Comedy Essays

To overcome a crisis of melancholy after the death of his father, Montaigne withdrew to his country estates and began to write, and in the highly original essays that resulted he discussed themes such as fathers and children, conscience and cowardice, coaches and cannibals, and, above all, himself.

Brought to you by Penguin. The articles collected in George Orwell's Essays illuminate the life and work of one of the most individual writers of this century - a man who elevated political writing to an art. This outstanding collection brings together Orwell's longer, major essays and a fine...

Sir Francis Bacon, sometimes known as the father of empiricism, was one of the major political figures of his day, his career culminating as Lord Chancellor under King James I in 1617. Bacon wrote widely, but it is the Essays (published in its third edition in 1625, the year before his death) for which he is best known. Deftly written and often displaying a cutting wit, they cover a wide range of subjects including death, love, marriage, ambition and atheism.

For fans of the perceptive comedy of Hannah Gadsby, Lindy West, and Sarah Silverman, Academy Award–nominated and acclaimed stand-up comedian Jena Friedman presents a “smart and thoughtful and even a little offensive” (Sacha Baron Cohen) collection of essays on the cultural flashpoints of...

A searing memoir of a broken childhood and the hope of escaping it—from the iconic Black Flag frontman and legendary punk musician Henry Rollins. What happens when a child grows up in a total vacuum of love? That was the reality for Henry Rollins, pioneering punk frontman of the seminal groups...

In her first major work since Holy Envy, one of our most luminous spiritual writers offers an intimate vision of the sacred work of being human, shaped by three decades of living close to the land. “Why do so many religious people look up for comfort instead of down, as if heaven were our only...

From the critically acclaimed author of the cult-classic Monstrilio comes a fever dream novel of twins and trickery, broken bones and brokenness, and of monsters, mischief, and mayhem! “No one captures the intricacies of the human mind and all of its gorgeous pathologies like Gerardo Sámano...

From the “most talented writer of his generation” (The New York Times), a lightning flash of a novel that is at once a gripping emotional drama and a brilliant examination of the devices, digital and literary, we use to store—or to erase—our memories. The narrator of Ben Lerner’s new...

How do you land a sweet six-figure marketing gig at the hallowed record label known for having signed everyone from Led Zeppelin to Stone Temple Pilots? You start with a resume like Dan Kennedy's: Dressed up as a member of Kiss every Halloween Memorized Led Zeppelin IV at age ten ...

Michael Heide beschreibt mit "schönster Tag" eine besondere Begegnung an der S-Bahn im Haubtbahnhof, der er liebevoll den schönsten Tag des Lebens wünscht. Allerdings mit nicht unerheblichen Folgen.
Florian Hoffmann erzählt in seinem Text "Fruchtfliegen" mit überzeugendem Einsatz seiner Stimme, wie man die lästigen Obstbegleiter schnell loswerden kann.
Andrej Schindhelm gibt mit seinem Text "Warmluftfront" eine wunderbare Performance, die nicht nur heiße Luft verbreitet.
Jacinta Nandi lebt seit zehn Jahren in Deutschland. Sie macht herrliche Beobachtungen über die Merkwürdigkeiten der Deutschen, die sie in Ihrem Text "Beginners Guide to Deutsche Hobbys" zusammen gefasst hat.
Regina Mengel hat sich einmal intensiv Gedanken über Gedanken gemacht und kommt dabei zu einem überraschendem Schluss.
Andrea Meyer lässt Schauder über den Rücken jagen. Ihr Text spricht Bände: "Ich liebe dich zu Tode".
Luisa Joyce hat es geschafft, mit "Verlorengegangen" eine berührende Meldung zu schreiben, die zeigt, das auch kurze Texte sehr stark sein können.