The extraordinary life story of science fiction and fantasy writer Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) who, in spite of remaining for many years on the sidelines of the mainstream literature, managed to be recognized as one of the most remarkable US writers of all time, due to the relevance of her work and her commitment to the human condition.
An account of the life and work of the Swiss writer Johanna Spyri (1827-1901), the barely known artistic mother of Heidi, her brave alpine heroine, who was first introduced to the world between 1880 and 1881, in a novel published in two parts, and became definitely immortal thanks to an anime series, released in 1974, directed by the Japanese genius Isao Takahata.
The story of the making of The Bell Jar, the unique, semi-autobiographical novel written by American writer Sylvia Plath (1932-63), published in February 1963, shortly before her death.
The story of Fantômas, the first villain of modernity, from his birth in 1911 as a novel character to his contemporary vicissitudes, passing through Louis Feuillade, André Hunebelle, surrealism and Moscow.
In 1818, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, a powerful and timelessness novel which eternal theme is nothing other than man's quest for the secret of life. Since then, the Creature became a pop culture icon, overshadowing the novel and Doctor Frankenstein himself.
A first-person account of the life and work of Spanish writer Antonio Gala.
The convoluted and moving story of Russian writer Vassili Grossman (1905-64) and his novel Life and Fate (1980), a literary masterpiece, a monumental and epic account of life under Stalin's regime of terror, a defiant cry that the KGB tried to suffocate.
A portrait of the German-language Czech writer Franz Kafka (1883-1924), a mysterious, strange and solitary individual, but also a visionary creator.
Dracula, l'éternel
An account of the life and work of the charismatic Spanish writer Terenci Moix (1942-2003).
The story of Swedish journalist and writer Stieg Larsson (1954–2004), author of the “Millennium” trilogy, and his pioneering work in the fight against right-wing extremists and neo-Nazis; an obsession with fatal consequences.
A bitter postcard of the town of the Buenos Aires countryside that Argentinean writer Manuel Puig (1932-90) portrayed with singular mastery, based on his own land, a town named General Villegas. Its inhabitants never forgave him. However, a woman, owner of a painful and enigmatic past, will build a bridge between Coronel Vallejos, the town created by Puig, and the real General Villegas, trying to reconcile the place with the writer.
A documentary by author Steven Goldleaf. This 2003 extremely low-budget 32-minute documentary traces the geographic roots of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby, setting straight Fitzgerald scholars’ mistaken assumptions (including some in the authoritative 1991 annotated Cambridge edition of the novel) about where the novel was set, where Fitzgerald deliberately distorted the geography for literary effect, where he misapplied his geographic knowledge of Long Island and New York City. It traces where Fitzgerald lived and traveled as he was composing the novel, with many photographs of these locations in the mid-1920s. In one instance WHAT GATSBY SAW identifies (with a contemporary photograph) the precise location of the fatal automobile accident at the story’s climax, which had never before been definitively established. (credit Steven Goldleaf).
An unparalleled portrait of Arthur Miller (1915-2005), a major writer who left an indelible mark on the world. Miller's life is intimately connected with the great themes that marked the 20th century. Glamour, fame, social criticism and Marilyn Monroe.
Louis Guilloux (1899-1980) is one of the great figures of 20th-century literature. Rolland Savidan and Florence Mahé's film accurately retraces the writer's career and his commitments to the century, while emphasizing the significance of his work.
La Véritable Histoire du comte de Monte Cristo
An analysis of The Kindly Ones, Jonathan Littell's controversial novel, published in 2006, which dissects the ruthless mechanisms of the Shoah from the detached point of view of Maximilian Aue, a high-ranking Nazi officer.
The American writer Stephen King has been one of the world's best-selling authors for decades. How can the overwhelming success of his numerous works be explained? Perhaps by the boundless inventiveness of his literature? And what else is behind the longevity of his astonishing career?
A look at the world of US writer Paul Auster, on the occasion of the publication of his new novel, an exploration of human identity and the soul of New York, the city that Auster has portrayed as no one else has ever done.
Reading Gaol, England, 1896. Prisoner C33, starving and thin, unable to wash properly, is a brilliant writer, husband and father of two, once the most beloved artist in Victorian London. His real name is Oscar Wilde.