Series: Penguin Modern

Create Dangerously by Albert Camus is a compelling and thought-provoking collection of essays that delve into the intricate relationship between art and society. Written with the precision and eloquence that only Camus can offer, this collection is a profound exploration of the artist's duty in a time of sociopolitical turmoil. The title essay, "Create Dangerously," lays bare the inherent risks...

Investigations of a Dog by Franz Kafka presents a unique and imaginative journey into the mind of a canine philosopher. Through the eyes of a curious and introspective dog, Kafka dissects the intricacies of existence, perception, and the limits of understanding. The narrator, a dog deeply engrossed in the quest for knowledge, embarks on a thoughtful exploration of his world,...

Dark Days by James Baldwin is a powerful collection of essays that vividly reflects on Baldwin's own experiences of racial prejudice and systemic injustice in mid-20th century America. As a seminal voice in the civil rights movement, Baldwin unflinchingly explores the deeply entrenched racism that pervades society and envisions a more equitable and hopeful world. Through these searing essays, Baldwin...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. I am Black and lesbian, and what you hear in my voice is fury, not suffering. From the self-described 'black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet', these soaring, urgent essays on the power of women, poetry and anger...

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail is an incisive and inspiring piece of writing that remains a touchstone in the history of civil rights and social justice. Composed in 1963 while King was imprisoned for his participation in nonviolent protests against racial segregation in Birmingham, Alabama, the letter is a powerful and eloquent defence of civil disobedience in...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. Time is a catastrophe, perpetual and irreversible. Science and fiction interweave delightfully in these playful Cosmicomic short stories.

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. 'The general uncertainty as to what is really happening makes it easier to cling to lunatic beliefs.' Biting and timeless reflections on patriotism, prejudice, and power, from the man who wrote about his nation better than...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. I Have More Souls Than One showcases the poignant poetry of Fernando Pessoa. In these verses: 'But no, she's abstract, is a bird Of sound in the air of air soaring, And her soul sings unencumbered...

In Notes on Camp, Susan Sontag explores the intriguing and often misunderstood aesthetic of "camp," delving into the reasons why certain art forms, fashion, and cultural expressions resonate uniquely with audiences. Through incisive analysis and sharp insights, Sontag unravels the complex interplays between taste, irony, and exaggerated style. This essay is a compelling exploration of the pseudo-serious, the extravagant, and...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. "Of course, no one would want to say anything about a girl like this that's missing..." Malice, paranoia, and creeping dread lie beneath the surface of ordinary American life in these chilling miniature masterworks of unease....

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. Good b.o means good "box office." You can smell it from a mile away The legendary sixties New York pop artist Andy Warhol presents hilarious and insightful vignettes and aphorisms on the topics of love, fame,...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. Summer was drawing to a close, and I realized that the book was monstrous. Fantastical tales of mazes, puzzles, lost labyrinths, and bookish mysteries, from the unique imagination of a literary magician.

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. Daydream and Drunkenness of a Young Lady offers tales of desire and madness from this giant of Brazilian literature. "The morning became a long, drawn-out afternoon that became depthless night dawning innocently through the house."

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. Television Was a Baby Crawling Toward That Deathchamber 'Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes! - and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing by the watermelons?' Profane and prophetic verses about sex, death, revolution...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. The Veiled Woman 'What did she expect of him? What was her quest? Did she have an unfulfilled desire?' Transgressive desires and sexual encounters are recounted in these four pieces from one of the greatest writers...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. Dispatch the maimed, the old, the weak, destroy the very world itself, for what is the point of life if the promise of fulfilment lies elsewhere? On the windswept coast of rural Suffolk, a deranged scientist...

The collectible, limited edition box set of all 50 brilliant books in the Penguin Modern series. This box set of the 50 books in the new Penguin Modern series celebrates the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics list and its iconic authors. Including avant-garde essays, radical polemics, newly translated poetry, and great fiction, here are brilliant and diverse voices...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. Oh the cruelty of time, that destroys all things! Beguiling, strange and hair-raising tales from early 20th century Japan—Nagai's Behind the Prison, Uno's Closet LLB and Akutagawa's deeply macabre General Kim.

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. She felt a cozy solidarity with the big company of the voluntary dead. Wise-cracking and heartbreaking, these tales of women on the edge by the legendary wit Dorothy Parker show the darkness beneath the surface of...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. New York City in 1979 by Kathy Acker is a vivid tale of art, sex, blood, junkies, and whores in New York's underground. This work comes from the cult literary icon Kathy Acker, renowned for her...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. Now Brando looked at people with assurance, and with what can only be called a pitying expression, as though he dwelt in spheres of enlightenment where they, to his regret, did not. This mesmerizing profile of...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. Do I wish to keep up with the times? No. My wish simply is to live my life as fully as I can. The great American poet, novelist, and environmental activist argues for a life lived...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. It's an improbable city, Bologna – like one you might walk through after you have died. A dreamlike meditation on memory, food, paintings, a fond uncle and the improbable beauty of Bologna, from the visionary thinker...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. The Finger explores a myriad of bizarre and compelling vignettes. "He felt a sudden deep pity for the finger joint that lay there on the dresser, a few drops of blood gathering around the white bone."...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. The End 'They didn't seem to take much interest in my private parts which to tell the truth were nothing to write home about, I didn't take much interest in them myself.' From the master of...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. See my hand up-tipped, learn the secret of my human heart... Soaring, freewheeling snapshots of life on the road across America, from the Beat writer who inspired a generation.

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. Sadder than salad. From apples to artichokes, these glittering, fragmented, painterly portraits of food by the avant-garde pioneer Gertrude Stein are redolent of sex, laughter, and the joy of everyday life.

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. He needed to hear Africa speak for itself after a lifetime of hearing Africa spoken about by others. Africa's Tarnished Name features electrifying essays on the history, complexity, and diversity of a continent, from the father...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. 'The illegible signature of teetering disaster' Three great stories—The Aurelian, Signs and Symbols, and Lance—the latter is both a derisive attack on science fiction and an attempt to imagine the real pain and horror that would...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. The Three Electroknights poses the question, "What use to a being that lives beneath a sun are jewels of gas and silver stars of ice?" From a giant of twentieth-century science fiction, these four miniature space...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. The Skeleton's Holiday by Leonora Carrington features dreamlike, carnivalesque fables by one of the leading lights of the Surrealist movement. These tales are masterpieces of invention and grand-guignol humour. "Ring for your maid, and when she...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. Of Dogs and Walls offers an evocative glimpse into the subtle nuances of human experience. 'Though their house was new, the wall had been there a long time.' In these two stories, which have never before...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. The Problem that Has No Name poses the question: 'What if she isn't happy - does she think men are happy in this world? Doesn't she know how lucky she is to be a woman?' The...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. Everything was dead, everything unreal; the dark mob was made up of stiff lay-figures One of America's greatest writers explores mob violence, voyeurism, and betrayal in these unforgettable tales of Californian life.

Fifty new books at €1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. 'I have lived in important places, times When great events were decided . . .' By turns comical, grouchy and exalted, and including his tragic masterpiece The Great Hunger, some of the key poems by the...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. The Survivor presents a selection of poetry from the author of If This is a Man and The Periodic Table. "Back, away from here, drowned people, go. I haven't stolen anyone's place."

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. Like rotting stakes in a forest clearing The great journalist of conflict in the Third World finds an even stranger and more exotic society in his own home of post-War Poland.

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. Death the Barber The alphabet of the trees is fading in the song of the leaves Filled with bright, unforgettable images, the deceptively simple work of William Carlos Williams revolutionised American verse, and made him one...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. It was what we call in the trade a potato... Tales of low-lifes and grifters trying to make ends meet in pre-War Germany.

Fifty new books at €1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. My heart brims with billows and minnows of shadows and silver Beautiful, brutal, strange and lovely — this is Lorca reborn, in a selection of previously unpublished pieces and masterful new translations.

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. She had lived by delays; she had meant to stop drinking; she had put off the time, and now she had smashed her car. At once harsh and tender, expansive and acutely funny, this is the...

For the first time in English, a glittering novella about stardom and disillusionment. All eyes are upon Rikio. And he likes it, mostly. His fans cheer from a roped-off section, screaming and yelling to attract his attention. They would kill for a moment alone with him. Finally the director sets up the shot, the camera begins to roll, someone yells...