE! Featuring the iconic Ellen Ripley in a terrifying new adventure that bridges the gap between Alien and Aliens. Officially sanctioned and true to the Alien cannon, Alien: Out of the Shadows expands upon the well-loved mythos and is a must for all Alien fans

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them. Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about skyrocket. Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing though: no human boy is this good-looking. But when Cara’s classmates get swept up by anti-L’eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn’t safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara’s locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class. Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend: she’s fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet. “Smart, funny and epic. I’m now impatiently awaiting contact from the planet L’eihr.” —Julie Cross, author of Tempest “Intergalactic exchange students? Yes, please! I fell in love with this story and couldn’t put it down.” —Jodi Meadows, author of Incarnate

Having survived one encounter with an alien, Ripley is persuaded to return to the planet where her crew found the alien ship. A colony has been established there, but suddenly all contact with the settlers has been lost. Accompanied by marines, Ripley is going to find out why

In this, his first collection of stories since his celebrated, award-winning Last Days of the Dog-Men, Brad Watson takes us even deeper into the riotous, appalling, and mournful oddity of human beings. In prose so perfectly pitched as to suggest some celestial harmony, he writes about every kind of domestic discord: unruly or distant children, alienated spouses, domestic abuse, loneliness, death, divorce. In his masterful title novella, a freshly married teenaged couple are visited by an unusual pair of inmates from a nearby insane asylum — and find out exactly how mismatched they really are. With exquisite tenderness, Watson relates the brutality of both nature and human nature. There’s no question about it. Brad Watson writes so well — with such an all-seeing, six-dimensional view of human hopes, inadequacies, and rare grace — that he must be an extraterrestrial

Aliens of Affection marks new territory for Padgett Powell, picking up where his first collection of stories, Typical, left off. Although his characters continue to revolt against the received instructions of modern American living-refusing to be dunked in what Saul Bellow has called the "marinade of correctness"-their concerns are less for indepence than for the maintenance of sanity itself. In this sometimes surrealistic terrain, "affection was that which, and the only thing on earth which, you should be eternally thankful for." Emotional estrangement seems both inevitable and worth fighting against to the middle-aged heroine of O. Henry Award-winner "Trick or Treat;" to the unmistakably American roofer of "Wayne" (who was introduced in Typical); to the deserted husband, father, and non-vet of "Dump;" and to the fantastic heroes in three stories grouped as "All Along the Watchtower." The nine stories collected here are hilarious, wrenching, pessimistic, buoyant, low-down, high-strung, and impeccably written

Roman par lettres sur le canevas desquelles courent les deux épisodes de Sainville et Léonore se ralliant au sujet; dans celle de Sainville se trouve la description réelle, et faite sur des mémoires certains, d'un pays au centre de l'Afrique, absolument inconnu jusqu'à présent, la découverte d'une île dans la mer du Sud, échappée à Cook, où règne une forme de gouvernement faite pour servir de modèle à tous ceux de l'Europe; dans l'épisode de Léonore est un voyage très curieux autour du monde, de très singulières aventures au Monomotapas, au milieu de l'Afrique, au Portugal, en Espagne, à l'Inquisition, et une nouvelle espagnole…

ALISE AIZSPOGULIJĀ Luiss Kerols IZDEVNIECĪBA «LIESMA» RĪGA 1975 No angļu valodas tulkojusi Elfrīda Melnbārde 1805. gadā uzrakstītā grāmata «Alises piedzīvojumi Brī­numzemē» atnesa tās autoram matemātikas pasniedzējam Oksfordā Luisam Kerolam (īstajā vārdā Čārlzam Dodžsonam) nepieredzētu slavu. Grāmata bija veltīta desmit gadus vecajai meitenei Alisei Lidellai — Oksfordas rektora mei­tai. L. Kerola draudzība ar bērniem un it sevišķi ar trinj māsām Lidellām pamudināja matemātiķi pievērsties rakst­niecībai. Satiekoties ar bērniem, L. Kerols stāstija viņiem paša izdomātas pasakas. Pusotra gada pēc «Brīnumzemes» iznākšanas Kerols uzsāka strādāt pie jauna darba, bet tas nevedās viegli, uz laiku to pārtrauca brauciens uz Krie­viju. Un tikai 1871. gada janvārī matemātiķis un rakst­nieks savā dienasgrāmatā atzīmēja, ka pabeidzis «Aizspo- guliju». Ta paša gada nogalē iznāca arī grāmata. «Alises piedzīvojumi Brīnumzemē» (latviski izdota 1975. gada) un tās turpinājums «Alise Aizspogulijā, un ko viņa tur redzēja», tāpat kā franču rakstnieka Sarla Perro (1628—1708) «Runcis zābakos», dāņu pasaku meistara Hansa Kristiānā Andersena (1805—1875) «Sniega kara­liene», Kārļa Skalbes (1879—1945) «Pasaka par vērdiņu» un vēl citi darbi, ko mazie lasītāji saņēmuši pēdējo gadu laikā, ir literārās jeb autorpasakas. Literārās pasakas raša­nās un attīstība — vai tā būtu angļu, vācu, franču, krievu vai latviešu — saistīta ar attiecīgās tautas folkloru un reālo īstenību, ar attiecīgās tautas dzīvi un tās para­šām. Literārās pasakas attīstība Anglijā sākās 19. gadsimta vidū, kad ang|u valodā tika pārtulkotas brāļu Grimmu (1824) un H. K. Andersena (1846) pasakas. Folklora katrai tautai ir atšķirīga. Kārļa Skalbes pasakās lasītājs neapšau­bāmi samanīs gan latviešu tautas pasaku ietekmi, gan K. Skalbes laika reālās dzīves motīvus, gan «latvisko rak­sturu», kā izteicies Jānis Sudrabkalns. K. Skalbe vielu pasa­kām aizguvis gan no latviešu tautas garamantām, gan izgudrojis pats, gan saskatījis to dzīvē, un, kaut arī K. Skalbes pasakās koki, zvēri, putni apveltīti ar domāša­nas un runas spējām, tāpat kā H. K. Andersena lāpāmā adata vai alvas zaldatiņš, neapstrīdama ir K. Skalbes un H. K. Andersena pasaku atšķirība, jo K. Skalbes pasakas ir tuvas latviskajai priekšstatu pasaulei un paša autora laikam. Ari L. Kerols savās pasakās izmanto folkloras tradīcijas. Viņa pasaku pasaulē mēs jaušam anglisko raksturu un anglisko priekšstatu pasauli. L. Kerola pasakās mājo dažādi neprāši, kas ir angļu folkloras monopols, dažādi dīvaini radījumi, viņa pasakās mēs sastopam neierobežotu fantāzijas lidojumu, kas veselu gadsimtu bija tikai ang|u īpašums un ko angļi dēvē par nonsensu (nonsense — tulkojumā no­zīmē neprātu, muļķības, niekus, blēņas, bezjēdzību, apla­mību, absurdu). Tā saistībā ar angļu folkloru, angļu tradī­cijām un reālo īstenību Viktorijas laikmeta Anglijā cēlu­šās vispasakainākās pasakas pasaulē, turklāt stāstījums pasniegts caur savdabīgo bērna redzējumu. Amerikāņu autors un zinātnes popularizētājs Martins Gārdners, rakstot par L. Kerola pasakām, atzīmē, ka «Alisē» mēs sastopamies ar ārkārtīgi sarežģītu un savdabīgu nonsensu, kas adresēts ang|u lasītājam, kurš dzīvojis citā gadsimtā… bet dažas no L. Kerola asprātībām bija saprotamas tikai tiem, kas dzīvoja Oksfordā. Tā, lūk, tik pasakainajā L. Kerola pasakā (tāpat kā jebkura rakstnieka dai|radē jebkurā laikmetā) ienāk realitāte. Sajā gadījumā tā ir L. Kerola laika Anglija vai, kā tā pasakā saucas, «Aizspogulija», kurā mītošais Melno Karalis ir tikpat vecs, cik Anglijas karalis Hen­rijs VIII, bet Balto zirdziņa jātniekā mīt Oksfordas mate­mātiķa Čārlza Dodžsona (kurš nemitīgi izgudroja kādu āķīgu matemātikas uzdevumu) jūtīgā dvēsele. Ari šaha spēle brīvā dabā, kas šodien izklausās pēc absurda, rene­sanses laikmetā bija sastopama dzīvē, tolaik šahu spēlēja uz milzīgiem laukumiem un šaha figūru vietā stāvēja dzīvi cilvēki. Iespējams, ka ari karalienes Viktorijas laikmeta dzīve bija līdzīga aprakstītajai šaha spēlei «Aizspogulija» (kaut gan pats autors teicis, ka vēlējies vienīgi izklaidēt un uzjautrināt bērnu) un politisko partiju cīņa tikpat bez­jēdzīga kā Ņurbu|a un Burbu|a divkauja. Ari daudzie L. Kerola dzejo|i, kurus šodien mēs uztveram tulkojumos galvenokārt kā nonsensu, bija adresēti rakstnieka priekšte­čiem vai laikabiedriem. Tādi ir dzejoji par Oliņu Boliņu, Ņurbuli un Burbuli, Lauvu un Vienradzi; ar tiem Luiss Kerols parodē tajā laikā plaši pazīstamu bērnu dzejo|u autorus. Luisa Kerola pasakās sstopama vēl viena angļu folklorai ļoti raksturīga īpatnība — vārdu spēle, kas stipri apgrū­tina darba tulkošanu, jo angļu vārdu spēles jāpielāgo attie­cīgās tautas valodai. šodien, vairāk nekā simt gadu pcc pasakas pirmizdcvuma, kad valodu skaits, kurās tā tulkota, sniedzas krietni pāri pussimtam, mainījies arī tās lasītāju kontingents — Alises Lidellas vecuma bērniem pievienojušies ari pieaugušie, to skaita arī matemātiķi un fiziķi. Bērnus saista apburošā meitene Alise un viņas pasakainie piedzīvojumi, pieaugu­šos — Luiss Kerols un viņa domāšana. Alises tēlā rakstnieks koncentrējis visas pozitīvās īpašī­bas. Abās viņa pasakās mēs sastopamies ar |oti skaidru, gaišu, tīru meitenes tēlu (protams, arī vislabākajiem bēr­niem pasaulē mēdz būt kāds trūkums), mēs sastopamies ar meiteni, kas grib visu zināt un izzināt, kas ir ļoti pieklā­jīga (šodien ne sevišķi bieži sastopama īpašība), vienkārša, patstāvīga, uzņēmīga, drošsirdīga, izpalīdzīga, patiesa un galvenais — vienmēr domājoša. īpaša nozīme pasakā ir ilustrācijām, kuras zīmējis Luisa Kerola laikabiedrs Džons Teniels. Tās ne tikai ilustrē, bet daudzos gadījumos arī skaidro, papildina tekstu. Ar šīm ihistrācijām 1871. gadā Londonā iznāca pasakas pirmizde- vums. E. Melbarzde

LUISS KEROLS ALISES PIEDZĪVOJUMI BRĪNUMZEMĒ IZDEVNIECĪBA «LIESMA» RĪGA 1975 No angļu valodas tulkojusi Elfrīda Melnbārde Ilustrējis V. V o ke r s Vāku un titulu zīmējusi D. Purviņa ©Tulkojums latviešu valoda. «Liesma», 1975 * ALISES UN LUISA KEROLA «BRĪNUMZEME»

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