On the Margin: Notes and Essays
Apr 2020 · Otbebookpublishing
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160
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About this ebook
Excerpt: "From Bocca di Magra to Bocca d'Arno, mile after mile, the sandy beaches smoothly, unbrokenly extend. Inland from the beach, behind a sheltering belt of pines, lies a strip of coastal plain—flat as a slice of Holland and dyked with slow streams. Corn grows here and the vine, with plantations of slim poplars interspersed, and fat water-meadows. Here and there the streams brim over into shallow lakes, whose shores are fringed with sodden fields of rice. And behind this strip of plain, four or five miles from the sea, the mountains rise, suddenly and steeply: the Apuan Alps. Their highest crests are of bare limestone, streaked here and there with the white marble which brings prosperity to the little towns that stand at their feet: Massa and Carrara, Serravezza, Pietrasanta. Half the world's tombstones are scooped out of these noble crags. Their lower slopes are grey with olive trees, green 10with woods of chestnut. Over their summits repose the enormous sculptured masses of the clouds."
About the author
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) was an English writer and philosopher, renowned for his profound and often controversial explorations of society, technology, and human consciousness. Born into an illustrious family—his grandfather was the famous biologist T.H. Huxley, and his brother Julian Huxley was a noted biologist—Aldous was steeped in intellectual rigor from an early age. Despite a severe eye disease that left him nearly blind in his youth, Huxley pursued a literary career with remarkable tenacity.Huxley's early works were characterized by their satirical edge and keen social commentary, but it was his later works that cemented his legacy as a visionary thinker. His dystopian novel "Brave New World" (1932) remains a cornerstone of speculative fiction, offering a chilling vision of a future dominated by technology and authoritarian control. This work, along with his essays and lectures, positioned Huxley as a critical observer of modernity, questioning the ethical implications of scientific progress and the loss of individuality.Huxley's interest in mysticism and psychedelic substances, particularly his experiments with mescaline documented in "The Doors of Perception" (1954), prefigured the countercultural movements of the 1960s. His advocacy for expanded consciousness and his critiques of materialism influenced a generation of thinkers, including Timothy Leary and the broader psychedelic movement.Controversial yet undeniably influential, Huxley's work continues to resonate, prompting readers to reflect on the complexities of human experience in an increasingly mechanized world. His legacy endures as a testament to the power of literature to challenge and transform societal norms.
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