During 1963, as the United States was yielding to the second British invasion, master painter Marc Chagall exhibited his work La Revolution in Europe, demonstrating his unique genius, a blending Russian Expressionism with French Cubist influences. Though it is almost a certainty that the chivalrous artist had no intention that fateful morning of rescuing a lady in distress on the boardwalk of Nice, their serendipitous affair would inspire him to create, perhaps, his most colorful masterpiece of all La Reine du Carnival de Nice. Fast-forward to the mid-1990's. The Berlin Wall had long since fallen, Marc Chagall had died, his painting was worth a fortune, and it was about to become the center of an odyssey, a twisting and turning saga where a murder results in freedom from a callous prison, an enchanted journey of champagne dreams and white lightning nightmares of reality, a magnetic story that would involve an international cast of interesting, sympathetic, and sinister characters. None of them seemed to know all the facts surrounding the valuable artwork, but each player intended to become wealthy. The fascinating events spanned over forty years and captivated people from three continents. Discover how the artist Marc Chagall, the last great survivor of the School of Paris, his Russian beauty, a California entrepreneur, an Ophthalmologist, a Polish ex-convict, and his gullible brother all converge in an adventure that will end when only one person finally has The Lost Chagall.

Selected for Choice's list of Outstanding Academic Books for 1997. A comprehensive overview of China's 3,000 years of literary history, from its beginnings to the present day. After an introductory section discussing the concept of literature and other features of traditional Chinese society crucial to understanding its writings, the second part is broken into five major time periods (earliest times to 100 c.e.; 100-1000; 1000-1875; 1875-1915; and 1915 to the present) corresponding to changes in book production. The development of the major literary genres is traced in each of these periods. The reference section in the cloth edition includes an annotated bibliography of more than 120 pages; the paper edition has a shorter bibliography and is intended for classroom use.

First Published in 1998. This volume will surely be regarded as the standard guide to Russian literature for some considerable time to come... It is therefore confidently recommended for addition to reference libraries, be they academic or public.

A film, video, and DVD guide for the true lover of the cinema, this volume focuses on independent and international films as well as the best of the mainstream. 450 photos throughout.

*Detailed indexes by star, director, genre, country of origin, and theme *Lavishly illustrated with over 450 photos *Comprehensive selection of international cinema from over 50 countries *Over 9,000 films reviewed *Up-to-date information on video availability and pricing *Appendices with award listings, TLA Bests, and recommended films

This is the absolutely indispensable guide to worthwhile cinema. It includes over 10,000 entries on the best of film and video that a real film lover might actually want to see.