Anthologies & Short Stories

Book SynopsisWith this, his first collection, Carver breathed new life into the short story.Trade ReviewCarver is the king of short fiction. His writing hits you in the pit of your stomach, and haunts you with its disenchantment. It's almost visceral. -- Natasha Lunn * Red *Carver has made himself the natural successor to his true mentor, Chekhov * Financial Times *He is alert to the unique, inconspicuous incident, when a life or a marriage may change course decisively * Sunday Telegraph *Carver's stories celebrate some lasting aspects of the human condition, however minimal, conjuring up a quality of fellow feeling which gives the stories a compelling, dry-eyed poignancy, a melancholy but intensely moving authenticity -- William Boyd * Daily Telegraph *There is nobody else like him. In some ways his pared-down style is an extreme development of the Hemingway style, but Carver writes about women and the ways men relate to them far more convincingly than Hemingway ever did * Frank Kermode *

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Book SynopsisThese seven stories were the last that Carver wrote. Among them is one of his longest, ''Errand'', in which he imagines the death of Chekhov, a writer Carver hugely admired and to whose work his own was often compared. This fine story suggests that the greatest of modern short-story writers may, in the year before his untimely death, have been flexing his muscles for a longer work.Trade ReviewCarver's stories celebrate some lasting aspects of the human condition, however minimal, conjuring up a quality of fellow feeling, which gives the stories a compelling, dry-eyed poignancy, a melancholy but intensely moving authenticity -- William Boyd * Daily Telegraph *This dazzling little collection is a treat * Guardian *All the stories in this collection are superb. Each sucks the reader, with magical speed, into the hearts of the characters, while seeming to say almost nothing about them. And they are not always gloomy, these hearts * Independent *A collection of stories it would be hard to forget -- Peter Kemp * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisJulian Barnes is the author of thirteen novels, including The Sense of an Ending, which won the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, and Sunday Times bestsellers The Noise of Time and The Only Story. He has also written three books of short stories, four collections of essays and three books of non-fiction, including the Sunday Times number one bestseller Levels of Life and Nothing To Be Frightened Of, which won the 2021 Yasnaya Polyana Prize in Russia. In 2017 he was awarded the Légion d'honneur.Trade ReviewAlways intelligent and perceptive, but so beautifully written that it's easy to understand. * Week *Crisp with witty, urbane intelligence. * Sunday Times *Wonderfully ironic, perceptive and at times tender... Barnes has created something unique in his work, a particular way of looking at life, at words, at relationships, which is the mark of every true stylist * Financial Times *His writing demonstrates the billowing lightness of imagination... reading these stories, you perceive and love France afresh... Cross Channel is characterised by the intelligence, irony and wit you associate with his writing, but it is also suffused with feeling, deeply seasoned with affection * Independent *A glittering collection of stories... His marvellously supple and exact prose is matched with subjects that powerfully stir his creativity... It's impossible to imagine a fictional panorama of Britain's long relationship with France realized with more cordial understanding * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisWhat We Talk About When We Talk About Love is Carver''s most famous collection of short stories and remians one of the most influential pieces of modern literature to date. But the original, unedited manuscript, Beginners published here for the first time, was almost fifty per cent longer than the published collection. This restored version of Carver''s stories reveals what was previously unsaid, filling in the narrative silences that have both inspired and mystified readers for so long. Beginners is a fascinating insight into the aesthetic of a literary great and, in the questions it raises, may just spark off one of the great cultural debates of our times.Trade ReviewBeginners is unlikely to replace What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Instead, it will be in dialogue with it, because the story has no end: there will always be afterthoughts -- Sarah Churchwell * Guardian *Hopefully, thanks to Gallagher, every small, vital nuance, every moving observation, each choice of word as Carver wrote it, is there to be seen; that is why Carver cared enough to begin setting it right, and others have now finished the task -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times *An extraordinary book, more generous and rambling in tone than its distilled counterpart -- Tim Adams * Observer *The most interesting book of the year * Sunday Telegraph *an extraordinary book, and probably the most influential story collection of the past 30 years -- Tim Adams * Observer *

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Book SynopsisWritten in the same period as Mrs Dalloway these seven short stories show the author''s fascination with parties and with all the excitement, the fluctuations of mood and temper and the heightened emotions which surround these social occasions. Mrs Dalloway''s Party is enchanting piece of work by one of our most acclaimed twentieth-century writers.Trade ReviewFull of insightful monologues about human frailty, these stories are a stand-alone delight worth investigating * Stylist *Mesmerising -- Val Hennessey * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisA teenage son shoots himself under his parents'' bed. They sleep that night unaware he is lying dead beneath them.A stranger turns up at a man''s door to persude him that they must get rid of his ageing mother in order to sell the house.An old man grumbles to his daughter about the unexplained digging and banging he hears under the house at night. As each story unfolds, Amos Oz, builds a portrait of a village in Israel. It is a surreal and unsettling place. Each villager is searching for something, and behind each episode is another, hidden story. In this powerful, hynotic work Amos Oz peers into the darkness of our lives and gives us a glimpse of what goes on beneath the surface of everyday existence.By the winner of the 2013 Franz Kafka Prize, previous winners of which include Philip Roth, Ivan Klima, Elfriede Jelinek, Harold Pinter and John Banville.Trade ReviewThis is a dark book, with a dark vision of contemporary Israel… The whole, rich, disturbing mixture makes one feel as if something dark is digging away at the foundations, something unnameable ready to emerge. It is one of the most powerful books you will read about present-day Israel. -- David Herman * Jewish Chronicle *These stories have both force and mystery, and they cast a quiet spell * Scotland on Sunday *A powerfully bleak portrait of loneliness, confusion and cracked bonds * The Times *These stories, in their humanity, may do more for Israel than any of the decisions we have been led to expect of its leaders in the months to come * New Statesman *I enjoyed Amos Oz's Scenes From Village Life a great deal... it explores what is universal, what is entirely idiosyncratic, about daily life in Israel away from the obvious conflicts -- Kate Kellaway * Observer *

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Book SynopsisJohn Jackson Miller is the New York Times bestselling author of the Scribe Award-winning Star Wars: Kenobi as well as Star Wars: A New Dawn, Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith, Star Wars: Knight Errant, and the Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic graphic novel collections from Marvel. He has written novels and comics for other franchises including Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Halo, Iron Man, Mass Effect, Planet of the Apes, and The Simpsons. A comics industry historian, he lives in Wisconsin with his family, assorted wildlife, and far too many comic books.

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Book SynopsisThis is a collection of the very best of William Faulkner's short stories. Included are classics of short-form fiction such as A Bear Hunt', A Rose for Emily', Two Soldiers' and The Brooch'. Faulkner's ability to compress his epic vision into narratives of such grace and tragic intensity defines him as one of the finest and most original writers America has ever produced.

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Book SynopsisWe all know Jeeves and Wooster, but which is the best Jeeves story? We all know Blandings, but which is the funniest tale about Lord Emsworth and his adored prize-winning pig? And would the best of Ukridge, or the yarns of the Oldest Member, or Wodehouse''s Hollywood stories outdo them? This bumper anthology allows you to choose, bringing you the cream of the crop of stories by the twentieth century''s greatest humorous writer.There are favourites aplenty in this selection, which has been compiled with enthusiastic support from P.G. Wodehouse societies around the world. With additional material including novel extracts, working drafts, articles, letters and poems, this anthology provides the best overall celebration of side-splitting humour and sheer good nature available in the pages of any book.Trade ReviewSublime comic genius . . . light as a feather, but fabulous -- Ben EltonP.G. Wodehouse wrote the best English comic novels of the century -- Sebastian Faulks * Independent on Sunday *Wodehouse is the greatest comic writer -- Douglas AdamsThe funniest writer ever to put words on paper -- Hugh LaurieWitty and effortlessly fluid. His books are laugh-out-loud funny -- Arabella Weir

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Book SynopsisJulian Barnes is the author of thirteen novels, including The Sense of an Ending, which won the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, and Sunday Times bestsellers The Noise of Time and The Only Story. He has also written three books of short stories, four collections of essays and three books of non-fiction, including the Sunday Times number one bestseller Levels of Life and Nothing To Be Frightened Of, which won the 2021 Yasnaya Polyana Prize in Russia. In 2017 he was awarded the Légion d'honneur.Trade ReviewPulse is Barnes’s 17th book and is a masterclass in the shorter form. -- Elizabeth Day * Observer *Julian Barnes writes so exquisitely that every page of this collection contains literary pearls * Mail on Sunday *All the stories in Pulse have the absolute completeness and density of the very best short fiction * New Statesman *Masterclasses in the form, full of the sidelong wit and intelligence that make the writer one of our most consistently deft short-form stylists * Daily Telegraph *Barnes' stylish prose, eye for emotional detail and sense of absurdity never let him down... He suits the short story very well * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisIn the summer of 1936, before the outbreak of the Civil War that plunged Spain into three tears of agony and terror, eight-year-old Moncho is beginning his first day at school. Butterfly''s Tongue is about a friendship between the boy and his schoolmaster, born of their shared interest in animal and insect life. In Saxophone in the Mist a young musician discovers the meaning of music and of love in the face of a girl he meets on a foggy night at a fair; while in Carmina the boy listens as an old man relates how a village dog named Tarzan used to frustrate him in his attempts to woo his beloved.

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Book SynopsisEtgar Keret is an ingenious and original master of the short story. Radical, witty and always unusual, declared a ''genius'' by the New York Times, Keret brings all of his prodigious talent to bear in this bestselling collection.A man barges into a writer''s house and, holding a gun to his head, demands that he tell him a story, something to take him away from the real world. A pathological liar discovers one day that all the lies he tells come true. A young woman finds a zip in her boyfriend''s mouth, and when she opens it he unfolds to reveal a completely different man inside. Suddenly, a Knock on the Door is at once Keret''s most mature and most playful work yet, and establishes him as one of the great international writers of our time.Trade ReviewEtgar Keret has written several great books, but this is his greatest. These stories are the most funny, dark and poignant I've read in a long time. It's tempting to say they are his most Kafkaesque, but in fact they are his most Keretesque * Jonathan Safran Foer *Distinctive, understated and very funny... If you read only one book of short stories this year, it should be this one * Daily Mail *Etgar Keret is a great short story writer whose work is all the greater because it’s funny...The stories are all thought-experiments. What if, they ask. Why not? And, what the heck? Like all art, they are highly patterned, highly charged, refracted reflections on the chaos and randomness of everyday existence * Guardian *A maddening, abruptly moving and effortlessly funny collection ... Clever, relevant and oddly resonant, Suddenly a Knock on the Door is Keret’s best, most mature work and the perfect introduction to his sad, strange and moving fiction * Independent *At once sophisticated and anti-literary, extremely funny and slyly serious. While invariably set in contemporary Israel, and full of sex and violence, they also hark back to older storytelling traditions such as the parable, the folk tale and the absurdist fiction of Gogol and Kafka * Observer *

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Book SynopsisIn a godforsaken barn, Presidents Eisenhower, John Adams and Rutherford B Hayes are bemused to find themselves reincarnated as horses. Clyde and Magreb - he a traditional capes-and-coffins vampire, she the more progressive variety - settle in an Italian lemon grove in the hope that its ripe fruit will keep their thirst for blood at bay.Trade ReviewHer work has a velocity and a trajectroy that is little less than dazzling and a tough, enveloping, exhilarating voice than cannot be equaled. * Joy Williams, New York Times *A consistently arresting, frequently stunning collection...Even more impressive than Russell's critically acclaimed novel. * Kirkus Reviews *Karen Russell’s third book, the story collection “Vampires in the Lemon Grove,” should cement her reputation as one of the most remarkable fantasists writing today -- Elizabeth Hand * Washington Post *Russell can take Antarctic tailgaters, an army of seagulls or simply a window and twist a tale that explodes on the page and lingers in the mind -- Fiona Wilson * The Times *A touch of paradoxically grounding pixie humour. This way of writing is so clever that nothing needs to be added to the set-up… These stories have unbelievable strength -- M John Harrison * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisA gripping Quick Read from the master of the race against time thriller.Have you ever been in the wrong place at the wrong time?You are hiking in the Scottish highlands with three friends when you come across a girl.She is half-naked, has been badly beaten, and she can't speak English.She is clearly running away from someone.Do you stop to help her? Even if it means putting your friends' lives and your own - in terrible danger?Trade ReviewPace, pace, pace is what Simon Kernick does best. * Daily Mirror *Simon Kernick writes great plots, great characters, great action. * Lee Child *Simon Kernick writes with his foot pressed hard on the pedal. Hang on tight! * Harlen Coben *Simon Kernick uses every trick in the book to keep the action breakneck. * Time Out *From the first line, Simon Kernick knows how to get a thriller shifting, and he doesn't let up until the very last * Daily Mirror *

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Book SynopsisTwenty-one stories and a novella that will disturb and delight, from the author of Fight Club. The absurdity of both life and death are on full display. In ''Zombies'', the best and brightest of a high school become tragically addicted to the latest drug craze: electric shocks from cardiac defibrillators. In ''Knock, Knock'', a son hopes to tell one last off-colour joke to his dying father , while in ''Tunnel of Love'', a massage therapist runs the curious practice of providing ''relief'' to dying clients. And in ''Excursion'', Fight Club fans will be thrilled to find a side of Tyler Durden never seen before.Funny, caustic, bizarre, poignant; these stories represent everything readers have come to love and expect from Chuck Palahniuk.Trade ReviewTwenty-one stories and a novella to disturb and delight. * Bookseller *Looking back at Palahniuk’s body of work it seems shocking readers comes naturally to him; if that is what you’re looking for, you won’t be disappointed here. He clearly relishes pushing boundaries, playing with the absurd and the grotesque as a way to hold up a mirror to society. -- Claire Inman * Curious Animal Magazine *Palahniuk is in sublime, caustic form; his story subjects even more wickedly bold. -- Tanya Sweeney * Independent *Savage, disturbing and frequently hilarious, this is writing at its boldest. * Grazia *A rough but enjoyable ride. -- Chris Kirkham * Shortlist *

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Book SynopsisColin Barrett was born in 1982 and grew up in County Mayo. His stories have been published in The Stinging Fly, Granta, Harper's and the New Yorker. His first book, the short story collection Young Skins, won the 2014 Guardian First Book Award, the 2014 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award and the 2014 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. In 2018 Barrett was selected as the Rolex Arts Initiative protege in Literature. His debut novel is forthcoming from Jonathan Cape.Trade ReviewColin Barrett's sentences are lyrical and tough and smart, but there is something more here that makes him a really good writer. His stories are set in a familiar emotional landscape, but they give us endings that are new. What seems to be about sorrow and foreboding turns into an adventure, instead, in the tender art of the unexpected. -- Anne EnrightLanguage, structure, style - Colin Barrett has all the weapons at his disposal, and how, and he has an intuitive sense for what a short story is, and what it can do. -- Kevin BarryColin Barrett is a young man in the town of the short story, but it’s fair to say he has the run of the place. This is a joyously fine collection, crackling with energy and verve, fit for the back pocket of anyone who loves a good story well told. -- Jon McGregorMagnificent...A stunning debut... The timeless nature of each story means this collection can - and will - be read many years from now. * Sunday Times (Ireland) *Incredible… Human violence, beauty, brilliance of language – this book reminds you of the massive things you can do in short fiction. -- Evie Wyld

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Book SynopsisThese dazzling and utterly satisfying stories explore varieties and degrees of love - filial, platonic, sexual, parental, and imagined - in the lives of apparently ordinary folk.Complete, complex, and brilliantly structured' Daily TelegraphIn fact, Munro''s characters pulse with idiosyncratic life. Under the polished surface of these unsentimental dispatches from the small-town and rural front lies a strong undertow of violence and sexuality, repressed until something snaps, with extraordinary force in some of the stories, sadly and strangely in others.Winner of the Nobel Prize in LiteratureWinner of the Man Booker International Prize 2009Trade ReviewShe has a touch of genius * Mail on Sunday *Whatever it is that makes some writing come alive in every phrase and sentence, Alice Munro has it... I wouldn't willingly miss one of her stories * Sunday Times *Munro has been compared with Proust, shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and remains - though dazzling - quite unperturbed and unaffected, her writing smooth and supple * Financial Times *A work of great brilliance and depth... Munro's power of analysis, of sensation, and thoughts, is almost Proustian in its sureness * New Statesman *Only a few writers continue to create those full-bodied miniature universes of the old school. Some of her short stories are so ample and fulfilling that they feel like novels. They present whole landscapes and cultures, whole families of characters -- Anne Tyler

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Book SynopsisRead Alice Munro's dark and powerful exploration of the human heart in this ten-story collection.Brilliant at evoking life''s diversity and unpredictability...an unrivalled chronicler of human nature under a vast span of aspects, moods, and pressures' Sunday TimesA woman haunted by dreams of her dead mother. An adulterous couple stepping over the line where the initial excitement ends, and the pain begins. A widow visiting a Scottish village in search of her husband''s past - and instead, discovering unsettling truths about a total stranger. The ten stories in this collection not only astonish and delight but also convey the unspoken mysteries at the heart of all human experience.Winner of the Nobel Prize in LiteratureWinner of the Man Booker International Prize 2009Trade ReviewRead not more than one of her stories a day, and allow them to work their spell: they are made last * Observer *Alice Munro's stories, Friend of My Youth, are wonderful: intricate, deep, full of absorbing and funny detail, and opening into painful and tender memories with cunningly concealed skill * Independent on Sunday *She is our Chekhov, and is going to outlast most of her contemporaries -- Cynthia OzickBrilliant at evoking life's diversity and unpredictability...an unrivalled chronicler of human nature under a vast span of aspects, moods and pressures * Sunday Times *The particular brilliance of Alice Munro is that in range and depth her short stories are almost novels * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisWritten when Hemingway was at the height of his creative powers, the stories in Winner Take Nothing glow with the mark of his unique talent.Hunters, wives, old men of wisdom, waiters, fighters, women loved, women lost: they are all here, living on the raw edge, making love, facing the inevitable reality of death.The characters, the dialogue, the settings, the remarkable insight could have come only from Hemingway''s imagination. As an introduction to his work, or as an overview of the themes he developed at greater length in his novels, it is a stunningly successful collection. From one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisMuch maligned in pre-war Germany, the short story enjoyed a creative rebirth in 1945. Initially imported by the Allies, the form also matched perfectly the prevailing mood of irony, objectivity and mistrust of the didactic. With the original German text running alongside English translations, this collection features stories from eight outstanding post-war authors including Heinrich Böll, Ilse Aichinger and Reinhard Lettau which students will find both educational and engrossing. Böll's opening story ''Pale Anna'' follows a soldier returning home, his situation comparable to that of the writer in the first months of peace: he knows no-one and has few words not linked to painful memories. This poignant narrative is followed by a variety of tales representing the diversity of the time and including satires, explorations of private obsessions and experiments in form and language.

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Book SynopsisThe eight stories in this collection, by Moravian, Pavese, Pratolina, and other modern writers, have been selected as being representative of contemporary Italian writing. The English translations provided are literal rather than literary, and there are notes and biographies to help the student of Italian. However, the volume can also be helpful to Italians, who can improve their English by studying a strict rendering of stories with which thet may already be familiar.

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Book SynopsisExcellent reading in either Spanish or English, the eight short stories in this collection by authors including Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel Garcia Márquez and Camilo José Cela have been chosen for their readability and literary merit. Seven are from Spanish America, only one from Spain, an unsurprising ratio considering there are no less than nineteen Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas, and that the short story is an extremely popular form among authors there. This selection also, therefore, gives the reader an insight into the differences between the literary cultures.Printed approximately in order of difficulty, the stories are accompanied by parallel English translations and notes on the text.

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Book SynopsisIntends to exemplify the variety of Italian writing of the twentieth century. This volume includes discussions of the words and dialect expressions in the Italian text.Table of ContentsThe mother, Italo Svevo; the miraculous draught of fishes, Giovanni Comisso; wartime autobiography - on being a writer, Elio Vittorini; Nikolayevka - 26 january 1943, Mario Rigoni-Stern; the ambush, Beppe Fenoglio; the tart; Pier paolo Pasolini; overtaking, Alberto Moravia; the origin of the birds, Italo Calvino.

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Book SynopsisContains diverse writing from the Spanish-speaking world. This book explores stylistic contrasts and gives an insight into the cultural and social milieu of the Spanish-speaking world. It includes notes on unusual Spanish words and phrases and is suitable for English students of the language as well as Spanish-speaking students of English.Table of ContentsThe man who repented, Ana Maria Matute; after the procession, Jorge Edwards; Amalia, Mario Vargas Llosa; the thunderbox, Jorge Onetti; the cost of living, Carlos Fuentes; Capitan Descalzo, Norberto Fuentes; share and share alike, Norberto Fuentes; Balthazar's marvellous afternoon, Gabriel Garcia Marquez; the disued door, Julio Cortazar.

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Book SynopsisThe eight stories in this volume offer a varied and representative collection of twentieth century German authors from a range of political and cultural backgrounds. Styles include the non-fictional manner of Kluge''s montage technique and the contrasting classical storytelling of Penzoldt.With reading notes and parallel texts in German and English, this anthology is valuable to the German student of English as well as the English student of German. Reflecting trends in German literature, the stories have been selected for their quality as well as their readability, and will enhance the appreciation of both languages.Table of ContentsThe dolphin, Ernst Penzoldt; Jennifer's dreams, Marie Luise Kaschnitz; Fedezeen, Gunter de Bruyn; the renunciation, Siegfried Lenz; the dogs, Ingeborg Bachmann; lobellen grove, Johannes Bobrowski; Anita G., Alexander Kluge; the joiner, Thomas Bernhard.

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Book SynopsisGathering a representative sampling of the New Negro Movement''s most important figures, and providing substantial introductory essays, headnotes, and brief biographical notes, Lewis'' volume—organized chronologically—includes the poetry and prose of Sterling Brown, Countee Cullen, W. E. B. Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston, James Weldon Johnson, and others.

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Book SynopsisBorn in Harlem in 1924, James Baldwin was a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, social critic, and the author of more than twenty books. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, appeared in 1953 to excellent reviews, and his essay collection The Fire Next Time was a bestseller that made him an influential figure in the civil rights movement. Baldwin spent many years in France, where he moved to escape the racism and homophobia of the United States. He died in 1987.

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Book SynopsisThe second of four volumes of short stories which reflect Somerset Maugham's wry perception of human foibles and gift for evoking drama from a sense of time and place. Set in Malaya, America and England, they include Flotsam and Jetsam, The Man With the Sca,r and The Vessel of Wrath.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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Book SynopsisGeorge Willard is a young reporter on the Winesburg Eagle to whom, one by one, the inhabitants of Winesburg, Ohio, confide their hopes, their dreams, and their fears. This town of friendly but solitary people comes to life as Anderson's special talent exposes the emotional undercurrents that bind its people together. In this timeless cycle of short stories, he lays bare the life of a small town in the American Midwest.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.Trade Review"When he calls himself a 'poor scribbler' don't believe him. He is not a poor scribbler . . . he is a very great writer."--Ernest Hemingway"Winesburg, Ohio, when it first appeared, kept me up a whole night in a steady crescendo of emotion."--Hart Crane"As a rule, first books show more bravado than anything else, unless it be tediousness. But there is neither of these qualities in Winesburg, Ohio. . . . These people live and breathe: they are beautiful."--E. M. Forster"Winesburg, Ohio is an extraordinarily good book. But it is not fiction. It is poetry."--Rebecca West

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Book SynopsisThe Collected Stories - a stunning volume of William Trevor''s unforgettable short stories William Trevor is one of the most renowned figures in contemporary literature, described as ''the greatest living writer of short stories in the English language'' by the New Yorker and acclaimed for his haunting and profound insights into the human heart. Here is a collection of his short fiction, with dozens of tales spanning his career and ranging from the moving to the macabre, the humorous to the haunting. From the penetrating ''Memories of Youghal'' to the bittersweet ''Bodily Secrets'' and the elegiac ''Two More Gallants'', here are masterpieces of insight, depth, drama and humanity, acutely rendered by a modern master.''A textbook for anyone who ever wanted to write a story, and a treasure for anyone who loves to read them'' Madison Smartt Bell''Extraordinary... Mr. Trevor''s sheer intensity of entry into the lives of his people...proceeds to uncovTrade Review“Extraordinary . . . Mr. Trevor’s sheer intensity of entry into the lives of his people . . . proceeds to uncover new layers of yearning and pain, new angles of vision and credible thought.”—The New York Times Book Review“One of the finest writers now at work in our language . . . No writer practicing the form today moves with nimbler assurances than Trevor across such an impressive gamut of social types and emotional connections.”—The Boston Globe“The indisputable master of twentieth-century fiction . . . Trevor’s carefully chiseled, lyrical prose—at once ironic and elegiac—is addictive, his insights acutely compassionate. The tales are haunting and profound.”—Publishers Weekly“A textbook for anyone who ever wanted to write a story, and a treasure for anyone who loves to read them.”—Madision Smartt Bell, USA Today“The range of characters that Trevor manages to bring onstage is little short of astonishing. . . . A remarkable record of the distinctive imprint that Trevor has left on what is arguably this century’s quintessential art form.”—New York Newsday Table of ContentsThe Collected Stories A Meeting in Middle AgeAccess to the ChildrenThe General's DayMemories of YoughalThe TableA School StoryThe Penthouse ApartmentIn at the BirthThe Introspections of J. P. PowersThe Day We Got Drunk on CakeMiss SmithThe Hotel of the Idle MoonNice Day at SchoolThe Original Sins of Edward TrippThe Forty-seventh SaturdayThe Ballroom of RomanceA Happy FamilyThe Grass WidowsThe Mark-2 WifeAn Evening with John Joe DempseyKinkiesGoing HomeA Choice of ButchersO Fat White WomanRaymond Bamber and Mrs. FitchThe Distant PastIn IsfahanAngels at the RitzThe Death of Peggy MeehanMrs. SillyA Complicated NatureTeresa's WeddingOffice RomancesMr. McNamaraAfternoon DancingLast WishesMrs. Acland's GhostsAnother ChristmasBroken HomesMatilda's England: 1. The Tennis Court; 2. The Summer-house; 3. The Drawing-roomTorridgeDeath in JerusalemLovers of Their TimeThe Raising of Elvira TremlettFlights of FancyAttractaA Dream of ButterfliesThe Bedroom Eyes of Mrs. VansittartDownstairs at Fitzgerald'sMulvihill's MemorialBeyond the PaleThe Blue DressThe Teddy-bears' PicnicThe Time of YearBeing Stolen FromMr TennysonAutumn SunshineSunday DrinksThe Paradise LoungeMagsThe News from IrelandOn the ZattereThe Wedding in the GardenLunch in WinterThe Property of Colette NerviRunning AwayCocktails at Doney'sHer Mother's DaughterBodily SecretsTwo More GallantsThe Smoke Trees of San PietroVirginsMusicEvents at DrimaghleenFamily SinsA TrinityThe Third PartyHoneymoon in TramoreThe PrintmakerIn Love with AriadneA Husband's ReturnCoffee with OliverAugust SaturdayChildren of the HeadmasterKathleen's FieldAcknowledgments

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Book SynopsisWinner of the PEN Center USA West Award for Fiction – a collection of fifty-three interconnected stories by the National Book Award-winning author of Europe CentralHailed by Newsday as the most unconventional--and possibly the most exciting and imaginative--novelist at work today, William T. Vollmann has also established himself as an intrepid journalist willing to go to the hottest spots on the planet. Here he draws on these formidable talents to create a web of fifty-three interconnected tales, what he calls a piecemeal atlas of the world I think in.Set in locales from Phnom Penh to Sarajevo, Mogadishu to New York, and provocatively combining autobiography with invention, fantasy with reportage, these stories examine poverty, violence, and loss even as they celebrate the beauty of landscape, the thrill of the alien, the infinitely precious pain of love. The Atlas brings to life a fascinating array of human beings: an old Inuit walrus-hunter, urba

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Book SynopsisA dual-language edition of contemporary stories from throughout the Hispanic world, perfect for learners of either language   This volume of ten short stories, with parallel translations, offers students of Spanish at all levels the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of contemporary literature, without having constantly to refer back to a dictionary.   Richly diverse in themes and styles, the stories are by both new and well-established writers and range from the sharp insights of Gabriel García Márquez’s “María dos Prazeres” and the teasing, deceptive simplicity of Javier Marías’s “On the Honeymoon” to Isabel Allende’s powerful evocation of the oral traditions of the Amerindian and the philosophical speculation of Laura Freixas’s “Absurd Ending.”   Complete with notes, the stories make excellent reading in either language.Table of ContentsShort Stories in Spanish - New Penguin Parallel Text - Edited by John R. King IntroductionEva's IndifferenceSoledad Puértolas (1947- )Translated by John R. KingA Literary Tea PartyJulio Ramón Ribeyro (1929- )Translated by Clive GriffinOn the HoneymoonJavier Marias (1951- )Translated by Eric SouthworthWaliamaiIsabel Allende (1942- )Translated by Margaret Sayers PedenMaria dos PrazeresGabriel García Márquez (1928- )Translated by Edith GrossmanLas AmigasCarlos Fuentes (1928- )Translated by Alfred Mac AdamAbsurd EndingLaura Freixas (1958- )Translated by John R. KingThe PossessedAntonio Muñez Molina (1956- )Translated by John R. KingSecond Time RoundJulio Cortázar (1914-84)Translated by Clive GriffinSyllabusJuan Benet (1927-93)Translated by Eric SouthworthNotes on Spanish TextsAcknowledgments

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Book SynopsisThis is an all new version of the popular PARALLEL TEXT series, containing eight pieces of contemporary fiction in the original French and in English translation. Including stories by Bolanger, Cotnoir, Le Clezio and Germain, this volume gives afascinating insight into French culture and literature as well as providing an invaluable educational tool.Table of ContentsIntroductionLearning How to Live / Frederic Fajardie (1947– )All Lights Off / Frederic Fajardie (1947– )David / Jean-Marie-Gustave Le Clezio (1940– )The Occupation of the Ground / Jean Echenoz (1947– )The Third-rate Film / Sylvie Massicotte (1959– )The Objet d'Art / Jean-Paul Daoust (1946– )The Hunters' Cafe / Daniel Boulanger (1922– )Accursed Notebooks (an extract from La Deconvenue) / Louise Cotnoir (1948– )Heloise / Sylvie Germain (1954– )The Character / Gloria Escomel (1941– )Self-destruction / Rene Belletto (1945– )You Never Die / Alain Gerber (1950– )Notes on French TextsAcknowledgements

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Book SynopsisAn anthology featuring contemporary masters of the short story around the globe, including Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Joyce Carol Oates, Martin Amis, and moreFollowing the immense success of The Art of the Tale, Daniel Halpern has assembled the next generation of short-story writers—those born after 1937—to create a companion volume, The Art of the Story. Attesting to the depth, range, and continued popularity of short fiction, this collection includes seventy-eight contributors from thirty-five countries. The Art of the Story combines the best of the established masters as well as the fresh, new voices of writers whose work has seldom been translated into English.Trade Review"A grand convocation of writers from across the globe - middle-aged and young, famous and obscure."-Newsweek "One of the best primers to appear in years . . . Running the gamut from high farce to domestic realism, these tales celebrate the artistic liveliness of short fiction today." -Boston PhoenixTable of ContentsThe Art of the StoryPreface Ama Ata Aidoo, GhanaA Gift from SomewhereHanan Al-Shaykh, LebanonThe Keeper of the VirginsJulia Alvarez, United StatesAmor DivinoMartin Amis, EnglandThe ImmortalsReinaldo Arenas, CubaThe Glass TowerMargaret Atwood, CanadaWilderness TipsToni Cade Bambara, United StatesGorilla, My LoveRussell Banks, United StatesMy Mother's Memoirs, My Father's Lie, and Other True StoriesNicola Barker, EnglandG-StringJulian Barnes, EnglandEvermoreRichard Bausch, United StatesAren't You Happy for Me?Ann Beattie, United StatesIn AmalfiT. Coraghessan Boyle, United StatesRara AvisRobert Olen Butler, United StatesMr. GreenPeter Carey, AustraliaThe Fat Man in HistoryAngela Carter, EnglandThe Courtship of Mr. LyonRaymond Carver, United StatesAre These Actual Miles?Patrick Chamoiseau, MartiniqueThe Old Man Slave and the MastiffVikram Chandra, IndiaDharmaSandra Cisneros, United StatesNever Marry a MexicanJim Crace, EnglandThe Prospect from the Silver HillsEdwidge Danticat, HaitiNight WomenLydia Davis, United StatesThe House BehindDaniele del Giudice, ItalyAll Because of the MistakeJunot Díaz, Dominican RepublicYsraelPatricia Duncker, EnglandBetrayalDuong Thu Huong, VietnamReflections of SpringDeborah Eisenberg, United StatesThe Girl Who Left Her Sock on the FloorNathan Englander, United StatesThe Twenty-seventh ManVictor Erofeyev, RussiaThe ParakeetPéter Esterházy, HungaryRoberto NarratesNuruddin Farah, SomaliaMy Father, The Englishman, and IRichard Ford, United StatesOptimistsEduardo Galeano, UruguayThe Story of the Lizard Who Had the Habit of Dining on His WivesHervé Guibert, FranceThe HammamAbdulrazak Gurnah, TanzaniaEscortBarry Hannah, United StatesMidnight and I'm Not Famous YetPeter Høeg, DenmarkPortrait of the Avant-GardePawel Huelle, PolandMoving HouseKazuo Ishiguro, EnglandA Family SupperRoy Jacobsen, NorwayEncounterEdward P. Jones, United StatesThe First DayJames Kelman, ScotlandRemember Young CecilHanif Kureishi, EnglandIntimacyTorgny Lindgren, SwedenThe Stump-GrubberBobbie Ann Mason, United StatesWishColum McCann, IrelandEverything in This Country MustIan McEwan, WalesPornographySteven Millhauser, United StatesBehind the Blue CurtainLorrie Moore, United StatesWillingMary Morris, United StatesThe LifeguardMohammed Mrabet, MoroccoThe CanebrakeBharati Mukherjee, IndiaThe Management of GriefMurathan Mungan, TurkeyMuradhan and Selvihan or The Tale of the Crystal KioskHaruki Murakami, JapanThe Elephant VanishesJoyce Carol Oates, United StatesMark of SatanBen Okri, NigeriaIn the Shadow of WarAmos Oz, IsraelWhere the Jackals HowlVictor Pelevin, RussiaThe Life and Adventures of Shed Number XIIFrancine Prose, United StatesTalking DogSalman Rushdie, EnglandThe Free RadioKen Saro-Wiwa, NigeriaAfrica Kills Her SunIngo Schulze, GermanyThe RingGraham Swift, EnglandLearning to SwimAntonio Tabucchi, ItalyA RiddleNgugi wa Thiong'o, KenyaMinutes of GloryTatyana Tolstaya, RussiaOn the Golden PorchRose Tremain, EnglandJohn-JinLuisa Valenzuela, ArgentinaWho, Me a Bum?Edmund White, United StatesCinnamon SkinZoë Wicomb, South AfricaYou Can't Get Lost in Cape TownJohn Edgar Wideman, United StatesDoc's StoryJoy Williams, United StatesThe FarmJeanne Wilmot, United StatesDirt AngelJeanette Winterson, EnglandThe Green ManTobias Wolff, United StatesThe Night in QuestionCan Xue, ChinaThe Child Who Raised Poisonous SnakesBanana Yoshimoto, JapanHelixBiographical Notes

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Book SynopsisThe short fiction of a writer who helped to shape the course of American literature. With a determined commitment to the history of his native land, Nathaniel Hawthorne revealed, more incisively than any writer of his generation, the nature of a distinctly American consciousness. The pieces collected here deal with essentially American matters: the Puritan past, the Indians, the Revolution. But Hawthorne was highly - often wickedly - unorthodox in his account of life in early America, and his precisely constructed plots quickly engage the reader's imagination. Written in the 1820s, 30s, and 40s, these works are informed by themes that reappear in Hawthorne's longer works: The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables and The Blithedale Romance. And, as Michael J. Colacurcio points out in his excellent introduction, they are themes that are now deeply embedded in the American literary tradition.

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Book SynopsisStories of comedy and character from one of Britain's greatest novelistsThis witty and amusing collection of short pieces shows Dickens liberated from the more formal and sustained demands of the novel and experimenting with a diverse range of fictional techniques. In his tales of the supernatural, he creates frighteningly believable, spine-tingling stories of prophetic dreams and visions, as well as more fantastical adventures with goblins and apparitions. Impressionistic sketches combine imaginatively heightened travel journals with wry observations of home and abroad, while in his dramatic monologues, Dickens demonstrates his talent for exploring the secret workings of the human mind. These short works display Dickens's exuberant sense of comedy and character as his imagination is given free rein.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Cla

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Book SynopsisThe masterpiece that established Sarah Orne Jewett among the consummate stylists of nineteenth-century American fictionComposed in a series of beautiful web-like sketches, the novel is narrated by a young woman writer who leaves the city to work one summer in the Maine seaport of Dunnet Landing, and stays with the herbalist Mrs. Almira Todd. She writes a New England idyll rooted in friendship, particularly female friendship, weaving stories and conversations, imagery of sea, sky and earth, the tang of salt air and aromatic herbs into an organic fiction of community in which themes and form are exquisitely matched. To quote Willa Cather: The 'Pointed Fir' sketches are living things caught in the open, with light and freedom and air spaces about them. They melt into the land and the life of the land until they are not stories at all, but life itself.This edition, introduced by Alison Easton, also includes ten of Sarah Orne Jewett's short stories, among them The QueeTrade Review"Immense—it is the very life."—Rudyard Kipling

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Book SynopsisQuesting after Pancho Villa''s revolutionary forces, Ambrose Bierce rode into Mexico in 1913 and was never seen again. He left behind him theDevil''s Dictionary and a remarkable body of short fiction.This new collection gathers some of Bierce''s finest stories, including the celebrated Civil War fictions ''An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge'' and ''Chickamauga'', his macabre masterpieces, and his tales of supernatural horror. Reminiscent of Poe, these stories are marked by a sardonic humour and a realistic study of tense emotional states.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contempTable of ContentsIntroductionSuggestions for Further ReadingA Note on the TextFrom In the Midst of LifeSoldiers:A Horseman in the SkyAn Occurrence at Owl Creek BridgeChickamaugaA Son of the GodsOne of the MissingKilled at ResacaThe Affair at Coulter's NotchThe Coup de GrâceParker Adderson, PhilosopherAn Affair of OutpostsThe Story of a ConscienceOne Kind of OfficerThe Mocking-BirdCivilians:The Man Out of the NoseThe Man and the SnakeThe Boarded WindowFrom Can Such Things Be?Can Such Things Be?:Moxon's MasterA Tough TussleA Resumed IdentityThe Night-Doings at "Deadman's"The Realm of the UnrealThe Damned ThingHaïta the ShepherdThe Ways of Ghosts:Present at a HangingA Wireless MessageSoldier Folk:Three and One Are OneFrom Negligible TalesNegligible Tales:A Bottomless GraveJupiter Doke, Brigadier-GeneralThe City of the Gone AwayThe Major's TaleCurried CowA Revolt of the GodsThe Parenticide Club:My Favorite MurderOil of DogFrom AntepenultimataA Bivouac of the DeadFrom The OpinionatorThe Controversialist:The Short StoryExplanatory NotesGlossary of Military TermsBattle Sites and Battle Leaders

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Book SynopsisThis unflinching portrayal of the squalor and brutality of New York life produced a scandal when it was published in 1893. Crane''s novel tells the story of Maggie Johnson, a young woman who, seduced by her brother''s friend and then disowned by her family, turns to prostitution. More than the tale of a young woman''s tragic fall, this is a powerful exploration of the destructive forces underlying urban society and human nature. Also included here is ''George''s Mother'', along with eleven other tales and sketches of New York written between 1892 and 1896.Table of ContentsEdited and with an Introduction by Larzer Ziff with the Assistance of Theo DavisIntroduction: Stephen Crane's New York by Larzer ZiffSuggestions for Further ReadingNote on the TextsMaggie: A Girl of the Streets (A Story of New York) (1893)George's Mother (1896)Tales of New YorkThe Broken-Down Van (1892)An Ominous Baby (1893, 1894)A Great Mistake (1893, 1896)A Dark-Brown Dog (1893, 1901)An Experiment in Misery (1894)An Experiment in Luxury (1894)Mr. Binks' Day Off (1894)The Men in the Storm (1894)When Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers (1894)An Eloquence of Grief (1896, 1898)Adventures of a Novelist (1896)

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Book SynopsisThe tales told by Scheherazade over a thousand and one nights to delay her execution by the vengeful King Shahryar have become among the most popular in both Eastern and Western literature. From the epic adventures of 'Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp' to the farcical 'Young Woman and her Five Lovers' and the social criticism of 'The Tale of the Hunchback', the stories depict a fabulous world of all-powerful sorcerers, jinns imprisoned in bottles and enchanting princesses. But despite their imaginative extravagance, the Tales are also anchored to everyday life by their bawdiness and realism, providing a full and intimate record of medieval Eastern world. Offering unexpurgated translations of the best-loved tales, including such classics as 'Sindbad the Sailor', Tales from the Thousand and One Nights - sometimes known as the Arabian Nights - is translated with an introduction by N.J. Dawood in Penguin Classics. In this selection, Dawood presents the reader wiTable of ContentsTales from the Thousand and One NightsIntroductionInvocationPrologueThe Tale of King Shahriyar and his Brother ShahzamanThe Fable of the Donkey, the Ox, and the FarmerThe Tale of the HunchbackThe Tailor's TaleThe Tale of the Lame Young Man and the Barber of BaghdadThe Barber's TaleThe Tale of Bakbook, the Barber's First BrotherThe Tale of Al-Haddar, the Barber's Second BrotherThe Tale of Bakbak, the Barber's Third BrotherThe Tale of Al-Kuz, the Barber's Fourth BrotherThe Tale of Shakashik, the Barber's Sixth BrotherThe DonkeyThe Fisherman and the JinneeThe Tale of King Yunan and Duban the DoctorThe Tale of King Sindbad and the FalconThe Tale of the Enchanted KingThe Young Woman and Her Five Lovers Sindbad the Sailor and Sindbad the PorterThe First Voyage of Sindbad the SailorThe Second Voyage of Sindbad the SailorThe Third Voyage of Sindbad the SailorThe Fourth Voyage of Sindbad the SailorThe Fifth Voyage of Sindbad the SailorThe Sixth Voyage of Sindbad the SailorThe Last Voyage of Sindbad the SailorThe Historic Fart Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp The Tale of Kafur the Black EunuchThe Porter and the Three Girls of BaghdadThe Tale of the First DervishThe Tale of the Second DervishThe Tale of the Third DervishThe Tale of the First GirlThe Tale of the Second GirlThe Tale of Khalifah the Fisherman The DreamThe Tale of Judar and His BrothersThe Tale of Ma'Aruf the Cobbler Epilogue

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Book SynopsisPassionate and perceptive, the three short novels that make up Balzac''s History of the Thirteen are concerned in part with the activities of a rich, powerful, sinister and unscrupulous secret society in nineteenth-century France. While the deeds of ''The Thirteen'' remain frequently in the background, however, the individual novels are concerned with exploring various forms of desire. A tragic love story, Ferragus depicts a marriage destroyed by suspicion, revelation and misunderstanding. The Duchess de Langeais explores the anguish that results when a society coquette tries to seduce a heroic ex-soldier, while The Girl with the Golden Eyes offers a frank consideration of desire and sexuality. Together, these works provide a firm and fascinating foundation for Balzac''s many later portrayals of Parisian life in his great novel-cycle The Human Comedy.

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Book SynopsisOne of the greatest French novelists, Balzac was also an accomplished writer of shorter fiction. This volume includes twelve of his finest short stories - many of which feature characters from his epic series of novels the Comédie Humaine. Compelling tales of acute social and psychological insight, they fully demonstrate the mastery of suspense and revelation that were the hallmarks of Balzac''s genius. In The Atheist''s Mass, we learn the true reason for a distinguished atheist surgeon''s attendance at religious services; La Grande Breteche describes the horrific truth behind the locked doors of a decaying country mansion, while The Red Inn relates a brutal tale of murder and betrayal. A fascinating counterpoint to the renowned novels, all the stories collected here stand by themselves as mesmerizing works by one of the finest writers of nineteenth-century France.

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Book SynopsisSelected Tales contains some of the most timeless and enchanting folk and fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm, translated with an introduction by David Luke These folktales collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are among the most memorable stories in European culture - conjuring up a world of spells and bewitchment, outwitted villains and cruel stepmothers, animal bridegrooms and enchanted princesses. Tales such as 'Hansel and Gretel', 'Little Red Cape' and 'The Robber Bridegroom' depict the dangers lurking in dark forests, and others, including 'Briar-Rose' and 'Snow White' show young beauties punished by unforgiving sorceresses. Other tales include 'Thickasathumb', which portrays a childless young couple whose wish for a baby is granted in an unexpected way, while 'The Frog King' tells of a rash promise made by a haughty princess to share her bed with a frog, and a fortune is won in 'The Blue Lamp', when a soldier gains a kingdom with the help of a magic Table of ContentsTranslated with an Introduction and Notes by David LukeIntroduction1. The Fisher an His Gweedwife2. Rumplestiltskin3. Hansel and Gretel4. Little Redcape5. Rapunzel6. Briar Rose7. Snowwhite8. The Jeniper Tree9. Little Brother and Little Sister10. The Three Little Men in the Forest11. Mother Snowbed12. The Three Birdies13. The Twelve Brothers14. The Seven Ravens15. The Six Swans16. The Two Brothers17. The Master Huntsman18. The Water of Life19. The Golden Bird20. The Dwarfie21. Jack the Strong Man22. The Six Who Went Far in the World23. The Six Servants24. The Sea-Rabbit25. The Worn-out Dancing-shoes26. The Devil's Three Golden Hairs27. The Griffin28. The Three Snake-leaves29. Faithful John30. One-eye, Two-eyes and Three-eyes31. Ashiepattle32. Manypelts33. The Rightful Bride34. The Iron Stove35. The Twa Royal Bairnies36. The Goosegirl37. Jack of Iron38. The Frog King, or Iron Harry39. The Young Donkey40. Jack My Hedgehog41. The Magic Table, the Gold-donkey, and the Cudgel in the Sack42. The Knapsack, the Hat and the Horn43. The Blue Lamp44. The Salad-donkey45. The Three Brothers46. The Four Skilful Brothers47. The Young Giant48. Thickasathumb49. Bearskin50. The Devil and His Grandmother51. The King of the Golden Mountain52. The Prince Afraid of Nothing53. The Crystal Ball54. Auld Rinkie55. Jorinda and Joringle56. The Nixie in the Pond57. Fetcher's Fowl58. The Robber Bridegroom59. The Bremen Town Band60. Clever Elsie61. Lazy Harry62. The Three Army-surgeons63. The Clever Little Tailor64. Bumpkin65. Owld PeadairNotesGlossary of Scots Words

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Book SynopsisWith their penetrating psychological insight and their emphasis on human dignity, respect and forgiveness, Dostoyevsky''s early short stories contain the seeds of the themes that came to his major novels. Poor Folk, the author''s first great literary triumph, is the story of a tragic relationship between an impoverished copy clerk and a young seamstress, told through their passionate letters to each other. In The Landlady Dostoyevsky portrays a dreamer hero who is captivated by a curious couple and becomes their lodger. Mr Prokharchin, inspired by a true story, is a sly comedy centring on an eccentric miser, and Polzunkov is a powerful character sketch which, in common with the other tales in this volume, questions the very nature of existence.Table of ContentsPoor Folk and Other StoriesIntroductionNote on the TextPoor FolkThe LandladyMr. ProkharchinPolzunkovNotes

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Book SynopsisThese short works, ranging from Tolstoy's earliest tales to the brilliant title story, are rich in the insights and passion that characterize all of his explorations in love, war, courage, and civilization.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.Table of ContentsHow Much Land Does a Man Need?Introduction by A. N. WilsonThe WoodfellingTwo HussarsHow Much Land Does a Man Need?Where Love Is, God IsWhat Men Live ByNeglect a Spark and the House Burns DownThe Two Old MenThe RaidA Prisoner of the Caucasus

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Book SynopsisTurgenev''s first major prose work is a series of twenty-five Sketches: the observations and anecdotes of the author during his travels through Russia satisfying his passion for hunting. His album is filled with moving insights into the lives of those he encounters - peasants and landowners, doctors and bailiffs, neglected wives and bereft mothers - each providing a glimpse of love, tragedy, courage and loss, and anticipating Turgenev''s great later works such as First Love and Fathers and Sons. His depiction of the cruelty and arrogance of the ruling classes was considered subversive and led to his arrest and confinement to his estate, but these sketches opened the minds of contemporary readers to the plight of the peasantry and were even said to have led Tsar Alexander II to abolish serfdom.

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Book SynopsisA wonderful collection of moral tales, anecdotes, jokes, reports of murders, disasters and mysteries, all originally written for inclusion in a popular religious almanac.

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Book SynopsisExquisite and amusing miniatures regarded as the pinnacle of classical Chinese fictionWith their elegant prose, witty wordplay and subtle charm, the 104 stories in this selection from The Strange Tales of Pu Songling (1640-1715) reveal a world in which nothing is as it seems. Here a Taoist monk conjures up a magical pear tree, a scholar recounts his previous incarnations, a woman out-foxes the fox-spirit that possesses her, a child bride gives birth to a thimble-sized baby, a ghostly city appears out of nowhere and a heartless daughter-in-law is turned into a pig. In his tales of humans coupling with shape-shifting spirits, bizarre phenomena, haunted buildings and enchanted objects, Pu Songling pushes back the boundaries of human experience and enlightens as he entertains.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a glTrade Review“Magical and wondrously entertaining . . . Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio overflows with ghosts, demons, monsters, monks, magicians, revived corpses, gods and fox-spirits. . . . [It] calls to mind a collection of mildly racy club stories or lost episodes of The Twilight Zone. . . . Fast paced, surprisingly light in tone, emotionally cool, wryly humorous—these uncanny tales, often just one or two pages long, might almost be adult bedtime stories. . . . Reading this beloved classic provides a particularly enjoyable way to help celebrate Chinese New Year.” —The Washington Post

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