For hundreds of years, Barcelona and Madrid have shared a deep rivalry. Throughout history, they have competed in practically every aspect of social life, sport, politics, and culture. While competition between cities is commonplace in many nations around the world, in the case of Barcelona and Madrid it has been, on occasion, excessively antagonistic. Over time they have each tried to demonstrate that one was more modern than the other, or more avant-garde, or richer, or more athletic, and so on. Fortunately, the Spain of today is a democracy and every nation and region of the State has the liberty to act. As such, the rivalry between these two capitals has become productive not only for the cities themselves, but also for Spain as a whole. One hundred years ago, at the onset of the Historical Avant-Garde in Spain, the connections between Barcelona and Madrid consisted of a complicated web of politics, friendships, publications, and inter-art collaborations. Over the last century, the antagonistic relationship between these two cultural capitals has been dismissed as simply a fact of life and thereby scholars, for the most part, have focused only on Barcelona or Madrid when addressing this cultural moment. By delving deep into the myriad of cultural and political complexities that surround these two cities from the onset of Futurism (1909) to the arrival of Surrealism in Spain (1929), a complex social and cultural network is revealed. Networking between artists, poets, journalists and thinkers connected avant-garde Barcelona and Madrid, thereby creating synergy for this artistic and literary movement. In a hybrid, transdisciplarian, translingual and historical approach using a wide range of visual and textual artifacts, the complexity of interactions described here opens our imagination to new ways of thinking about culture.

Cafeteria food may be hazardous to your health. Poor Milo Groot -- he's sprawled on the cafeteria floor, his cracked glasses inches away from his white face. Could it be the apple chili dogs? Could it be poison? Kids at the middle school are dropping like flies, and Sebastian Barth suspects there's something fishier than tuna dreamboats behind the epidemic. The trouble is, too many cooks have had the chance to spoil the stew. Sebastian finds out. At least he thinks he does, but he soon discovers that whipping up a dramatic disclosure without all the ingredients is a recipe for disaster.

HE'S FOUGHT FOR HIS LANDS, HIS MARRIAGE, AND HIS KING. THE FIGHT FOR HIS SOUL IS JUST BEGINNING. "He's alive." With these two words, the world as Sebastian knows it will never be the same. The news that his cousin Konrad—his sworn enemy and abusive first husband of his beloved wife Adela—means that his marriage is no longer valid. Even the high king Charlemagne cannot challenge the decision of a powerful emerging Church. Sebastian can do nothing but watch as the love of his life enters a convent. This epic tale of love and honor sweeps the reader back into the fascinating 9th century world of the incomparable Charlemagne. No mere military account of conquests and battles, this is a rich, well-rounded period drama and an authentic recreation of the early medieval world. Book I of this three-volume series was highly recommended by the Historical Novel Society. The second novel does not disappoint, as the hero is sent from the king’s Rhineland court to three preeminent capitals of the 9th-century medieval world: Constantinople, Jerusalem, and Baghdad. Through his courage under pressure, original ideas, and steadfast service to the king Sebastian has become one of Charlemagne’s twelve paladins, a high honor, but the cost is also high. He loses his beloved wife and family, becomes entangled with other beautiful women, and is submerged into a foreign world of intrigue and betrayal. Becoming a paladin changes Sebastian from a young man of faith and character into a hard-bitten warrior in a ruthless world. Thus the latter part of the novel presents a swirling adventure but also a parable of the ruin and redemption of a professional soldier.

Sebastian, the little freckle, lands on earth one day and finds himself on the face of an adventurous human child. Together they experience a series of exciting and magical adventures that deepen their friendship in a special way and make them see the world with new eyes. The second part of the Sebastian story revolves around the birthday of Sebastian's best friend Lukas. Sebastian is really looking forward to this special day and the celebration. But as is often the case with birthday parties, there are some unexpected twists and surprises that make the day even more exciting. This e-book is a read-aloud book and contains the texts from Part 1 and Part 2. The printed editions also feature colorful illustrations as well as interactive puzzles and coloring pages. Each book is available individually and is self-contained.

From high-flying executive of one of London's biggest advertising agencies to drunken shelf-stocker in less than the time it takes to dream…The 35 year-old Sebastian Smith had just about everything. A brilliant career, lots of City friends and he was engaged to Anne, a Kensington antiques dealer.Now he has nothing but his past, which holds a terrible secret...