This volume contains sixteen examples of the English short story at its best: immediately captivating and hugely entertaining. Some stories are classics, such as James Joyce s The Dead ; others like Mr Loveday s Little Outing by Evelyn Waugh are relatively unknown and a joy to discover. The collection also includes Charles Dickens premonitory tale, The Signalman which was inspired by his own horrific experiences in a train crash. Katherine Mansfield s The Voyage , meanwhile, is a sensual narrative centring on a boat journey and set in her native New Zealand. Virginia Woolf s Kew Gardens is different again, dramatically evoking its setting, awash with colour and light. Tragic or comic, traditional or modernist, each and every piece demonstrates perfectly how the short story form can be as engaging and satisfying as a novel, if not more so.

Introducing sixteen short stories from some of the best English writers over two hundred years of our history.

The Penguin Book of English Short Stories celebrates the shorter format through some of the most widely known writers of all time. Though many are known for their novels, they provide a mesmerizing, multi-faceted portrait of a country and its people. Some stories are classics, such as James Joyce's The Dead; others - like Mr Loveday's Little Outing by Evelyn Waugh - are relatively unknown and a joy to discover.

Covering a wide range of genres and writers, each of these concise, evocative, subtle and satisfying stories is a little jewel, providing a small window into another world.

Featuring short stories from classical English authors including Charles Dickens, Katherine Mansfield, H.G. Wells, Evelyn Waugh, Virginia Woolf and many more.

Auteur

Christopher Dolley (editor)