Reading this book is like tapping into your psyche. It gives the reader a step by step guide to seeking out their inner selves; and teaches them how to use this knowledge in their every day lives. You will find yourself doing things from the book without really thinking of them. As you read on, the words and their meanings become more clear. The author puts complicated ideas and messages into words even the novice reader can understand and use. You will learn to guide your life down the right path. You will be able to decide what things in your life are truly changeable by you. You will learn to enhance your own feelings, as well as those around you. You will learn to have a closer relationship with your mate. The exercises in the book will make you aware of the existence of your true powers. I have experienced this through automatic writing. Not everyone will experience a connection with every chapter; but if you open yourself up to the possibilities, you will find something that will stay with you for the rest of your life. I have experienced many of the things the author describes in this book; and only after reading the words on paper did I realize that I had had a psychic experience. Everyone has psychic powers within them; and through books such as this one we can learn to use them to experience a life that is profound and enlightened, a life we are truly meant to live.

Reading this book is like tapping into your psyche. It gives the reader a step by step guide to seeking out their inner selves; and teaches them how to use this knowledge in their every day lives. You will find yourself doing things from the book without really thinking of them. As you read on, the words and their meanings become more clear. The author puts complicated ideas and messages into words even the novice reader can understand and use. You will learn to guide your life down the right path. You will be able to decide what things in your life are truly changeable by you. You will learn to enhance your own feelings, as well as those around you. You will learn to have a closer relationship with your mate. The exercises in the book will make you aware of the existence of your true powers. I have experienced this through automatic writing. Not everyone will experience a connection with every chapter; but if you open yourself up to the possibilities, you will find something that will stay with you for the rest of your life. I have experienced many of the things the author describes in this book; and only after reading the words on paper did I realize that I had had a psychic experience. Everyone has psychic powers within them, and through books such as this one we can learn to use them to experience a life that is profound and enlightened, a life we are truly meant to live.

I'm at the age of sixteen and have read dozens of books on how to develop your psychic intuition. Some helped but Andrei's book did it for me. Not only that, it opened up a COMPLETELY NEW world to me. No doubt it will for you. If your looking or trying to start up your psyche, get this book. It will be the only one you will ever need. I'm sixteen and am a pyschic myself. But then again you are too. This book will prove it.

I am not sure whether we learn much about the CRAFT of verse from these lectures. But one thing that we do learn from Borges is what a pleasure it is to be able to find beauty in poetry (and prose). Borges was an amazing man - he was almost seventy when he delivered these six lectures, and he did it without the help of notes since his poor eyesight made it impossible for him to read.

For Borges, poetry is essentially undefinable. It flows like Heraklit's river - the meaning of words shifts with time, and readers' appreciation changes over the years. Poetry as he understands it is a riddle because it is beyond rational understanding; it is 'true' in a higher (magical) sense. And what is true in a higher sense remains unfathomable, a riddle: "we KNOW what poetry is. We know it so well that we cannot define it in other words, even as we cannot define the taste of coffee, the color red or yellow, or the meaning of anger, of love, of hatred, of the sunrise, of the sunset, or of our love for our country. These things are so deep in us that they can be expressed only by those common symbols that we share. So why should we need other words [to define what poetry is]?"(18)

Metaphors, according to Borges, are the core of poetry, closer to the magic source of words than any other artistic means of expression. Metaphors are so powerful because for him "anything suggested is far more effective than anything laid down. Perhaps the human mind has a tendency to deny a statement. Remember what Emerson said: arguments convince nobody. They convince nobody because they are presented as arguments."(31)

My favorite lecture is the fourth, 'Word-Music and Translation.' It is a real gem. I will not quote Borges on how word-music can be rendered in translation; just a short quote to illustrate how magnificently language can be translated by an inspired translator of genius. When Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century translated 'ars longa, vita brevis,' (art is long, life is short) he chose a stunning interpretation with 'the lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.' Borges comments that here we get "not only the statement but also the very music of wistfulness. We can see that the poet is not merely thinking of the arduous art and of the brevity of life; he is also feeling it. This is given by the apparently invisible, inaudible keyword - the word 'so.' 'The lyf SO short, the craft SO long to lerne.'"(62) One small word, and it makes all the difference.

And since I prefer translations true to the spirit over translations true to the letter, I was pleased to learn from Borges that all through the Middle Ages, people thought of translation not in terms of a literal rendering but in terms of something being re-created.

I do believe that these lectures speak of the wisdom of Borges; not in spite of, but because of the contradictions in the text. Here we meet a man in full; a man who stresses the irrational in poetry and the immediacy of experiencing it, yet proves by his own example how the experience of poetry grows with the plain, rational knowledge about poetry that we gather over the years. Borges is also a man who lives in literature. He finds new beauty in poetry because he continues to change every day. And this is perhaps the most inspiring message of his lectures: people who continue to enjoy changing with the new things they learn 'turn not older with years, but newer every day,' as Emily Dickinson phrased it.

This would be a strong candidate for the only book you need to read about poetry. Of course, it contains numberous signposts and pointers to other books that you will want to look at right away.

Borges was a great soul and a great mind. We were lucky to have him among us. Even though the book finally concludes that poetry is like time -- we have no problem using either concept until someone tries to make us define them! -- and that Borges can only recognize it when he sees it, he gives invaluable teaching in the art of recognition.

It would be foolish not to consider all readers of Borges to be students of Borges. Thus, those fortunate enough to find this book can't help but to glean yet more from the labyrinthine mind of one of the century's great thinkers. These five lectures find Borges in his usual vein: the self-effacing, charming, owlish raconteur. His lectures never betray the rigid pedantry of academia, but rather a great, informal tour through literature, philosophy, religion, semiotics, poetics, intertextuality. A former student of Dr. Mihailescu, I was given an advance copy of the book in the summer. Unsurprisingly, I found his elegant, trenchant edit does great service to a fine work. A must.

I was emotionally touched by the accounts of the author's personal story. As devastating as it was, I was more touched by the author's courage in overcoming such a great loss as a child's life. She is truly a real HERO in my eyes. I, a mother of two small children, and having never experienced such a loss, learned to appreciate even the smallest detail of my own children's life and health after reading this book. I recommend this book to every mother so that you can feel blessed and fortunate. This book emotionally touched and changed my Life.

It is amazing how much strenght this author has. She does a wonderful job at expressing her feelings with the readers and at the same time giving us a positive out look on life. I must say this book touched my heart like no other novel has. Her ability to share this tragedy in such a warm and touching way, teaches those more fortunate to really appreciate their loved ones. It is always a pleasure to read a book, but to read a book that leaves such an impact is a thrill like no other.

How wonderful this book is! I was very much touched by this wonderful story. I have read a lot of books, but this one really touched my hart, I could not contain my emotions and tears came out. The author captivated me from the beggining,I had to read it all, it makes you realize that you have to apreciate lefe and not take if for granted. It is a very loving relationship between a mother and a son, it helps you become strong in life.It is a book that you can read over and over again and I have recommended it to all my friends and family.

I found this information to be very thought provoking and I am enjoying learning how to open up and expand my mind and ideas. The concepts really work, they are simple but so powerful.

Any book that gets me thinking is a good book in my view and this one certainly gets me thinking... Although I could read the book quickly, I preferred to take it a step at a time and spend some time thinking about the messages in each chapter and how to apply the ideas to what I am doing.

There are so many ideas and perspectives which are very exciting, useful and new. Thank you Dr. Aleinikov.

Andrei G. Aleinikov's Mega Creativity: Five Steps To Thinking Like A Genius is a thoroughly "reader friendly" five-step guide to improving our thought processes for greater productivity through a more positive thinking, resulting in achieving higher skill levels at finding practical solutions to everyday problems. A useful and accessible instructional guide to enhancing one's own power of innovation and quick thinking, Mega Creativity is a superbly presented and highly recommended addition to self-help and self-improvement reading lists and reference collections.

I have always been intrigued by terms like "thinking out of the box" and "thinking differently". At last there is a book that really offers a simple approach on how to think like a genius!! It is more than a package of interesting puzzles and exercises. Andrei's practical steps of genius thinking will emancipate the reader from habits that limit one's own creativity. The underpinning philosophy that resonates throughout this book is that we all have the potential to be megacreative. Also, his writing style is personal and speaks from the heart. This book is for those who want to make a difference in their lives and the lives around them.

This is possibly the only book that captures the essence of Tarkovsky even better than his own "Sculpting in Time", which is surely one of the greatest film theory books ever written. Extremely personal, the diaries offer a close-up view of T., from daily minutiae to spiritual and emotional crises. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to anyone who loves Tarkovsky.

At this time, this book book *is* in print in the UK, and is available from Amazon.com's British sister site, Amazon.co.uk.

Andrei Tarkovsky Diaries are real, 1st hand exprience from a talented writer and great cinematographer. He is giving reader a very real exprience from Russia in years 1970-1986. I wished I could read this book in it's original language when I felt it too close to my soul, and I wished pages never ended when I finished this book. Read it even if you are not a movie goer or watched none of his movies.

This is an excellent book that provides the non-experienced and experienced Tarkovsky viewer entry into the wonderful worlds in which he lived.

Traveling independently has its rewards! I feel compelled to share some of the B&B's that we have stayed in as a result of this book. When we look back on our trips, we remember the warmth of the hosts who shared their home with us and waved goodbye as we left.

# 359 en route to Lourdes. I felt like I was staying in a doll house. Everything was PERFECT! The hosts were lovely people. The evening meal was excellent.

# 334 just south of Toulouse. The owners will enchant you in this lovely farmhouse. They make sure that everyone has GOOD TIME at the evening meal! English is not necessary! The owner's have hosted guests from all over the world!!!

#386 Normandy. This a a perfectly lovely half-timbered farmhouse. The owners will make you feel like family!

We will be using this guide again for the 4th time this September. So far, I have chosen # 567, #672, #336 and #334 (listed above). I will keep you updated! I always choose B&B's where some English is spoken. I always look for comments concerning the hosts hospitality. You can spend as little as $. and take home memories that will last a lifetime!

...If we can help .... Spain or France???

...julie and gordon foster

"The best guide for the finest kind of vacation." Elle Magazine

"This series has long been respected as one of the best of its kind. Each book contains detailed color maps and a listing of accommodations by area. They include color photographs, the address and phone number, a star rating, amenities, price, and a brief paragraph describing the property. Newly revised and updated, these excellent guides to accommodations in Europe are highly recommended for all libraries." Library Journal

Vers la fin de Le Testament Français, le narrateur racconte une conversation qu'il a eu avec un "nouveau russe", l'un de ceux qui ont profité de l'ouverture de l'ancien empire soviétique pour faire leurs fortunes. D'après ce nouveau russe, l'Europe est en decline et il faudra la sang des barbares--y compris les russes--pour la renouveller. Le narrateur (Makine lui-même) semble écarter cette thèse, apparemment sans se rendre compte que le livre qu'il est en train d'écrire, Le Testament Français, est en fait une pièce d'évidence vers la validation de cette thèse. Parce qu'il vous sera difficile de trouver aujourd'hui en France un livre avec une telle énergie et passion, un livre tout à fait dépourvu de l'indifferance et le desanchantement qui domine, d'une façon ou autre, la litterature Francais. Il est triste de le dire, mais les lettrés Français semblent être épuisés et ce sont les étrangères comme Makine--des étrangères qui se sont emparés de l'enorme potentiel du language et de la culture Français sans s'emparer pour autant de leur languidité actuelle--qui semblent être les seuls capables de renouveler la litterature francophone.

This is a book for anyone who wishes to escape from today's world - the world of September 11, of violence and ugliness - into another world, one of gentleness and discreet culture. In other words, you step into what our world used to be like. In Makine's autobiographical novel we move from Tsarist Russia to Stalinist Russia to Paris at the turn of the 20th Century, seeing it mostly through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy.
Makine's style is that of 19th century Russian and French novelists. This book is a delight!
Makine is without doubt a future Nobel Prize Winner!

Makine captures beautifully the solitary emptiness of the steppes and their harsh beauty... you can really feel the silence of the vast land, the chill of the wind, the warmth of his family's tiny appartment... even more important is his realistic and compelling portrayal of his struggle for identity, his desire to belong...

Sculpting in Time will be appreciated by people who like his films. It was nice to read Tarkovsky's own words on what is important. Tarkovsky gives important clues to understanding his art without destroying it through overanalysis.

In some instances the text is ambiguous in relationship to the films. Gorchakov (from Nostalghia) is apparently deceased in the picture captioned "after the struggle". The still is taken before the struggle in the movie. He was only napping. The movie leaves you in doubt about the fate of Gorchakov but the book doesn't. But these puzzles only add to the mystery of the films. One should turn to mathematics for clarity and consistency. This is something else.

I especially liked the miniature landscape in Domenico's house that extends to the horizon.

The still shots that were selected from the movies have a resonant quality and recall the emotions from the films. The picture of Margharita Terekhova on page 100 is a perfect photographic composition. But look closer at the expression of the eyes and the position of the hands. The picture bears an incredible resemblance to some Russian icons of the Madonna.

My only critical comment is that I wish the book included more about the making of Solaris.

Tarkovsky was a modern film maker with the soul of a Russion icon painter from ages past. He is calling to emotions that lie dormant in humanity but should be heeded.

I suspect that perhaps even someone unacquainted with Tarkovsky would find this book interesting - provided that someone is curious about the relationship of art, human experience, and transcendence. One of the most inspired and inspiring works about cinema I've encountered, it releases the floodgates of cinema's potential energy and power. Next to the films themselves, this is the most important work to own for students or admirers of Tarkovsky. Probably as close as a book can come to representing a sacred text on the art of film.

SCULPTING IN TIME, gives the reader an intimate invitation into the mind of filmmaker, Andrei Tarkovsky. In this single, slim volume, Tarkovsky gives penetrating insight into his conceptualization of cinema as an art form. Although he does not refer to all of his films, one finds detailed information concerning his approach to cinematic form and why his films are so different and affecting. Tarkovksy, speculates on the role of the artist in today's world. He points the direction that others who may want to enter into the cinematic arts should go. Most importantly, one gets an engrossing look at the aspects of the cinema that define it as an artform outside of literature, painting, and the theatre. It is a profound book and one that you will find yourself re-reading again and again. It is to be cherished.

This book is a wonderful collection of pictures, nicely organized to bring out different dimensions of the story of Nicholas and Alexandra. However, I found two mistakes early into the book. The first was the the statement that Victoria Melita married Grand Duchess Boris, when in fact she married his brother, Cyril. The second was the statement that the marriage between Victoria Melita and her first Husband, Ernst of Hesse, foundered after the death of their daughter. In fact, the child's death occurred well after the separation of her parents. Given the author's family relationship with his subjects, these lapses are surprising and indicative of extremely careless editing. It causes me to discount the accuracy of the volume, overall.

It's really too bad that this wonderful book is out of print. It's a gold mine! The photographs are organized by year, making identification sooo much easier. To boot, the pictures are of marvellous quality - clear, even, nicely composed, and evocative. You'll put this one down feeling like you've had a visit with the Imperial family. Highly recommended - This book plus Massie's _Nicholas & Alexandra_ make an excellent Romanov 'starter set'. ;o)

I think this book is really really fun. It has lots of colours and the pictures are great. I like looking underthe flaps best.

This is an excellent collection of varied stories by a deeply troubled storyteller. From an Englishman designing canals for Peter the Great to returning World War I veterans to a young engineer trying to keep a village supplied with electricity, the characters are richly and movingly drawn. In their pessimism or difficult optimism, the stories easily demonstrate why they would not be favorites of the Soviet authorities, in spite of the author's communist beliefs; they are about the farthest thing imaginable from "socialist realism." (One is reminded of the complaints of Shostakovich -- not exactly a traditional dissident, either -- in his autobiography, Testamony, that the authorities evaluated his music based on the percentage of measures set in major vs. minor keys.) Several of the stories are powerful and quite memorable. Still, in spite of the encomia of the translator/reviewer above, it is hard for me to see that Platonov belongs in the highest ranks of 20th century Russian writers. Perhaps he simply loses too much in translation. I find (the English translations of) a number of other modern Russians to be much more compelling: Aksyanov, Bulgakov, Eppel, Grossman, Pelevin, and Ulitskaya, for example.

In "The Epifan Locks", Peter the Great orders an English engineer to build a network of locks and canals across Russia: nothing, not even human lives, is to stand in the way. Another story ("Lobskaya Hill") focuses on a man who has lost all that he has valued, and now, grief-stricken, lives in a sort of limbo between life and death. "Rubbish Wind" is so black and horrifying that even the most jaded of modern readers may be shocked; while "The Cow", written when Platonov's own teenage son was in a labour camp, describes with some tenderness how a cow dies of grief after its calf is taken to the abattoir. Best of all, perhaps, are "The River Potudan" and "The Return", both, asthe translator puts it, finely balanced between triumph and tragedy, and both dealing with the importance of accepting humanity for what it is: Platonov was a socialist, but no utopian. These two stories especially I found wonderfully moving.

This varied collection of stories was, for me, an excellent introduction to a writer of clearly major importance. Written mainly during the darkest days of Stalinism, they are a testament to the heroism involved merely in maintaining one's humanity.

I am a collector of Russian novelists and short story writers. I am a huge fan of Gogol, Bulgakov, Nabokov, and more recently Grossman. Platonov is another wonderful example of a unique Russian writer. These stories are not only precise and highly-visual, they are uniquely constructed and they somehow get to the emotional heart of things without sentimentality. You cannot read this collection without coming away from it with your world-view altered. The translation is excellent. I am frequently irritated by translations that are either too literal or take too many liberties. This translation is perfect, as far as I'm concerned.