Author:Virginia Woolf
'The window panes reflected apples, reflected roses; all the leaves were green in the glass'
Nowhere are Virginia Woolf's daring experimentations with style and form more evident than in her short stories, which shimmer and flash with their author's peculiar genius. Collected by Leonard Woolf and published after her death, this is a complete collection of Virginia Woolf's shorter fiction. It is a fascinating and vivid introduction for readers new to Woolf, and a necessary companion for devotees.
Includes 'A Haunted House', 'Kew Gardens', 'A Mark on the Wall' and 42 other pieces.
Edited, with introductions and notes by Susan Dick.
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY HELEN SIMPSON
Here is the precursor of the experiments which are to fill her future novels, where the writer will evaporate and condense solid objects over her literary Bunsen burner in solutions of time or light
—— Helen Simpson, from her introductionWith Joyce and Eliot, Woolf has shaped a literary century
—— Jeanette Winterson , The TimesThey seem as perfect, and as functional for all their beauty, as spider webs. Indeed they were made for like purpose: to trap and dissect living morsels in the form of palpitating moments of time, instantaneous perceptions, brief visions of others
—— Eudora Welty , New York Times Book Review)Virginia Woolf stands as the chief figure of modernism in England and must be included with Joyce and Proust in the realisation of experimental achievements that have completely broken with tradition
—— New York TimesVirginia Woolf was one of the great innovators of that decade of literary Modernism, the 1920s. Novels such as Mrs Dalloway and To the Lighthouse showed how experimental writing could reshape our sense of ordinary life. Taking unremarkable materials - preparations for a genteel party, a day on a bourgeois family holiday - they trace the flow of associations and ideas that we call "consciousness"
—— GuardianHow do you stun a reader forever, in just 100 pages? You can find out by reading Mario Benedetti ... The novel casts a perfect, geometric figure
—— Il Fatto QuotidianoIt is almost impossible to describe their unforced exactness, their unrushed economy... Munro has a genius for evoking the particular and peculiar atmosphere of relationships, their unspoken pressures and expectations
—— Alan Hollinghurst , GuardianHer genius cannot be denied... The contemporary writer I admire above all others
—— IndependentThe greatest living short-story writer
—— A.S. Byatt , Sunday TimesMunro is routinely called one of the finest living writers.You can turn to any of the stories in Runaway and see why
—— PeopleNo one could dispute Munro's greatness
—— Daily MailGoosebumpingly unforgettable
—— New York ObserverRunaway may well be the synthesizing work of one of literature's keenest investigators into the human soul
—— USA TodayThe great Alice Munro proves again why short story writers bow down to her
—— Vanity FairSharply observed
—— Woman & HomeThere was no story that didn’t hold my attention from its first sentences.
—— Scotsman magazineThe best of them showcase Dunmore’s knack for shining a light into the hidden corners of women’s experience
—— MetroWe too imagine ourselves in the room with her characters, imagine they are talking, like friends, to us
—— Evening StandardLyrical and full of human situations acutely observed.
—— Choice magazine[A] remarkable collection of short stories exploring fragile ties between passion, love, family.
—— Western Morning NewsThis collection is the finest swan song of a writer full of sensitivity, talent and an immense grasp of the complexity of human nature.
—— The Opinionated ReaderA lasting testament to Dunmore’s wisdom, heart and elegant way with words.
—— CultureflyMoments of startling insight into the hidden – and often uncomfortable – truths underneath modern relationships… there are some stellar moments of pithy clarity: In 'Scarred,' upon summoning a way to cheat desire, the protagonist muses, ‘I had everything that could be wanted. I invented new needs just to satisfy.’ This is a promising debut.
—— Publishers WeeklyRoupenian’s tales from the frontline of modern relationships are perfect for an alternative Valentine’s Day display.
—— BooksellerA collection of short stories which cover the same murky waters of attraction as "Cat Person".
—— Olivia Ovenden , Harper's Bazaar, The books we can't wait to read in 2019There is always some anxiety following such a short, steep rise to recognition, but in this collection Roupenian lives up to those high expectations. The stories are wonderfully varied in execution, from realist to surreal, staying fresh while circling one primary concern: how men and women relate to one another, and how often that relationship can go wrong.
—— Vanity Fair[A] sharp, powerful and uncomfortable debut collection of stories… [Roupenian] is always in narrative control.
—— Kathryn Maris , Times Literary SupplementAbrasive, painfully aware accounts of relationships in turmoil… You know you want this collection.
—— Sarah Gilmartin , Irish TimesYou Know You Want This seems to touch on conversations that the country has yet to have — often using horror and magical realism to illuminate the darker corners of our world.
—— Elisabeth Garber-Paul , Rolling StoneIn Look at Your Game, Girl and The Boy in the Pool, naïve female desire is so brilliantly and lushly evoked… [Biter] shows a flair for satire and comic timing… I look forward to Roupenian’s next book.
—— Nicole Flattery , Guardian WeeklyThe best fiction leaves us thinking about it long after turning the last page, and with [Cat Person], author Kristen Roupenian established herself as a writer to watch. Her short-story collection, You Know You Want This, includes that story and others, all of which will have you talking about them long after finishing.
—— PopSugarIn her highly anticipated debut collection, the author behind the viral Cat Person story offers up a host of strange, fascinating, and downright delightful narratives you won't be able to stop talking about. Spanning a range of genres and topics, it is equal parts dark, uncomfortable, and funny.
—— BustleReaders who are looking for more uncomfortably realistic renderings of awkward romantic encounters won’t be disappointed, but this collection is so much more than that, offering an array of biting (sometimes literally!) looks at the ways our most hidden perversions manifest in our lives. It’s a razor-sharp, often ruthless, never less than relentless examination of the way we are now. Scary, right? But you know you want it.
—— NYLON[You Know You Want This captures] the torturous and complicated justifications for untoward behaviour in the search for closeness and connection.
—— Eithne Farry , Daily MailWhat unites the collection is less her [Roupenian’s] gender politics than her interest in the way fantasies become distorted, disappointing, even dangerous when they approach reality… narrative twist[s] changes the direction of a story and leads it somewhere new. Roupenian’s desire to have her moral and reject it too could be said to put a twist on the twist.
—— Lauren Oyler , London Review of BooksRoupenian remains rooted in realism, she gives pause by exposing the sinister side of sexuality, and one looks forward to seeing what she might accomplish with the novel form.
—— Mia Levitin , Financial TimesKristen Roupenian's debut short stories fulfil all expectations… she infuses mundane reality with a thrilling layer of menace.
—— Emily Rhodes , SpectatorOne of the most anticipated story collections of the year.
—— ElleViolence, cruelty or misunderstanding are never far away in these 12 stories, which are by turns, unsettling, ruthless and often funny.
—— UK Press SyndicationWalker’s laconic, Hemingway-esque prose style perfectly complements his low-key approach to his material: the matter-of-fact tone in which he recalls his most horrific experiences in Iraq makes them seem all the more horrible. It works equally well with deadpan humour.
—— Jake Kerridge , Sunday TimesRoupenian is a wizard of provocative, psychological fiction, exploring the dark side of the human psyche. Each of her short stories is terrifyingly relatable, making the reader fear something much more relevant than more supernatural horror stories.
—— The MancunionA fascinating and repugnant series of stories, all tremendous examples of what this unsung hero of a literary form can do.
—— Culture CallingRoupenian’s wildly discomfiting new collection, You Know You Want This… is often wonderfully, if grotesquely, physical… This book isn’t bedtime reading.
—— Ruth Franklin , New York Review of BooksThese are stories that make you feel fascinated but repelled, scared but delighted, revolted but aroused.
—— GlamourYou Know You Want This is an alarming but compelling book. Roupenian’s short stories, weaving together science fiction, confession and fantasy, are like infections spreading across the senses, blocking out everything except the compulsion to read on… Roupenian achieves something few other writers have: providing a balanced reflection on a very difficult subject.
—— Ella Whelan , SpikedA new collection of stories that explores the complex - and often darkly funny - connections between gender, sex, and power across genres.
—— The Week, *Summer reads of 2019*