From Roald Dahl, the master of the sting in the tail, a newly collected book of his darkest stories

One of the most widely read and influential authors

That absolute master of the twist in the tale

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

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

Carver is a master of the clear, sharp, resonant detail