Mauro Armiño Ordine dei libri (cronologico)

Alexandre Dumas, père (French for "father", akin to Senior in English), born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (1802-1870) was a French writer, best known for his numerous historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world. Many of his novels, including The Count of Monte Cristo (1845), The Three Musketeers (1844), and The Man in the Iron Mask (1848) were serialized, and he also wrote plays and magazine articles and was a prolific correspondent. Though best known now as a novelist, He earned his first fame as a dramatist. His Henri III et sa Cour (1829) was the first of the great Romantic historical dramas produced on the Paris stage, preceding Victor Hugo's more famous Hernani (1830). He was also a wellknown travel writer, writing such books as From Paris to Cadiz (1847), and Travel Impressions: In Russia (1860). His other works include Twenty Years After (1845), The Two Dianas (1846), Queen Margot (1845), The Black Tulip (1850), The Wolf-Leader (1857), and The Knight of Sainte-Hermine (1869).

Set in 1625, the narrative follows young D'Artagnan, who arrives in Paris eager to join the king's musketeers. His initial confrontations with the seasoned musketeers—Porthos, Aramis, and Athos—quickly turn into camaraderie when they unite against the Cardinal's guards. Their friendship deepens as they embark on a quest to locate a missing woman, facing court intrigues and the treacherous Milady, a spy determined to undermine Queen Anne. This volume captures D'Artagnan's journey filled with adventure, loyalty, and political machinations.

Sono molte, a tutt'oggi, le riduzioni cinematografiche - la più bella e la più fedele quella del 1925 con Lon Chaney, la più recente quella diretta da Joel Schumacher, trasposizione del musical di Andrew Lloyd Webber - che hanno consacrato la popolarità di questa originalissima opera scritta da Leroux nel 1911. La storia dell'amore di Erik - costretto a nascondere le sue orrende fattezze dietro una maschera - per Christine, la giovane soprano tanto graziosa quanto inesperta, si svolge tutta nell'ambiente del teatro dell'Opera, che diviene alter ego del Fantasma, luogo che crea l'azione. Campione di tutti gli eccessi, "mostro" al pari di Frankenstein e del Conte Dracula, la educherà, s'impossesserà di lei, riuscirà a far sgorgare dal petto della sua schiava d'amore una voce sublime. Una macchina narrativa sapientissima consente a Leroux di tenere in perfetto equilibrio commedia, avventura, poliziesco e grandguignol; così che alla fine della lettura ci accorgiamo di essere stati catturati da una storia tanto carica di suggestioni quanto lineare ed emblematica.

The NHB Drama Classics series presents the world's greatest plays in affordable, highly readable editions for students, actors and theatregoers. The hallmarks of the series are accessible introductions (focussing on the play's theatrical and historical background, together with an author biography, key dates and suggestions for further reading) and the complete text, uncluttered with footnotes. The translations, by leading experts in the field, are accurate and above all actable. The editions of English-language plays include a glossary of unusual words and phrases to aid understanding. Moliere's comic masterpiece Tartuffe is one of the most famous French plays of all time. This Drama Classics edition is translated and introduced by Martin Sorrell, Professor of Literary Translation at the University of Exeter.