Showing results by author "Martin Puchner" in All Categories

The story of literature in sixteen acts—from Homer to Harry Potter, including The Tale of Genji, Don Quixote, The Communist Manifesto, and how they shaped world history In this groundbreaking book, Martin Puchner leads us on a remarkable journey through time and around the globe to reveal the...

Can anyone really own a culture? This magnificent account argues that the story of global civilisations is one of mixing, sharing, and borrowing. It shows how art forms have crisscrossed continents over centuries to produce masterpieces. From Nefertiti's lost city and the Islamic Golden Age to twentieth century Nigerian theatre and Modernist poetry, Martin Puchner explores how contact between different peoples has driven artistic innovation in every era - whilst cultural policing and purism have more often undermined the very societies they tried to protect.

What good are the arts? Why should we care about the past? For millennia, humanity has sought to understand and transmit to future generations not just the "know-how" of life, but the "know-why"—the meaning and purpose of our existence, as expressed in art, architecture, religion, and philosophy. This crucial passing down of knowledge has required the radical integration of insights from the past and from other cultures. In Culture, acclaimed author, professor, and public intellectual Martin Puchner takes us on a breakneck tour through pivotal moments in world history.

Centuries ago in middle Europe, a coded language appeared, scrawled in graffiti and spoken only by people in the know. This hybrid language, dubbed Rotwelsch, facilitated survival for people in flight - whether escaping persecution or just down on their luck. It was a language of the road associated with vagabonds, travelers, Jews, and thieves that blended words from Yiddish, Hebrew, German, Romani, Czech, and other European languages and was rich in expressions for police, jail, or experiencing trouble, such as being in a pickle. This renegade language unsettled those in power.

Auf einer Reise von der Chauvet-Höhle in Frankreich durch das klassische Griechenland, die Bibliotheken der Azteken, Ashokas Indien, das China der Tang-Dynastie, Nofretetes Ägypten und weitere Epochen: Diese leicht verständliche und unterhaltsame Big History des deutschamerikanischen Literaturwissenschaftlers Martin Puchner enthüllt die Entstehung und Gründe menschlicher Kultur–und wie kulturelle Aneignung dies ermöglichte.

Martin Puchner nos mostra que precisamos nos envolver com o passado, e uns com os outros, para que as culturas realizem seu pleno potencial, a despeito dos erros, incompreensões e destruições que muitas vezes acompanham esse envolvimento. Para ele, a proximidade é o oxigênio que as mantém vivas.