The Wall

I was born at the beginning of it all, on the Red side - the Communist side - of the Iron Curtain. Through annotated ill... (more)

I was born at the beginning of it all, on the Red side - the Communist side - of the Iron Curtain. Through annotated illustrations, journals, maps, and dreamscapes, Peter Sis shows what life was like for a child who loved to draw, proudly wore the red scarf of a Young Pioneer, stood guard at the giant statue of Stalin, and believed whatever he was told to believe. But adolescence brought questions. Cracks began to appear in the Iron Curtain, and news from the West slowly filtered into the country. Si;s learned about beat poetry, rock 'n' roll, blue jeans, and Coca-Cola. He let his hair grow long, secretly read banned books, and joined a rock band. Then came the Prague Spring of 1968, and for a teenager who wanted to see the world and meet the Beatles, this was a magical time. It was short-lived, however, brought to a sudden and brutal end by the Soviet-led invasion. But this brief flowering had provided a glimpse of new possibilities - creativity could be discouraged but not easily killed. (less)

Riveting and compelling, The Wall tells the inspiring story of forty men and women who escape the dehumanizing horror of... (more)

Riveting and compelling, The Wall tells the inspiring story of forty men and women who escape the dehumanizing horror of the Warsaw ghetto. John Hersey's novel documents the Warsaw ghetto both as an emblem of Nazi persecution and as a personal confrontation with torture, starvation, humiliation, and cruelty-a gripping and visceral story, impossible to put down. (less)

"When Random House published the first English translation of H.G. Adler's The Journey in 2008, literary critics and his... (more)

"When Random House published the first English translation of H.G. Adler's The Journey in 2008, literary critics and historians alike came to recognize Adler as a neglected modern master, comparing him to Joyce, Woolf, Kafka, and Gertrude Stein. Told in a powerful stream-of-consciousness style reminiscent of our finest modernist writers, The Wall is the story of Arthur Landau, a Holocaust survivor struggling to leave behind the horrors of the past and find a foothold in the present. After the war, Arthur returns to Prague in the hope of finding his parents, works in a museum that collects Jewish artifacts, and eventually crosses the border, leaving his homeland and friends for good. Despite the loss of his first wife to the camps, the love of his second wife, Johanna, and their two children anchors him amid the chaotic and competitive world of postwar exiles living in London. Though Adler recreates time and place with stunning descriptive detail, the themes are universal and timeless. The "wall" in front of Arthur will not let him entirely remember the past and thus free himself from nightmares, nor entirely let him forget the past and move on. Though he sees himself as akin to "that first Adam", expelled forever from Paradise, Arthur gradually learns to affirm his life once again through his family and work, a testimony to the human spirit that continues to persevere within him"-- (less)

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The Wall tells the inspirational story of forty men and women who escape the dehumanizing horror of the Warsaw ghetto. J... (more)

The Wall tells the inspirational story of forty men and women who escape the dehumanizing horror of the Warsaw ghetto. John Hersey's novel documents the Warsaw ghetto both as an symbol of Nazi persecution and as a personal confrontation with cruelty, torture, starvation and humiliation. (less)

A boy and his father come from far away to visit the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington and find the name of the boy's g... (more)

A boy and his father come from far away to visit the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington and find the name of the boy's grandfather, who was killed in the conflict. (less)

"The best-selling author of The Debt to Pleasure and Capital returns with a chilling fable for our time. Ravaged by the ... (more)

"The best-selling author of The Debt to Pleasure and Capital returns with a chilling fable for our time. Ravaged by the Change, an island nation in a time very like our own has built the Wall--an enormous concrete barrier around its entire border. Joseph Kavanagh, a new Defender, has one task: to protect his section of the Wall from the Others, the desperate souls who are trapped amid the rising seas outside and attack constantly. Failure will result in death or a fate perhaps worse: being put to sea and made an Other himself. Beset by cold, loneliness, and fear, Kavanagh tries to fulfill his duties to his demanding Captain and Sergeant, even as he grows closer to his fellow Defenders. And then the Others attack. . . . Acclaimed British novelist John Lanchester, "a writer of rare intelligence" (Los Angeles Times), delivers a taut dystopian novel that blends the most compelling issues of our time--rising waters, rising fear, rising political division--into a suspenseful story of love, trust, and survival"--Provided by publisher. (less)

"In this poignant and timely story, a king banishes anyone who is different from him and has a wall built to keep them o... (more)

"In this poignant and timely story, a king banishes anyone who is different from him and has a wall built to keep them out of his kingdom. Soon, he sees that without people with various types of talents and expertise, his realm can no longer flourish! Realizing his mistake, he orders the wall to be knocked down so he can meet and thank all the talented people that make his community beautiful."--Amazon.com. (less)

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Martina Gedeck, star of the Academy Award-winning film The Lives Of Others, brings a vivid intensity to this mysterious ... (more)

Martina Gedeck, star of the Academy Award-winning film The Lives Of Others, brings a vivid intensity to this mysterious and riveting tale of survival set in a spectacularly beautiful Austrian mountain landscape. In a tour-de-force performance, Gedeck stars as an unnamed character who suddenly finds herself cut off from all human contact when an invisible, unyielding wall inexplicably surrounds the countryside where she is vacationing. Accompanied by her loyal dog Lynx, she becomes immersed in a world untouched by civilization and ruled by the laws of nature. As she grapples with her bizarre circumstances, she begins an inward journey of spiritual growth and transcendence. Based on Marlen Haushofer's eponymous classic novel, The Wall is a gorgeous, mesmerizing adventure film that raises profound questions about humanity, solitude, and our relationship to the natural world. Winner! Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Berlin International Film Festival 2012 Riveting and emotionally involving from start to finish. Intensely cinematic. Gedeck's performance is phenomenal. - Jonathan Romney, Screen International Julian Roman Poelsler imbues his widescreen adaptation of the Marlen Haushofer novel with a certain visual majesty. - Boyd van Hoeij, Variety. (less)

David Kinsella thought he was going to North Korea to make a documentary. The North Koreans thought that David Kinsella ... (more)

David Kinsella thought he was going to North Korea to make a documentary. The North Koreans thought that David Kinsella would let them dictate the terms of his film. Both were wrong. After the government of Kim Jong-un brought in thousands of uninvited extras to help show the country as the regime wanted it seen, Kinsella knew he had to change his strategy and began framing his shots so that animation could be added in later. Mixing his Korean footage with scenes filmed in his native Belfast, the result was The Wall, the story of Yung Hee, a young female poet living under North Korea's regime that's told through a mix of live action and animation. (less)

Examines the history of the division of Berlin after World War II and how it eventually lead to construction of the Berl... (more)

Examines the history of the division of Berlin after World War II and how it eventually lead to construction of the Berlin Wall. It follows the history of the wall and its effects on the German people until its fall in 1989. (less)