Books

Will Durant

Jovan Stosic April 25, 2019

William James “Will“ Durant (/dəˈrænt/; November 5, 1885 – November 7, 1981) was an American writer, historian, and philosopher. He became best known for his work The Story of Civilization, 11 volumes written in collaboration with his wife, Ariel Durant, and published between 1935 and 1975. He was earlier noted for The Story of Philosophy (1926), described as “a groundbreaking work that helped to popularize philosophy”.

He conceived of philosophy as total perspective or seeing things sub specie totius (a phrase inspired by Spinoza‘s sub specie aeternitatis). He sought to unify and humanize the great body of historical knowledge, which had grown voluminous and become fragmented into esoteric specialties, and to vitalize it for contemporary application.

The Durants were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Durant

Alessandro Manzoni

Jovan Stosic April 20, 2019

Alessandro Francesco Tommaso Antonio Manzoni (Italian: [alesˈsandro manˈdzoːni]; 7 March 1785 – 22 May 1873) was an Italian poet and novelist. He is famous for the novel The Betrothed (orig. Italian: I promessi sposi) (1827), generally ranked among the masterpieces of world literature. The novel is also a symbol of the Italian Risorgimento, both for its patriotic message and because it was a fundamental milestone in the development of the modern, unified Italian language. Manzoni also sat the basis for the modern Italian language and helped creating linguistic unity throughout Italy. He was an influential proponent of Liberal Catholicismin Italy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Manzoni

The Life and Works of Beethoven (Audible Audio Edition), Jeremy Siepmann, Naxos

Jovan Stosic January 31, 2019

 

For many people, Beethoven is the greatest composer who ever lived. In this portrait-in-sound, actors’ readings combine with his music to reveal a titanic personality, vulnerable and belligerent, comic and tragic, and above all, heroic, as he comes to grips with perhaps the greatest disability a musician can suffer. No man’s music is more universal; few men’s lives are more inspiring. In every sense but one – his modest height – he was a giant.