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"The Travels of Marco Polo" is written by the famous Venetian businessman and adventurer Marco Polo in 1298 about his experiences along the way to the East. This book is the first book in the history of the world to report China's vast land and resources to Europeans. It records the situation of many countries in Central Asia, West Asia, Southeast Asia and other regions, and its focus is on the narrative about China. In a large number of chapters and passionate language, it describes China's endless wealth, huge commercial cities, excellent transportation facilities, and gorgeous palace buildings. These narratives have important historical value in the history of geography in the medieval era, the history of Asia, the history of transportation between China and the West, and the history of Sino-Italian relations.

This collection of poems is divided into three parts: the first part is a biography of Pushkin, introducing Pushkin's life story; the second part is Pushkin's lyrical poems, a total of 50 poems; the third part is a fairy tale poem, a total of 5 poems, all of which are Pushkin's masterpieces. This collection of poems has accurate translations, rich illustrations and text, and unique originality.

This book mainly collects Lin Huiyin's selected excellent poems and prose works. Lin Huiyin's poems are exquisite, delicate in emotion, graceful in style, and full of beauty; her prose is passionate and full of meaning. The language is simple and easy to understand, the aesthetics are unique, and it is full of classical charm.

A selection of the works of Camus, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, this book collects the essence of Camus's creations from 1933 to 1939: "The World of Hell and the Sun", the collection of beautiful essays of "The Good Marriage" and the novel "Happy Death". The themes all revolve around the metaphysical issues of life and death, so "The World of Hell and the Sun" is the title of the book. Camus believed that "every artist retains a unique source deep in his soul, which nourishes his words and deeds throughout his life", and "The Realm of the Underworld", his first outstanding work, is exactly where this source lies. The four essays in "A Good Marriage" are Camus's early travel notes. He expressed his feelings about life in poetic and picturesque language. "Happy Death" is Camus's debut novel. Although it is not very mature, it clearly embodies Camus's philosophical ideas.

Italy is a profound and profound historical gift, which constitutes the most romantic imaginary symbol in people's hearts. It is a world-famous elegant monument and a stunning artistic genius, but it is also a chaotic river flowing under the weak moonlight. This book is a notebook of Henry James's experiences during his many visits to Italy. Following the author through the dim and hazy passage of thoughts and feelings, a huge painting of the natural landscape and humanistic features of Italy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries will slowly unfold in front of the reader, and Italy as time passes is its most authentic appearance.

"A cat is such a luxurious and rare animal. It can make your every day full of endless surprises. The feeling of petting this little beast is so wonderful, the fur under your palm is so soft and smooth, and it will warm your body when you wake up on a cold winter night. Even if it is a local cat that can be seen everywhere, it still exudes a noble and charming temperament. From his independent gait, you even You can get a glimpse of the jaguar... "When you sit next to a cat you have known for many years, put your hands on him, and try to adapt to his pulse of life that is very different from yours. From time to time, he will raise his head and greet you with a particularly gentle tone, telling you that he knows you want to enter his world..." No matter who you are, you will always meet that cat that belongs to you.

"By getting to know others, I've also learned about myself." In every conversation, tap into possibilities you may not even know you have. This is a collection of life conversations between Shuntaro Tanigawa and six wise men of the era. This is a precious record that only a conversation can capture. He talks about life, loneliness, family, ideals, life and death with his father, talks about rhythm and the evolution of language with linguists, talks about books and art with poets, talks about the use of language and education with social activists, talks about childhood and literature with neighbor aunts... These conversations are relaxed and comfortable, but the content of the conversations is profound and closely related to everyone. Reading every word, it is like being present at the conversation in person, feeling that they use the gentleness and silence of language to resolve your confusion and confusion.

No matter how far you go, you will eventually come home. Following "Independence, Start by Traveling Alone", Arai Kazusan's travel confession; the true meaning of travel lies not in where you go, but in finding your own path in life; after you have the spirit of a traveler, you can live a lifelong traveler's life, and only travelers can truly find their hometown and embrace it tightly with both hands. Originally, my world was just an alley in Shinjuku District, Tokyo. It was not only very small, but also very short. Crossing a small road on Okubo Street was the biggest adventure. In the summer when I was twenty, I discovered the entrance to the world on the international train platform of Beijing Railway Station. From there, I could go to Moscow, then to Berlin, Paris, Rome, London, Amsterdam... This was a coming-of-age ceremony to find the entrance to the world, but in order to enter the world, you first have to leave home alone. The true meaning of travel is not where you go, but finding your own path in life. People travel in order to come back. I believe that only travelers can truly find their hometown and embrace it with both hands. No matter how far we go, we must eventually return home. Otherwise, we are not traveling, but self-exile...

"Don't Argue with Your Mom" ​​is Buckman's first collection of non-fiction essays. It records all the crazy moments that a new dad experiences on the road to parenting, such as wandering around poop and bottles all day long; chasing after his children to collect chicken feathers all over the place; sacrificing personal time and even sleep; and at the same time, he has to keep up with the harsh requirements of modern society on parents. These articles were originally written by Buckman to his son, but the lines reveal Buckman's unique worldview and outlook on life, which is very wise and very warm. For example, "Women deserve the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as men"; "Property of language is important"; "Don't regard meanness as ability, and don't regard kindness as weakness." Every article is filled with kindness, humor and lots of love.

To be disqualified in the human world is to lose the qualifications to be a human being. This article consists of five parts: a preface, a first-hand notebook, a second-hand notebook, a third-hand notebook, and a postscript. The preface and postscript are narrated in the author's voice, while the three notebooks are narrated in the voice of the protagonist Ye Zang. The protagonist Ye Zang is timid and cowardly, afraid of worldly emotions and does not understand the complex thoughts of human beings, so he disguises himself through comedy. Later, I discovered that drinking and having fun seemed to be a better way to escape the world, so I lived a wild life all day long, numbing myself through alcohol, drugs, and women, and eventually led to destruction. He was tortured by the most real pain of being a human being. He spent his whole life seeking love and avoiding love under self-weariness, and in the end he could only destroy himself. In addition, this book also includes 7 representative works of Osamu Dazai, including "Viyong's Wife", "The Story of a Snowy Night" and "Goodbye".

This book contains Osamu Dazai's five important masterpieces, namely "Disqualification in the World", "Clown's Flower", "Run, Melos" and "Villon's Wife" Goodbye. "Disqualified in the World" is Osamu Dazai's last novella before his death, and it is also a work with a rather autobiographical feel. The protagonist of the novel, Ye Zang, has been sensitive and thoughtful since childhood, with a cowardly personality. Although he was born into a wealthy family, he is full of fear of the surrounding environment and people. In his early years, he left his hometown to study and first tasted wine and sex. From then on, he indulged in it and spent his life avoiding everything he feared.

This book is based on "The Complete Works of Osamu Dazai" published by Japan's Chikuma Shobo in 1985, and includes 9 short stories and essays by Osamu Dazai, including "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji", "Girl Apprentice", "Flag Bearer of the 20th Century", "Grandma's House" and "Lantern". "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji" is uniquely written and is used in most Japanese high school Chinese textbooks. It centers on Mount Fuji and depicts the scenery of Fuji from multiple angles. Each scenery entrusts Osamu Dazai's emotions. The subtitle of "The Standard Bearer of the Twentieth Century" "I'm sorry for being a human being" has become Osamu Dazai's most famous quote.

This book is based on "The Complete Works of Osamu Dazai" published by Japan's Chikuma Shobo in 1985, and includes 9 short stories and essays by Osamu Dazai, including "The Blind Man Laughs Alone", "Cricket", "A Tale of Poverty", "Eight Scenes of Tokyo" and "The Letter of the Wind". "Eight Views of Tokyo" is Osamu Dazai's farewell message to his youth. "The Blind Man Laughs Alone" uses the diary of a blind musician to write about his optimism in the face of a difficult life. "Cricket" expresses Osamu Dazai's unique views on art, success and wealth through the voice of an artist's wife.

This book is a famous work by Osamu Dazai, and it is also an epistolary novel. "Skylark", a young man who went to a mountain health sanatorium due to tuberculosis, was terrified of his impending death. On the other hand, he was fighting the disease in the company of friends with distinctive personalities and backgrounds, striving to become a "new man." There, the sweet and sour relationship with the two vital nurses - Sister Zhu and Azheng, and the sudden grief caused by the death of his partner due to illness, all made him emotionally ups and downs. He continued to meticulously record these daily mental fluctuations in letters to close friends. However, "Skylark" has always maintained a positive worldview similar to Greek mythology - in the corner of Pandora's box, which spreads misfortune to the world, a small gemstone engraved with the word "Hope" was found. "Pandora's Box" is the sunny side of Osamu Dazai's writing.

This book is a collection of Dazai Osamu's short works in his later period of creation, including "Cherry", "Viyong's Wife", "Wish Fulfillment", "Girl Disciple", "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji" and more than ten works. It basically covers the living conditions of various people in the depressed social environment of post-war Japan, and provides a profound reflection on women, family relationships, social atmosphere, etc.

During the war, Osamu Dazai turned his writing to historical legends and created a pure land in troubled times. This book contains Osamu Dazai's acclaimed masterpieces of overturning the case, "The Right Minister Shitomo", "Reminiscences of Zenzo", etc. It is an important reference for studying Dazai Osamu's literary style and artistic level. Dazai Osamu used his unique handling of plots to inject new value into traditional works. Under the intertwining of light and dark intentions, a picture depicting human nature unfolds.

This is a fable full of irony, with humorous language and a brisk narrative rhythm. Through these three simple characters, "Japan's best loser", a vulgar and greedy old woman, and a little sparrow whose tongue was pulled out, a kaleidoscope-like fairy tale world is firmly constructed, and the traditional values ​​​​of "good and evil will be rewarded in the end" and "greedy and greedy" are presented in a unique and vivid way. If you have seen enough of the so-called great truths, you might as well read the fables told by Osamu Dazai, uncover layers of fairy tales, and explore the rules of the world.

In this accessible and entertaining book, Terry Eagleton asks a series of intriguing questions. In a brilliant analysis, Eagleton shows how to pay full attention to a literary work's tone, rhythm, texture, syntax, allusion, ambiguity, and other formal aspects when reading. He also examines broader issues of character, plot, narrative, creative imagination, the meaning of fictionality, and the tension between what literature says and what it represents. Authoritative and enjoyable, the author provides helpful commentary on classicism, romanticism, modernism, and postmodernism, and offers fascinating insights into writers ranging from Shakespeare and J. K. Rowling to Jane Austen and Samuel Beckett. This book is a first choice for beginning literature students and all other readers interested in deepening their understanding and enriching their reading experience.

"The Stranger" is Camus' famous work, a masterpiece of existential literature, and a representative work of absurd novels. The novel tells the story of an ordinary young clerk who lives numbly in aimless inertia all day long. One day he went to the beach for vacation, got involved in a conflict, and committed a murder. Because "he did not shed a tear at his mother's funeral", he was sentenced to death by the court in the name of "the French people". The novel elaborates on an important proposition of existentialism: the absurdity and strangeness of human society in modern life lead to individual despair and nihilism. By calmly describing the entire process of a little person being "demonized" by the judicial authorities, it profoundly satirizes the hypocrisy and foolhardy nature of modern law.

If the two major themes of Camus's creation and thinking throughout his life are "absurdity" and "resistance", then the philosophical essay "The Myth of Sisyphus" is Camus's most in-depth and concentrated investigation and most thorough and clear explanation of the philosophy of absurdity. Sisyphus, a Greek mythological figure who pushes rocks up mountains and performs never-ending hard labor, is undoubtedly the most vivid symbol of the absurdity of human existence; but at the same time, he is also a great example for human beings to not despair or be depressed, but to rise up against absurdity and not hesitate to fight against absurd fate to the end. Therefore, "The Myth of Sisyphus" is not so much a tragic self-portrait of the human condition as it is a victory song of liberal humanism. It constitutes a style that is both pathos and sublime. In the entire field of human culture and art, perhaps only Beethoven's "Symphony of Destiny" can rival it in taste.

"The Stranger" is a famous work by the French writer Camus and one of the outstanding works of existential literature. In an objectively recorded "zero style", the book roughly describes the various absurd things that the protagonist Meursault has experienced in an absurd world, as well as his own absurd experience. From attending his mother's funeral to accidentally becoming a murderer, and then being sentenced to death, Meursault seemed indifferent to everything, existing indifferently, rationally, and irrationally. He was like a symbolic symbol, representing a universal existence, and like a blood-red beacon, highly warning. However, the emergence of the outsider phenomenon is undoubtedly bred by the world itself, and Meursault's existence has its profound external reasons.

"Requiem for a Nun" is a collection of Camus' drama adaptations, including "Poltergeist", "The Cross", "Hospital", "Cavaliers of Olmedo", "Requiem for a Nun" and "The Possessed".

Nobel Prize winner Camus's masterpiece (also translated as "The Stranger" and "The Stranger"); a new translation by veteran translator Shen Zhiming, with an appendix of Camus's preface when the English version was published. "I refuse to lie and accept to die for the truth." Meursault received a telegram from the nursing home informing him of his mother's death. Meursault attended the funeral in a daze, and within two days, he had sex with his girlfriend. His mother's death seemed to have no impact on him. The ordinary days continued until Meursault got involved in a dispute and shot his friend's enemy. While awaiting trial, Meursault behaves nonchalantly. When asked about the motive for the murder, he replied "It's all the sun's fault" and looked forward to facing execution amidst the curses of the crowd.

"Always have a book by your side" Ryuichi Sakamoto's personal reading list. Reading is a farewell that travels through time. Let us reunite with Ryuichi Sakamoto through reading in this book. He is a man who loves books. In 2017, he built "Sakamoto Books". Now, Sakamoto Ryuichi's private library is open to the public in the form of text for the first time. In this book, Ryuichi Sakamoto selected 36 of his favorite works from his personal library to share with readers his reading experience, his past with the author, and his reading taste. The book includes Natsume Seseki, Derrida, Cartier-Bresson, Tarkovsky, Ozu Yasujiro, Kurosawa Akira, Oshima Nagisa, Hatada Santo, etc. Specially included is an exclusive interview with Ryuichi Sakamoto - "Sakamoto Books in 2023" where readers can read that Ryuichi Sakamoto talked about the 10 books he was reading before his death, as well as his thoughts on life and reading. This book is Sakamoto Ryuichi's last published work. Through the text, you can travel to Sakamoto Ryuichi's personal library!

This book is a very long and systematic collection of fairy tales collected and compiled in various European countries. Many of the stories reflect the simplicity, humor, wit and bravery of ordinary people. The plot of the story is tortuous but not bizarre, and the narrative is simple but not monotonous. Many stories are written in poetic language.

"The Complete Collection of Grimm's Fairy Tales" is a collection of German folk literature collected, organized and processed by the two German linguist brothers Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm. This book is a classic of world fairy tales. Since its publication, it has had a profound impact all over the world. Among them, famous works such as "Cinderella", "Snow White" and "Little Red Riding Hood" have become masterpieces loved by children all over the world.

"Facing Complexity, Remaining Joyful" is the greatest American essayist of the 20th century, who single-handedly established "The New Yorker's style of writing" and is a self-selected collection of classic essays by White, the author of "Charlotte's Web". E. B. White (1899-1985), "the greatest American essayist of the twentieth century." As the main writer of The New Yorker, White single-handedly established the far-reaching "New Yorker style of writing". White is full of care for everything in this world, and his morals are as high as his articles. In addition to his lifelong love of essays, he also wrote three books for children, "The Elf," "Charlotte's Web" and "The Trumpeting Swan," which have become literary classics loved by children and adults alike. "The Essays of E. B. White" was selected by the author himself and includes the most important essays of this greatest essayist.

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This book is a collection of Huaben and Huahua novels compiled by Feng Menglong in the late Ming Dynasty. Together with the other two collections of novels compiled by him, "Awakening Words" and "Warning Words", they are collectively called "Three Words". "Yu Shi Ming Yan" contains forty novels with themes involving love, marriage, family, friendship, ghosts, gods, witchcraft, etc. It extensively describes social life in the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, and truly reflects the thoughts and feelings, life aspirations and aesthetic tastes of the people at that time, especially the citizens.

"Three Words" is the collective name of "Mingyan", "Words to Warn the World" and "Everlasting Words to Awaken the World" compiled by the famous Ming Dynasty writer Feng Menglong. It is also collectively known as "Sanyan Erpai" together with "Erpai" written by the famous Ming Dynasty writer Ling Shuchu. It enjoys a high status in the history of Chinese literature and is as famous as the "Four Great Classics" and "Jin Ping Mei". "Eternal Words to Awaken the World", compiled by Feng Menglong in the late Ming Dynasty, is one of the collections of ancient vernacular short stories. Together with the previous "Essays to Tell the World" and "Words to Warning the World", it is collectively known as the "Three Words". Among the "Three Words", it is the most widely circulated, influential and most talked about. The themes may come from folklore, historical biographies and novels of the Tang and Song Dynasties, and the editors have many creative elements. "Eternal Words for Awakening the World" shows some new characteristics in terms of content and themes. For example, "Shi Runze Meets Friends at the Beach", which expresses the prosperity of urban and rural industry and commerce in the late Ming Dynasty, is the most famous one; "The Oil Seller Monopolizes the Oiran" and "Su Xiaomei's Groom in Three Difficulties" and other chapters have created new characters with new ideas and new morals, with a distinct mark of the times. In terms of art, it is more mature, the characters are full and vivid, the personalities are distinct, and the plot design is more compact and clever, showing the author's ingenuity. Colloquial and life-oriented literary language is used more skillfully and naturally, showing various styles that may be subtle, funny, exciting, or sad.

The eras in which the stories in "Yu Shi Ming Yan" were produced include the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties. Most of them are old scripts from the Song and Yuan Dynasties, such as "Shi Hongzhao's Meeting of Dragons and Tigers with Monarchs and Ministers" and "The Four Dukes of the Song Dynasty Raised the Souls". A few are scripts from the Ming Dynasty, such as "Brother Jiang Xing Meets Again in Pearl Shirt" and "Shen Xiaoxia Meets to Become a Teacher". Others are adaptations of old works from the Song and Yuan Dynasties by the Ming Dynasty, such as "Han Wu Selling Love in Xinqiao City" and "Sima Maung, the Sima Mao, Breaks the Prison" and so on. Due to the different production years, there are certain differences in content, techniques, language, style, etc. However, because they belong to the same novel development system, and their themes are closely related to urban life, there are still many things in common between the novels. "Yu Shi Ming Yan" also includes and adapts some historical legends, such as "Yan Pingzhong killed three men with two peaches". In addition, most of the novels in "Yu Shi Ming Yan" are based on real life, with themes covering love, marriage, friendship, etc., Showing various social trends at that time.

"Awakening the World" is a collection of short stories in vernacular compiled by Feng Menglong in the late Ming Dynasty. Together with the previous "Yu Shi Ming Yan" and "Warning Words", it is collectively known as the "Three Yan". Among the "Three Yan", it is the most widely circulated, the most influential, and the most talked about. "Awakening the World" contains mostly mature story-telling novels, with a total of forty stories. Some of these stories reflect love and marriage, some condemn the darkness of officialdom, and some praise chivalry. The plots of the stories are bizarre and tortuous, the characters have distinctive personalities, and are full of fun, making them endlessly readable. This book provides a brief summary before each story, briefly introducing and commenting on the plot of the novel, to help readers better understand the story and comprehend its gist.

"Voices of History" contains the most beautiful and evil speeches in history. Some of these speeches were heroic and inspiring, some were evil and cruel, and some were poignant and heart-warming. Not only can we see the appearances of Socrates, Alexander the Great, Churchill, Hitler and others, but we can also see how they relied on the power of language at critical moments to either capture the truth of the times or tell a big lie, thereby influencing the thinking of the masses and changing the course of history. Like a master storyteller, historian Simon Montefiore recounts these speeches and the stories behind them in gripping style. Massacres on the battlefield, shouts for freedom, foolish delusions, heartbreaking farewells... These stories that have happened all over the world and spanned thousands of years tell us how history has come to this day, and how they can inspire the future.

Pirandello represented the thinking generation of the 1920s, not only in his own country, but also in the entire Western world. This generation was the first to be influenced by Freud and was the generation that began to revalue the mystery of personality in the modern environment. Pirandello's works focus on portraying the conflict between an absurd and unknowable external world and the inner world of modern people full of various anxieties.

When he was in high school in Nagoya, Tsukuru Tazaki had four very close friends, two boys and two girls. Their last names all had the colors "red", "green", "white" and "black". Only Tsukuru Tazaki's name had "no color", and he was the only one who left Nagoya to study at university in Tokyo. When Tsukuru Tazaki returned home during his sophomore year vacation, he was suddenly told by four of his friends to break off their friendship, without any explanation of the reasons. He was hit so hard that he was almost out of shape, and it took him a long time to recover. They have not seen each other for sixteen years. Now thirty-six years old, Tsukuru Tazaki, under the advice of his girlfriend, finally made up his mind to visit the four friends who abandoned him to find out the truth. Thus began his "year of pilgrimage". When the last piece of the puzzle is put together and the mystery is revealed, the secrets of sixteen years ago, the changes that took place in the past sixteen years, and the ending sixteen years later are all shocking and sad...

Tolstoy's most important short story in his later years has been newly translated by Professor Zhao Guilian of Peking University; the famous writer Huan Yan has written a preface and recommended it to interpret and understand the classic "Living to Death"; it is the pinnacle of human beings facing death and the ultimate questioning of the meaning of life and death. "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" is Tolstoy's most important short story in his later years. Through a detailed description of the entire process of Ivan Ilyich's death, it raises the ultimate question on the meaning of life and death. Ivan Ilyich's life was "extremely simple, ordinary, and extremely terrifying." He lived an extremely self-consistent life until he contracted a serious illness due to a minor accident, which eventually developed into an incurable disease. As his life came to an end, he realized as if struck by lightning that something was "wrong" with his past life. He thought hard about the meaning of life and what death was, and finally had an epiphany at the moment before his death. Although this novel is not large in length, it contains huge spiritual energy and can be regarded as the pinnacle of facing death in human literature. People's clear understanding of their mortality is not only a source of anxiety, but also an opportunity to reconstruct the meaning of life. "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" may be a key to understanding "living toward death" and breaking away from the sinking state of daily life.

Sofer walked slowly, first of all because of the hot weather: it was already the hot season, and Bazidra was located on the coast of Sponna, or the East Sea, less than 20 degrees north of the equator. The sun reaching the zenith poured down terrible rays on Bazidra like a waterfall. Besides weariness and heat, the weight of his thoughts slowed the learned doctor Sofer. He casually wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand and recalled the meeting that had just ended. There were so many high-minded speakers at the meeting, and he was honored to be included among them. They solemnly celebrated the 195th anniversary of the founding of the empire...

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"Box Man" is a novel full of experimental spirit. "Box Men" are urban wanderers who are covered from head to waist in cardboard boxes and only observe the world through a peephole. The work takes the "Box Man"'s notes as the axis, interspersed with fragmentary records from different time and space: articles by unknown authors, abrupt fables, newspaper news, poems, photos, etc. The protagonist of the novel, "I", wanders around the city and records everything in cardboard boxes. In the records of "I", there are the process of "I" becoming a box man, the entanglement between the fake doctor C and the drug-addicted military doctor, and the young boy D who was caught using a homemade multi-angle peepscope to spy on the female teacher next door while using the toilet... The whole work is scattered in form but inseparable in spirit. It is full of surrealism throughout, but it is a true portrayal of the absurdity of modern life.

A group of all kinds of men and women gathered at the lottery station. They flirted and joked. The lottery station was like a blind peeking into their lives. A complex map of interpersonal relationships, entangled and ambiguous passions. The joys, sorrows and joys of little people, the noisy and trivial life of the city. Looking down from a high place, people look like ants, but no one will give up. Everyone is taking a gamble, just like the last game of stud. You want to know the character's ending, but life has no ending. After stud, the so-called winning or losing is just the position where you start again.

Fitzgerald once described the United States in the 1920s: "It was an era of miracles, an era of art, an era of extravagant spending, and an era of ridicule." As Fitzgerald's first short story collection, "Tales from the Jazz Age" well explains the meaning of this sentence. The stories collected in this collection of novels have vivid plots, profound meanings and strong artistic sense. In these stories, American young people all have the same dream as Gatsby: to be born in a prestigious school, marry a beautiful rich girl, and dominate the upper class society; if they are not born with all these, they will dress up as social elites and attend social dances to seek opportunities to enter the upper class society. Or simply join the gold mining army and make a fortune. However, behind these flashy, noisy and even bizarre stories, there is a lot of absurdity and sadness.

The original novel of the popular American drama "The Handmaid's Tale" defeated "Game of Thrones" and "Westworld" and swept the Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. Offred is a handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She was one of the few fertile women in the country and was assigned to the families of commanders who had no offspring to help them give birth to children. Like other women in this country, she had no freedom of movement and was deprived of property, the right to work, and the right to read. Except for some special days, the maids are only allowed to go shopping together once a day, and their every move is monitored by "eyes". What's worse is that in this crazy world, humans not only have to face problems such as ecological deterioration and economic crisis, but also fall into a chaotic situation of mutual hostility, class differentiation, and wanton killing. Women are not the only victims of oppression in this catastrophe. Everyone is a victim in this seemingly absurd world.

"The Years" is Woolf's last novel published during her lifetime and her best-selling novel. It spans more than 50 years from 1880 to the mid-1930s and tells the history of three generations of the Padgett family. Although it covers such a long period, the book focuses on some aspect of each character's personal life. Except for the first chapter, each chapter tells what happened on a certain day that year from the perspective of a different character. Historical events loom as the background, and the stories of three generations of the Padgett family become a microcosm of the external world, running through the author's thoughts on survival and the meaning of life.

"The Portrait of a Gentleman" is the seventh volume of "The Complete Collection of Maugham's Short Stories", which contains 15 short stories in total. It is interesting, fascinating, philosophical and thought-provoking to read. The ending of the story is especially lingering, full of aesthetic significance and artistic tension, which makes people unable to bear to read. These stories all take place in the South Pacific Islands, China, South Korea and other places. They describe the various adventures and curious experiences of Westerners in the mysterious world of the East, as well as their joys and sorrows in life. They reflect the conflict and integration of interactions and exchanges between Western and Eastern civilizations, and reveal themes such as money and love, marriage and family, good and evil, the excesses of the upper class, the various behaviors of ordinary people, and the nature of human nature.