In the year 1731, Alexandre Lourenco watches as his brother Bartolomeu’s airship, the Passarola, ascends from the ramparts of St. Jorge’s Castle in Lisbon. When the brothers board the ship, they embark on a journey that will take them from the salons and bordellos of Enlightenment Paris to the desolate far reaches of the North Pole, in search of scientific truth and knowledge. As they encounter such characters as the loquacious Voltaire and the irascible King Stanislaus of Poland, and attempt to escape Russian enemy fire and the condemnation of Portugal’s Cardinal Conti, Alexandre hopes to find his calling in life, while his brother keeps his eyes on the Passarola’s next horizon. A delightful picaresque tale filled with evocative period detail, Azhar Abidi’s debut is not only a story of adventure and suspense, but a thoughtful book on the nature of truth, and a heartfelt portrait of the relationship between brothers.

Inventing a peculiar airship that he uses to escape the intellectually stultifying climate of Portugal, Bartolomeu Loureno and his brother, Alexandre, travel the world in search of the truth, from the salons and bordellos of Ancien Rgime Paris to the Polish kingdom of Stanislaus. A first novel. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.

Refusing to join her son and daughter-in-law in their new home in Australia, Pakistani woman Bilqis Ara Begum witnesses the rising insurgency in 1980s Kashmir and observes a forbidden relationship between her servant girl and a neighbor boy.

A biographical and bibliographical guide to current writers in all fields including poetry, fiction and nonfiction, journalism, drama, television and movies. Information is provided by the authors themselves or drawn from published interviews, feature stories, book reviews and other materials provided by the authors/publishers.

In Karachi, Bilqis Ara Begum, Proud Custodian Of Her Family&Rsquo;S Traditions, Prepares For The Wedding Reception Of Her Son Samad. The Family Has Gathered, The Servants Have Been Given Their Instructions, The Invitations Sent To Pakistan&Rsquo;S Upper Crust. But Bilqis Is Restless&Mdash;This Is Not What She Had Planned For Her Only Son: Kate, Whom Samad Has Recently Married, Is Australian And Middle Class. While Bilqis Struggles To Reassure Herself Of Her Son&Rsquo;S Commitment To The Family, Their Customs And, Most Of All, To Herself, Pakistan Is Facing Turmoil. Having Fortified His Dictatorship Through A Sham Referendum, General Zia Is Now Set On Imposing Orthodox Muslim Law On The Country, And News From The Border Is Of An Imminent Insurgency In Kashmir. Yet, Against The Threats To The Liberal Space She Has Always Accepted As Her Privilege, Bilqis Stands Firm&Mdash;Drawing Strength From The Values Of Her Aristocratic Parents And Memories Of Her Carefree Childhood In Undivided India&Mdash;And Refuses, With Characteristic Obstinacy, To Join Samad In Australia. Then She Stumbles Upon Her Servant Girl Mumtaz&Rsquo;S Secret Affair With A Kashmiri Freedom Fighter&Mdash;A Reckless Tryst That Threatens To Destroy The Girl&Rsquo;S Honour But For Which She Claims To Have No Regrets&Mdash;And Bilqis Is Left To Examine The Convictions That Have So Long Determined Her Life And Her Faith In Those Around Her. Twilight Confirms Azhar Abidi&Rsquo;S Stunning Talent For Nuanced Storytelling And Vivid, Evocative Prose. It Is A Captivating Novel About Love And Loyalty, Exile And Conflict, And Ultimately About The Inherent Comforts And Trials Of The Mother&Ndash;Son Bond.

本书是一部澳大利亚研究中英文论文集，由40余位外专门从事澳大利亚研究的专家和学者撰写。从人类文明发展史与当今世界日益全球化的双重视角探讨澳大利亚作为亚太区域一个重要国家的发展与变化，包括中澳关系，澳大利亚的历史、政治、文学、教育、语言、新闻媒体、经济，以及生态与环保研究等诸多领域，从不同侧面探讨和研究澳大利亚及其社会特征，反映了澳大利亚研究的最新成果。