The Penguin Book of English Short Stories

The Golden Age of the English short story lies from its first wide acceptance in the middle of the nineteenth century until the middle of the twentieth, a period when there were a great many outlets in Britain for shorter fictions.

The Penguin Book of English Short Stories celebrates this period through some of the most widely known writers of the time. Though many of the chosen authors are more generally known for their novels, here they provide some perfect examples of much shorter work.

Each of these concise, evocative, subtle and satisfying stories is a little jewel, providing a small window into another world.

The short story is enjoying a revival all the more encouraging when viewed against the gloom surrounding the future of the literary novel . . .'

Fifteen further short stories from the golden age of the short story offer more gems from some of the masters of the genre. Whether it is the lyrical prose of Thomas Hardy or the irreverent wit of Kingsley Amis, the monologues of Virgina Woolf or Muriel Spark, the authors here demonstrate that the vitality of the form remains as compelling today as when these stories were originally published.