The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them

The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them Review

A collection of essays on Russian literature that is both funny and learned by an academic who writes very well. Excellent short discussion of Anna Karenina, The Possessed (hence the title although it is also about those who get possessed by Russian literature and by the study of language as language) and Isaac Babel with a side trip to Samarkand which seems to have become one of the least romantic and dreariest places on the old Silk Road.

Her description of academic conferences in ...more A collection of essays on Russian literature that is both funny and learned by an academic who writes very well. Excellent short discussion of Anna Karenina, The Possessed (hence the title although it is also about those who get possessed by Russian literature and by the study of language as language) and Isaac Babel with a side trip to Samarkand which seems to have become one of the least romantic and dreariest places on the old Silk Road.

Her description of academic conferences in St. Petersburg and Berkley are both high and low points of the book. High points because they are funny as hell, low because almost everyone at both places seem ridiculous. The Babel meeting in California is full of absurdities--the Hoover Institution is co-sponsoring it and they would really like to have some three dimensional objects as part of the show--a fake fur hat that looks like something a Russian would wear or a Cossack costume that was probably picked up at a Halloween shop going out of business sale.

The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them Feature

• ISBN13: 9780374532185
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them Overview

THE TRUE BUT UNLIKELY STORIES OF LIVES DEVOTED—ABSURDLY! MELANCHOLICALLY! BEAUTIFULLY!—TO THE RUSSIAN CLASSICS

No one who read Elif Batuman’s first article (in the journal n+1) will ever forget it. “Babel in California” told the true story of various human destinies intersecting at Stanford University during a conference about the enigmatic writer Isaac Babel. Over the course of several pages, Batuman managed to misplace Babel’s last living relatives at the San Francisco airport, uncover Babel’s secret influence on the making of King Kong, and introduce her readers to a new voice that was unpredictable, comic, humane, ironic, charming, poignant, and completely, unpretentiously full of love for literature.

Batuman’s subsequent pieces—for The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, and the London Review of Books— have made her one of the most sought-after and admired writers of her generation, and its best traveling companion. In The Possessed we watch her investigate a possible murder at Tolstoy’s ancestral estate. We go with her to Stanford, Switzerland, and St. Petersburg; retrace Pushkin’s wanderings in the Caucasus; learn why Old Uzbek has one hundred different words for crying; and see an eighteenth-century ice palace reconstructed on the Neva.

Love and the novel, the individual in history, the existential plight of the graduate student: all find their place in The Possessed. Literally and metaphorically following the footsteps of her favorite authors, Batuman searches for the answers to the big questions in the details of lived experience, combining fresh readings of the great Russians, from Pushkin to Platonov, with the sad and funny stories of the lives they continue to influence—including her own.

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Piano Adventures Theory Book, Level 1 (Faber Piano Adventures®)

Piano Adventures Theory Book, Level 1 (Faber Piano Adventures®) Review

As piano books go, this is a good series. The theory book is a fine one and helps the beginning student to progress.

Piano Adventures Theory Book, Level 1 (Faber Piano Adventures®) Overview

The theory book is designed to be used in conjunction with the other books in Level 1. It provides instruction, reinforcement, and creative applications of basic theory concepts.

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Piano Adventures Lesson Book, Level 1 (Faber Piano Adventures)

Piano Adventures Lesson Book, Level 1 (Faber Piano Adventures) Review

I've been teaching for over 12 years and I use the Faber Piano Adventure series, starting with Primer level for young students, usually 5-7 years old. For younger students, (preK/K), see Music for Little Mozarts by Alfred. For more information see piano and voice teacher drives 2 you web site.

The primer level starts slowly, but shows overall good use of the keyboard, even before the student starts learning the note names. Working on the black keys for a few weeks gives young fingers the opportunity to play sooner, and gain coordination. These books come in a system that you can self select, definitely start with the Lesson book. I always recommend the recital book for extra songs (no one wants to play or hear the same four to eight measure song over and over again for a week between lessons, too much repetition leads to boredom). I love the Popular Repertoire series in all the levels of the books. Just look at the covers for names of the songs. They are all well known tunes the students love. These have come and gone out of print, but have recently come back into print.

I use the Faber books as a bridge with another series called Alfred Basic Piano library. If students find Alfred's pace challenging, Faber helps fill in the gaps. It also teaches "Middle C position" where both thumbs are on middle C (the singing range of most young children), on the staff earlier in the primer level. This allows use of the fabulous set of Faber books in the Pre-time (primer), Playtime (level 1 five finger melodies), Showtime (level 2A-just outside the comfort zone), Chordtime (2B-wait for fingers to mature to play 3 note chord progressions-but are really the best in the series), Funtime (3-more challenging) and Big Time (usually used around level 4-5). These come in a variety of genres like Classical, Popular, Jazz, Ragtime, Rock, Children's Favorites, Hymns, (Hebrew Favorites only in Chordtime), I like to use as many as possible in the early years and then focus in on what student shows an interest in for later study.

Later versions of the Faber books teach higher notes on the treble staff that Alfred misses. But the Alfred books are very good at teaching intervals sight reading. My feeling about these books is that you want more books that keep the pace nice and even, if there are a few songs that seem too similar, and the student is ready to move on, move on, but more often than not, the extra songs give a student many opportunities for sight reading, which is really what I try to teach. Try starting 5 min per year old for the lesson and 1 song per year old per week, and see how it goes. A five year old can sit and play for 1/2 hour on about 5 short pieces, with some singing, clapping, and other activities. Whereas a nine year old can sit for about 45 minutes, and has no problem with 9-10 songs a week.

Give your child the gift of reading music as you would reading books.

Piano Adventures Lesson Book, Level 1 (Faber Piano Adventures) Overview

Level 1 introduces all the notes of the grand staff, elementary chord playing, and the concept of tonic and dominant notes. Students play in varied positions, reinforcing reading skills and recognizing intervals through the 5th. Musicianship is built with the introduction of legato and staccato touches. This level continues the interval orientation to reading across the full range of the Grand Staff. The 5-finger approach is presented here in a fresh, musically appealing way.

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The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy, Book 1: The Hero Revealed

The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy, Book 1: The Hero Revealed Review

If you like Captain Underpants, then you'll love Ordinary Boy -the Hero Revealed by William Boniface. This book takes place in Superopolis. In this graphic novel the main character is Ordinary Boy. Soon he and his friends start collecting trading cards and before long one is missing........

My favorite character is Ordinary Boy because in some ways we're alike. OB reminded me of me because we're both smart. One connection I have is text-to-text because I have read a book similar to this called Captain Underpants.

I liked the book because it "cliff-hanged" you. My favorite part was when Amazing Indestructo turns out to be a baby. If I could change something I would let OB have boring powers but in the end prove him good. This is a book for ages 8-12.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy, Book 1: The Hero Revealed Feature

• ISBN13: 9780060774660
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy, Book 1: The Hero Revealed Overview

In the town of Superopolis, everyone has a superpower. Everyone, that is, except Ordinary Boy. But things are not so super in Superopolis these days with the evil Professor Brain-Drain on the loose! To make matters worse, Ordinary Boy and his friends are thrown into the middle of a baffling mystery. Forget the regular superheroes. In a city where everyone is extraordinary, this just might be a job for . . . Ordinary Boy.

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