Всемирно признанный классик чешской литературы XX века Богумил Грабал стал печататься лишь в 1960-е годы, хотя еще в 59-м был запрещен к изданию сборник его рассказов «Жаворонок на нитке» о принудительном перевоспитании несознательных членов общества на стройке социализма. Российскому читателю этот этап в творчестве писателя был до сих пор известен мало; между тем в нем берет начало многое из того, что получило развитие в таких зрелых произведениях Грабала, как романы «Я обслуживал английского короля» и «Слишком шумное одиночество». Предлагаемая книга включает повесть и рассказы из трех ранних сборников Грабала. Это «Жемчужина на дне» (1963) и «Пабители» (1964) с неологизмом в заглавии, которым здесь автор впервые обозначил частый затем в его сочинениях тип «досужих философов», выдумщиков и чудаков, а также «Объявление о продаже дома, в котором я уже не хочу жить» (1965)

It's a jungle out there - and the Destroyer may become the next endangered species.HOT, MOIST, DANGEROUS Deep in the Malaysian jungle a group of scientists gets a lethal surprise, and a lone survivor rants about a prehistoric monster who eats men alive. The survivor dies with bizarre symptoms - and CURE's Dr.Harold Smith wants answers. So Remo, his favorite problem solver, finds himself armed with a brand-new doctorate and joining an international expedition to look for the next Jurassic park. But things heat up even more in the jungle. Who's to tell what the adventure will be, what with a sexy lady professor, the hidden agenda of expedition members, and the hot breath of something big, dangerous and undreamed of deep in the rain forest's heart

On the heels of Boyd's Costa (formerly Whitbread) Award winner, Restless, an erudite and entertaining collection of essays and opinions from one of our generation's most talented writers. "Plant one bamboo shoot-cut bamboo for the rest of your life." William Boyd's prolific, fruitful career is a testament to this old Chinese saying. Boyd penned his first book review in 1978-the proverbial bamboo shoot-and we've been reaping the rewards ever since. Beginning with the Whitbread Award-winning A Good Man in Africa, William Boyd has written consistently artful, intelligent fiction and firmly established himself as an international man of letters. He has done nearly thirty years of research and writing for projects as diverse as a novel about an ecologist studying chimpanzees (Brazzaville Beach), an adapted screenplay about the emotional lives of soldiers (The Trench, which he also directed), and a fictional biography of an American painter (Nat Tate). All the while, Boyd has been accruing facts and wisdom-and publishing it in the form of articles, essays, and reviews. Now available for the first time in the United States, Bamboo gathers together Boyd's writing on literature, art, the movie business, television, people he has met, places he has visited and autobiographical reflections on his African childhood, his years at boarding school, and the profession of novelist. From Pablo Picasso to the Cannes Film Festival, from Charles Dickens to Catherine Deneuve, from mini-cabs to Cecil Rhodes, this collection is a fascinating and surprisingly revealing companion to the work of one of Britain's leading novelists