Palace intrigues abound in the story of the first calender, a wandering Sufi of royal birth: on a visit to his uncle's kingdom, the young prince is sworn to secrecy by his cousin, who then disappears; on his return home, he finds that his father has been overthrown by the grand-vizir, who harbours a special grudge against the prince. The mystery of his cousin's disappearance and his escape from the treacherous vizir are revealed in this, the eleventh of 34 tales in the classic "Arabian Nights" collection translated by Andrew Lang. A treasure-trove of timeless stories, the One Thousand and One Nights or Arabian Nights have been loved, imitated, and added to over many centuries. Similar to the fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm, the Arabian Nights are drawn from the folklore of India, Iran and the Middle East, and were collected in Arabic versions throughout the medieval period; others were added as recently as the eighteenth century. These stories of the exotic East have been popularised for new generations by film adaptations such as Disney's Aladdin, starring Robin Williams and Gilbert Gottfried in 1992, and Will Smith in 2019, and Dreamworks' Sinbad, starring Brad Pitt and Michelle Pfeiffer. They continue to inspire writers as varied as Marcel Proust and Neil Gaiman, while numerous Bollywood and manga versions attest to their popularity around the world. These stories of magic, adventure and romance have shaped readers' imaginations for generations, and are sure to be retold for years to come. This selection was translated by Andrew Lang from the French versions by Antoine Galland, who was the first to include the stories of Aladdin and Ali Baba. Born in Scotland in 1844, Lang was a scholar of ancient Greek, a journalist, historian, novelist and poet, and the author of 25 popular collections of fairy tales; his edition of the Arabian Nights' Entertainment was published in 1898. He became a Fellow of the British Academy in 1906, and died in 1912.

Il est grand d'être à Miami... Est-ce ironiquement que Michel Georges-Michel, impitoyable témoin de l'inhumanité des nations pendant la grande épreuve, a choisi ce titre, slogan publicitaire de la célèbre plage de Floride ? Que sont devenus les milliers de passagers abandonnés en mer - ou qui y furent rejetés - par la cruauté, la crainte, ou la cupidité de tant de pays où ils espéraient trouver refuge ; entre autres, les sept cent cinquante Espagnols restés sans ressources dans une île déserte des Caraïbes ? Les apatrides, errant comme des fantômes de frontière en frontière ; les indigents, envoyés au fond des forêts vierges, et de qui l'on n'entendit plus jamais parler ? Et David Adams, jeune savant français, héros de ce livre, luttant seul dans les inquiétants paradis de Saint-Domingue, Cuba et Miami contre la tragique paperasserie américaine ? À travers le monde en flammes, qui l'aura emporté, des races ou des patries ? Et tant de problèmes posés par l'auteur, qui a vécu la plupart de ces aventures, mais les raconte avec sa verve caustique de chroniqueur parisien.

Le Baiser à Consuelo est le récit d'une aventure qui pourrait aussi bien s'intituler "la peur". La personnalité frémissante, mystique, presque fanatique de l'héroïne ; l'imposante, terrifiante et curieuse silhouette de son mari, nous mettent en présence de conflits et de psychologies choisies par Michel Georges-Michel ; un roman troublant, attachant et poétique, aux personnages tout en relief.