Henry James

When a handsome young man begins to court Catherine Sloper, she feels she is very lucky. She is a quiet, gentle girl, but neither beautiful nor clever; no one had ever admired her before, or come to the front parlour of her home in Washington Square to whisper soft words of love to her. But in New York in the 1840s young ladies are not free to marry where they please. Catherine must have her father's permission, and Dr Sloper is a rich man. One day Catherine will have a fortune of 30,000 dollars a year ...

She found herself, for the first moment, looking at the mysterious portrait through tears. Perhaps it was her tears that made it just then so strange and fair ...the face of a young woman, all splendidly drawn, down to the hands, and splendidly dressed ...And she was dead, dead, dead'. Emerging from the grit and stigma of poverty to a life of fairytale privilege under the wing of her aunt, the beautiful and financially ambitious Kate Croy is already romantically involved with promising journalist Merton Densher when they become acquainted with Milly Theale, a New York socialite of immense wealth. Learning of Milly's mortal illness and passionate attraction to Densher, Kate sets the scene for a romantic betrayal intended to secure her lasting financial security. As the dying Milly retreats within the carnival splendour of a Venetian palazzo, becoming the frail hub of a predatory circle of fortune-seekers, James unfolds a resonant, brooding tale of doomed passion, betrayal, human resilience and remorse. The "Penguin English Library" - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

I'm a fearful, frightful flirt! Did you ever hear of a nice girl that was not?" This edition contains two of Henry James's most popular short works. Travelling in Europe with her family, Daisy Miller, an exquisitely beautiful young American woman, presents her fellow-countryman Winterbourne with a dilemma he cannot resolve. Is she deliberately flouting social convention in the outspoken way she talks and acts, or is she simply ignorant of those conventions? In "Daisy Miller" Henry James created his first great portrait of the enigmatic and dangerously independent American woman, a figure who would come to dominate his later masterpieces. Oscar Wilde called James's chilling "The Turn of the Screw" 'a most wonderful, lurid poisonous little tale'. It tells of a young governess sent to a country house to take charge of two orphans, Miles and Flora. Unsettled by a sense of intense evil within the houses, she soon becomes obsessed with the belief that malevolent forces are stalking the children in her care. The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

This is the "Penguin English Library Edition" of "Washington Square" by James Hardy. "Why, you must take me or leave me ...You can't please your father and me both; you must choose between us". When timid and plain Catherine Sloper acquires a dashing and determined suitor, her father, convinced that the young man is nothing more than a fortune-hunter, decides to put a stop to their romance. Torn between her desire to win her father's love and approval and her passion for the first man who has ever declared his love for her, Catherine faces an agonising dilemma, and becomes all too aware of the restrictions that others seek to place on her freedom. James' masterly novel deftly interweaves the public and private faces of nineteenth-century New York society; it is also a deeply moving study of innocence destroyed. "The Penguin English Library" - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

Portrét dámy je klasické dielo americkej literatúry 19. storočia. Jamesova tvorba je charakterizovaná jemným, zato však precíznym rukopisom, zmyslom pre detail a psychológiu postáv. V Portréte dámy rozvíja príbeh svojej najkrajšej ženskej literárnej postavy, Isabel Archerovej, mladej Newyorčanky, ktorej život zmení návšteva zámožnej tety, pani Touchettovej, žijúcej vo Florencii. Isabel ju sprevádza späť do Európy a svoje okolie fascinuje krásou, inteligenciou i temperamentom. Mladá slobodomyseľná dáma tvrdošijne odmieta ponuky na sobáš, ale keď ju strýko veľkoryso zahrnie do svojho závetu, jej život sa uberie nečakanou cestou.

HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. Christopher Newman is an American expatriate in Paris; his fortune made, he has moved to the Old World to enjoy his wealth and find a wife. Newman soon falls for a young widow, the aristocratic Claire de Bellegarde, but his brash New World sensibility horrifies her haughty family. Though the family oppose the idea of the couple's marriage, reversals of fortune cause them to reconsider. When another suitor arrives on the scene all appears lost, until Newman befriends Claire's younger brother Valentin and finds himself in possession of a dark family secret. As the novel unfolds, James's unmistakable stylistic grace combines with his less well-known sense of melodramatic romance, resulting in a finale that combines duels, death, betrayal and blackmail.

HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. Kate Croy is a beautiful but impoverished young woman forced to live with her successful but astringent Aunt, Maude Lower. Lower intends Kate to marry the aristocratic Lord Mark, but she is already in love with a journalist, Merton Densher. Though their lack of money prevents the two from marrying, the destitute couple soon become friends with Milly Theale, an American heiress with an ambiguous ailment and an obvious affection for Densher. As Theale's health grows worse, Kate weaves a web of intrigue that pushes Densher into Theale's arms in the hopes of securing her fortune. Theale retreats to Venice in the last throes of her sickness, and Densher, realizing the extent of Kate's manipulation, forces her to choose between money and love.

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. 'The place, with its grey sky and withered garlands, its bared spaces and scattered dead leaves, was like a theatre after the performance-all strewn with crumpled playbills.' Revered as one of the greatest ghost stories ever told, James's The Turn of the Screw is an eerie Victorian masterpiece. When an inexperienced governess goes to work at Bly, a country house in Essex to look after a young boy Miles and his sister Flora, all manner of strange events begin to occur. The governess spots a ghostly man and woman around the grounds and is told by the housekeeper that the valet and previous governess haunt the house. It soon becomes clear that the children are inexplicably connected to these ghosts in some way and the young governess struggles to protect the children, although from exactly what, she is not sure. Exploring the psychological and sexual fears of an era, this ambiguous, suspenseful and anxiety-inspiring novella remains one of Henry James's most well-known tales.

Henrymu Jamesovi je v Anglii dobře, tak dobře, že ji poctil magií výřečnosti, v níž svého času nenašel mezi Američany konkurenta. Při objevování krás země, kterou coby odchovanec měšťanského New Yorku na sklonku života přijal za náhradní vlast, se jeho bystrozrak uplatní nejen ve chvílích, kdy se fascinovaně zahledí na Londýn, babylonskou podstatou děsivý a zároveň lákavý mumraj lidských typů. Jasnozřivě se projeví i na vrcholcích majestátních útesů, na sedačce obyčejné lokálky, na chodbách sirotčince nebo na výpravách, při nichž spisovatel z pozic vlažného křesťana glosuje zdánlivě ustrnulý klid zdejších katedrálních městeček. Stranou od projevů rodícího se masového turismu putuje autor pěšky, na bicyklu i ve člunu za dávnou historií ostrovní velmoci, jelikož malebné trosky ohlodané zubem času ho odedávna vábí nejvíc. Kráčí ve stopách kolegů Thackerayho, Dickense či Scotta a všímá si pozůstatků „veselé Anglie“ ze Shakespearových dob. To dědictví je přece patrné i nadále: v rozkochání pozdní viktoriánské éry, která se navzdory útlocitně pěstěné uměřenosti tak ráda baví, zvlášť když se namane neděle, park, neřkuli dostih v Derby. Angličan svého času vynašel způsob, jak pohodlně žít a současně si uhájit čest i svobodu volby – a o tom jednadvacet črt láskyplně ostřených Jamesovou „dvojitě broušenou ironií“ vypovídá ze všeho nejvíc.

A young governess is sent to a great country house to care for two orphaned children. To begin with Flora and Miles seem to be model pupils but gradually the governess starts to suspect that something is very wrong with them. As she sets out to uncover the corrupt secrets of the house she becomes more and more convinced that something evil is watching her.

Henry James's great masterpiece, now in a stunning Penguin clothbound edition designed by the acclaimed Coralie Bickford-Smith. When Isabel Archer, a beautiful, spirited American, is brought to Europe by her wealthy aunt Touchett, it is expected that she will soon marry. But Isabel, resolved to enjoy her freedom, does not hesitate to turn down two eligible suitors. Then she finds herself irresistibly drawn to Gilbert Osmond. Charming and cultivated, Osmond sees Isabel as a rich prize waiting to be taken. In this portrait of a 'young woman affronting her destiny', Henry James created one of his most magnificent heroines, and a story of intense poignancy. This edition is based on the earliest published copy of the novel: this is the version that was read first and loved by most readers in James's lifetime. It also includes an introduction, notes and other editorial materials by leading James scholar Philip Horne. Henry James was born in 1843 in Washington Place, New York, of Scottish and Irish ancestry. In addition to many short stories, plays, books of criticism, autobiography and travel, he wrote some twenty novels, the first published being Roderick Hudson (1875). They include The Europeans, Washington Square, The Portrait of a Lady, The Bostonians, The Princess Casamassima, The Tragic Muse, The Spoils of Poynton, The Awkward Age, The Wings of the Dove, The Ambassadors and The Golden Bowl. Philip Horne is Professor of English at University College London.

Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure. Widely accepted as Henry James' great masterpiece, The Portrait of a Lady is a poignant and intense exploration of freedom and identity. This beautiful Macmillan Collector's Library edition features an introduction by Costa Award-winning author Colm Toibin. Intelligent, beautiful and vivacious, Isabel Archer fascinates and intimidates the elite society of Albany, New York. Fiercely protective of her independence, she travels to England with her aunt to escape a persistent suitor but, upon inheriting a considerable fortune, falls into the sway of the devious Mrs Merle who whisks her off to Italy. There she is seduced by the narcissistic Gilbert Osmond, an art collector who will stop at nothing to possess her, and whose connection to Mrs Merle is shrouded in mystery.

Kdo začne číst Henryho Jamese, je okamžitě oslněn a omámen. Jamesův styl totiž má magické účinky. Věty působící dojmem virtuózně sestaveného labyrintu evokují prchavou křehkost okamžiku vyzdviženého do vědomí z matoucí složitosti každodenní skutečnosti. Pociťujeme tápavou neurčitost, údiv z právě poznaného, nejistotu přijatých a zase odvržených domněnek, návaly jasného pochopení a pak klidnou, radostnou jistotu z odvíjejícího se příběhu. Tento svazek nabízí z Jamesova díla čtyři skvosty, jež česky vycházejí poprvé. Novela V kleci patří k autorovým nejlepším nerománovým prózám – a nejen díky tomu je stále častým předmětem literárních diskusí. Mladá žena za přepážkou poštovní pobočky, kde se křižují telegramy příslušníků vyšší společnosti, sleduje podle obsahu zpráv dramatické obraty osudu mileneckého páru kapitána Everarda a lady Bradeenové. Jejich vztah se ale postupně odhalí ve zcela jiném světle… Oltář mrtvých – příběh lásky, života a smrti, v němž věrnost památce mrtvých a prázdnota, kterou po sobě zanechali, soupeří se vzájemnými city dvojice, jíž ke společnému štěstí nechybí nic než odpuštění… Odhalení dalších dvou příběhů ponecháváme čtenářům…

Henry James klasszikus regényében új nevelono érkezik egy angliai vidéki kastélyba. Ez akár egy idilli nyitókép is lehetne, a nyugalmat azonban gyorsan megtörik a rejtélyek: mi történt a korábbi alkalmazottakkal, s miféle titokzatos idegenek járnak a kastélyban? Hátborzongató látomások kísértenek, a múlt rejtélyes, a jelen baljós, a valóság és a képzelet határán járunk, és a csavar néha fordul egyet? A regénynek számos filmes feldolgozása van, melyekben szerepelt többek között Marlon Brando (Éjszakai jövevények), Nicole Kidman (Más világ), Colin Firth és Ingrid Bergman. A történet alapján Benjamin Britten operát írt. A csavar fordul egyet most új fordításban jelenik meg az Alinea Kiadó Klasszik sorozatában. Fordította: Weisz Böbe, 2012

A Passionate Pilgrim was written in the year 1871 by Henry James. This book is one of the most popular novels of Henry James, and has been translated into several other languages around the world.This book is published by Booklassic which brings young readers closer to classic literature globally.

Confidence was written in the year 1879 by Henry James. This book is one of the most popular novels of Henry James, and has been translated into several other languages around the world.This book is published by Booklassic which brings young readers closer to classic literature globally.