Blackstaff

Khelben Arunsun, Chosen of Mystra, Archmage of Waterdeep, is as close to a demigod as you're likely to meet on the streets of Faerûn's mightiest city. But when the skies rain lightning and a long-forgotten city arises from the earth, he can seem like just another wizard.

A young group of friends must navigate conspiracy and sorcery in one of the most legendary cities of the Forgotten Realms—Waterdeep When the newest Blackstaff—a powerful wizard who defends the city of Waterdeep—is captured as part of an evil ploy for power, a motley crew of accomplices must band together to restore the Blackstaff to power and save the city. Laraelra, Meloon, Renaer and other legendary heroes of the Forgotten Realms form an unlikely team, rising above their humble origins to complete an epic quest through the City of Splendors. Together, they fight side by side in the race to reach Blackstaff Tower before the forces of evil can claim it as their own. Blackstaff Tower is the first book in a series of standalone novels set in Waterdeep.

This is the second of four collections of essays intended to be published under the general title Studies in Contemporary Irish Literature (only two were) which are devoted to critical analysis of Irish writing since the 1950s.

This is a biography of John Hewitt, and of his wife, Roberta (nee Black). To establish Hewitt's late arrival as a poet, the book recounts his negotiations with a London publisher over a long period and the eventual appearance of No Rebel Word (1949). It also trace his education, courtship, literary apprenticeship, first employment as a junior gallery curator in Belfast, the political conflicts of the 1930s and then the War Years, his rejection for the post of director in Belfast's Civic Museum and Gallery, and his utopian commitment to regionalism. Appointment to the Herbert Gallery in Coventry in 1956 brought recognition and confidence. His leanings towards socialist realism came to accommodate abstract art, and he defended the sculptor Barbara Hepworth against the penny-pinching ratepayers. Throughout this two-part career, Hewitt maintained his output as poet, culminating in the Collected Poems (1968). His Irish political commitments never wavered, though he became cautious about forms of nationalism which proclaimed themselves left-wing. Roberta's work for the Coventry Labor Party provided an outlet for her energies and her domestic frustrations. Throughout these forty years, the poetry is kept constantly in view. In 1972, the Hewitts returned to Belfast when the Troubles reached an ugly peak. Committed to anti-sectarianism, Hewitt withheld support from all parties, though he took an interest in trade union activity. --Publisher.

All of the poets interviewed in this collection are from Northern Ireland, all were born after 1920, and each has published at least one volume of poetry. Arranged chronologically by each poet's date of birth, this collection deals with an impressive body of work. The poets include Seamus Heaney, Paul Muldoon, Michael Longley, John Montague, Derek Mahon, Ciaran Carson, as well as less-known voices, including Gerald Dawe, Roy McFadden, and Conor O'Callaghan. The interviews explore the poet's work and development, the social/historical context, and the impact of assimilated influences. If they explore a poetry often rooted in "the North," they also suggest the individuality and diversity of this poetry, of work whose imaginative range is not circumscribed by either literal borders or critically convenient categories. The other poets included are: James Simmons, Tom Paulin, Frank Orsmby, Medbh McGuckian, Robert Greacen, Cathal P Searcaigh, Colette Bryce, Moyra Donaldson, Jean Bleakney, Martin Mooney, Padraic Fiacc, and Cherry Smyth.

17th century northern Nigeria. A royal messenger has died under suspicious circumstances. Tasked with investigating the death, a Durbar warrior and his young apprentice must endure trials of loyalty, betrayal, and sacrifice to solve the mystery and prevent the bitter rivalry between two kingdoms from descending into a bloody war.

Culture, Northern Ireland, and the Second World War explores the impact of the Second World War on literature and culture in Northern Ireland between 1939 and 1970. It argues that the war, as a unique interregnum in the history of Northern Ireland, challenged the entrenched political and social makeup of the province and had a profound effect on its cultural life. Critical approaches to Northern Irish literature and culture have often been circumscribed by topographies of partition and sectarianism, but the Second World War generated conditions for reimagining the province within broader European and global contexts. These have perhaps been obscured by the amount of critical attention that has been paid to the impact of the Troubles on the culture of the province, and for this reason the book focuses on material produced before the flaring of political violence towards the end of the 1960s. Drawing on archival research, over four chapters the book describes the activities of an eccentric collection of artists and writers during and after the Second World War, and considers how the awkward position of the province in relation to the war is reflected in their work

While the Irish Literary Revival began around 1885 and ended somewhere between 1925 and 1940, the Irish Renaissance has continued to the present day and shows no sign of abating. The period has produced some of the most important and influential figures in Irish literature, some of whom are counted among the world's greatest authors. The Revival saw a reestablishment of Ireland's literary connections with its Celtic heritage, and writers such as William Butler Yeats and Lady Gregory drew heavily on the myths and legends of the past. James Joyce boldly reshaped the novel and wrote short fiction of enduring value. Contemporary Irish writers continue to be leading figures and include such authors as Brian Frigl, Seamus Heaney, and Eavan Boland. Included in this reference book are alphabetically arranged entries for more than 70 modern Irish writers, including Samuel Beckett, William Trevor, Patrick Kavanagh, Medbh McGuckian, Sean O'Casey, J. M. Synge, and Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill. Entries are written by expert contributors and reflect a broad range of perspectives. Each entry contains a brief biography that summarizes the author's career, a discussion of major works and themes, an overview of the author's critical reception, and a bibliography of primary and secondary works. An introductory essay reviews the large and growing body of scholarship on modern Irish literature, while an extensive bibliography concludes the volume.