From The Epic of Gilgamesh to Harry Potter, this rollicking romp through the world of literature reveals how writings from all over the world can transport us and help us to make sense of what it means to be human. This "little history" takes on a very big subject: the glorious span of literature from Greek myth to graphic novels, from 'The Epic of Gilgamesh' to 'Harry Potter.' John Sutherland is perfectly suited to the task. He has researched, taught,...

This film is about the members of an ordinary, modern Italian family, in love, at work, at one another's sides and on one another's nerves. The lives of the two brothers at the center of the story, Matteo and Nicola, tell a tale of youthful baby-boomer idealism, rebelliousness, and disillusionment, followed by the mellowing of middle age. Qualified as a doctor, Nicola embodies '60s restlessness, as he becomes a woodworker. Diffident literature student...

"A perfect match of writer and subject: one of our most brilliant biographers takes on one of our greatest living playwrights--with his cooperation and access to a trove of hitherto unseen material. Tom Stoppard is a towering and beloved literary figure. Known for his dizzying narrative inventiveness and intense attention to language, he deftly deploys art, science, history, politics, and philosophy in works that span a remarkable spectrum of literary...