Modern Classics Literature

This is a story from the Canterbury Tales III: Modern Verse Translation collection.

Each of the best-selling writers represented in these selections from Legends II returns to the fantasy universe he or she made famous throughout the world. Whether set before or after events already recounted elsewhere, whether featuring beloved characters or compelling new creations, these masterful short novels are both mesmerizing standalones - perfect introductions to the work of their authors - and indispensable additions to the epics on which they are based.

Bernard Samson is a spy on the run. But in the murky streets of Berlin, he knows where to hide. Wanted for an act of treachery he has not committed, he must not only escape the grasp of London Central but get to the bottom of a tangled conspiracy that is about to change everything. In the thrilling penultimate instalment of the Hook, Line and Sinker trilogy, Bernard's personal and professional life collide with devastating consequences.

As the English language evolves, this wonderfully instructive story is in danger of only being covered as a school requirement by grudging students. That would be a sad loss for all listeners. As an avid listener, teacher, and parent who simply loves this story, Jennifer George adapted this classic book for modern listeners using 21st-century English. The goal is to return this magical novella back into the entertaining story it was when it was written nearly 200 years ago.

This audiobook contains six of the most popular Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer translated into Modern English Slang (without swear words, of course). This is a fun way to get the old English storyline and understand the original text.

Sitting in his cramped basement room in Brixton, Battersby dreams of money, women, a T-bone steak - and a place to call his own. So he and a group of friends decide to save up and buy a house together. But amid grasping landlords, the temptations of spending money and the less-than-welcoming attitude of the Mother Country, can this motley group of hustlers and schemers, Trinidadians and Jamaicans, men and women make their dreams a reality?

When Tom Sawyer and his best friend, Huck Finn, witness a murder in a cemetery, they become the key to an innocent man’s freedom. Sworn to a blood oath, Tom is forced to choose between friendship and justice at the risk of endangering the lives of his buddy, himself, and his adopted family.

The nuns who enter a medieval Norfolk convent are told to renounce the world, but the world still finds ways to trouble them, whether it is through fire, floods, pestilence, a collapsing spire, jealous rivalries, a priest with a secret or a plague of caterpillars. As we follow their daily lives over three centuries, this masterpiece of historical fiction recreates a world run by women.

This is a story from the Canterbury Tales III: Modern Verse Translation collection.

George Orwell's paean to the end of an idyllic era in British history, Coming Up for Air is a poignant account of one man's attempt to recapture childhood innocence as war looms on the horizon. George Bowling, 45, mortgaged, married with children, is an insurance salesman with an expanding waistline, a new set of false teeth - and a desperate desire to escape his dreary life. He fears modern times - since, in 1939, the Second World War is imminent - foreseeing food queues, soldiers, secret police and tyranny.

A Modern Cinderella is a collection of four short stories by Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women. Like her more famous novels, Alcott tells stories of young women interacting with people and events from the late 1800s. Louisa May Alcott bestows a truly amusing and thoroughly modern retelling of The Brothers Grimm's Cinderella. Alcott pokes fun throughout, describing a "cool blonde" as "having many cares those happy little housewives never know."

This collection of letters forms a fascinating day-by-day account of Steinbeck's writing of East of Eden, his longest and most ambitious novel. The letters, ranging over many subjects - textual discussion, trial flights of workmanship, family matters - provide an illuminating perspective on Steinbeck, the creative genius, and a private glimpse of Steinbeck, the man.

This is a story from the Canterbury Tales I: Modern Verse Translation collection. Chaucer's greatest work, written towards the end of the fourteenth century, paints a brilliant picture of medieval life, society and values. The stories range from the romantic, courtly idealism of "The Knight's Tale" to the joyous bawdy of the Miller's; all are told with a freshness and vigor in this modern verse translation that make them a delight to hear.

Mit "Also sprach Zarathustra" hat Nietzsche ein faszinierendes Hauptwerk geschaffen, einen Meilenstein der Weltliteratur. In drei zentralen Formeln fasst er seine Philosophie zusammen: der Wille zur Macht, die ewige Wiederkehr des Gleichen und der Übermensch. "Gott ist tot." Es ist eine Ironie des Schicksals, dass dieses Werk von den Nazis missbraucht wurde.

Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your soul according to fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly. - Franz Kafka. Franz Kafka wrote, I am free that is why I'm lost. Assume, you wake up and the entire world is against you. You want to follow yourself but the people are dominant on you to do what they want. We don't feel chains until we move. Franz Kafka was not a body to be defined but a soul and heart to be felt. When you zoom out on his life, you will find only a miserable life and a soul that was stubborn to his writings and ...

This is a story from the Canterbury Tales II: Modern Verse Translation collection.

Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus is a novel written by Mary Shelley, first published in 1818. This Gothic classic tells the haunting tale of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who defies the natural order by creating life from death. However, his monstrous creation becomes a terrifying and tragic figure, struggling with isolation and rejection from society. Shelley's story explores themes of ambition, the consequences of playing God, and the destructive potential of knowledge.

This is a modern adaptation of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. The story and characters remain the same; the text has been completely rewritten in modern language.

Ernest Belfort Bax (1854-1926) was an English barrister, journalist, philosopher, rights advocate, and historian. In this essay, after dismissing St. Simonism, Fourierism, Owenism, and “Continental Nihilists”, Bax attempts to explain what modern socialism, taken broadly, really means. He outlines the three bases of modern socialism as the direction of industry by a democratic state instead of by private capitalists; as a universal Federal Republic to take the place of the present nationalist system; and in religion, a human ideal to take the place of theological cults.

EZ Reads: Alice in Wonderland Adapted by Jen Park Journey down the rabbit hole with "EZ Reads: Alice in Wonderland," a delightful adaptation of Lewis Carroll's timeless classic, rewritten by Jen Park to be accessible for young readers. This charming retelling preserves the whimsy and wonder of the original story while using simplified language and vibrant illustrations to engage and enchant children. Follow Alice as she encounters a host of quirky characters, from the mischievous Cheshire Cat to the eccentric Mad Hatter and the imperious Queen of Hearts. Each page of this beautifully ...