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Little Herr Friedmann And Other Stories
Little Herr Friedmann And Other Stories
Oct 30, 2024 1:30 AM

Author:Thomas Mann

Little Herr Friedmann And Other Stories

A selection of work taken from his highly acclaimed collection Stories of a Lifetime by one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century.

In elegant prose, Mann explores such eternal themes as: individuals forced into the extremes of their existence, isolation and the artist's tentative position in the harsh world, the realization of one's true nature.

Reviews

[An] ingenious and entertaining collection... the stories could not be more varied in tone and approach, from Colm Tóibín’s beautifully measured “Silence”...to Amit Chaudhuri’s bouncily rhythmical “Wensleydale”...the individuality of the entries does not preclude entertainment – there is much playfulness and not a little comedy here

—— John Banville , Times Literary Supplement

Wonderful short stories...It is fascinating to see how familiar writers such as Colm Tóibín, Rose Tremain, Tessa Hadley and Lynn Truss match their own style to quintessentially Jamesian themes: a father who isn’t who he appeared to be; a ghostly reminder of past loss; an affair that never quite caught fire. Each story is different, but the hand of the master is clearly detectable throughout, a gentle guide that shapes the telling.

—— Irish Times

In this volume, the appreciation of his unwritten tales by eleven fine contemporary authors pays handsome dividends

—— Sydney Review of Books

The short story should be a gem of bright, quick, vivid form

—— Henry James , Notebooks

Henry James is as solitary in the history of the novel as Shakespeare is in the history of poetry

—— Graham Greene

In the hands of these authors, James's plots are, if not quite infected with James's style, haunting. James haunts us, but these authors haunt him... It's nice to feel the tick of his pen, drawn on in fresh print

—— Henry James Review

Dybek has an uncommon knack for both the short story and the poem. This collection mostly plumbs his American youth, producing mesmeric stories in which enchanting details leap off every page.

—— Daily Telegraph

Crafted, well-made stories that give permanence to those fleeting moments that define lives.

—— James Doyle , Bookmunch

[These stories] explore the fraying psychologies of their protagonists by way of dark humor and understated tragedy. In the excellent, surreal title story, the fissures in a childless couple's marriage become unbridgeable divides after their close friends fail to attend a dinner party... [they] contain moments of sharp levity and intense insight, reminders of the heights the author can achieve when he is able to sustain his immense talent

—— Publisher's Weekly

One of the most anticipated books of 2017... the Dinner Party explores an array of emotions from a deeply human perspective.

—— The Week

Ferris is an incisive observer, and his descriptions of even the most quotidian situations are elegant and fresh

—— USA Today

Ferris finesses the line between tragedy and comedy, and his sly wit often surfaces in sarcastic, offbeat ways . . . The Dinner Party provides a fine showcase for his work

—— NPR

This season's standout short-story collections are masterful exercises in brevity, proving that sometimes less really is more.... Novelist Joshua Ferris returns with his first, highly anticipated story collection. Each entry showcases his customary wit and understanding

—— WSJ Magazine

[With] flashes of transcendence ... Ferris's specialist area is modern American crassness

—— Sunday Times

Ferris' characters may be flawed, but his writing is flawless

—— Tatler

Each of these stories is a well-crafted, tightly wound piece of short fiction that often springs with a delightful, sometimes moving precision

—— Times Literary Supplement

Ferris wittily skewers both middle-class social life, and its would-be dissenters. He has a brilliantly sharp eye for the manners and mores of 21st-century metropolitan society, and is a master of discomfort. . . Like F Scott Fitzgerald before him, Joshua Ferris shines an unforgiving light on the jittery pursuit of happiness, and 'the growing anxiety of never arriving at what was always just out of reach'

—— Craig Brown , Mail on Sunday

At turns arresting and hilarious. Ferris excavates relationships, interactions, missteps, and misunderstandings to form a collection of work you'll want to return to again and again

—— Southern Living

Most of the characters are comparatively sane, but no less deliciously ghastly

—— Lionel Shriver , Observer Books of the Year

Anxiety, self-consciousness and humiliation are the default inner states of the characters in these 11 stories

—— New York Times Books of the Year

Moyes is always good on male/female relationships. But her sneaky brilliance is in the way she discreetly includes the powerful influence that women have on each other's love lives

—— Daily Mail

Hanks can write the hell out of typing, and his dialogue is excellent, too…While these stories have the all-American sweetness, humour, and heart we associate with his screen roles, Hanks writes like a writer, not a movie star.

—— Kirkus

Funny and moving, with a wide spectrum of subjects, this is an engaging collection.

—— Woman and Home

Uncommon Type is actually, much like its author, a warm, gently funny and mostly engaging collection of seventeen stories

—— Red Online

It’s brilliant … A beautiful collection of short stories.

—— ES Magazine

They’re all beautifully written and full of heart.

—— Sunday Mirror

An entertaining collection.

—— Mail on Sunday

Pretty impressive.

—— The Sun

Sensitive, often witty and sometimes melancholic reflections.

—— Economia

Unveil[s] the inventive mind behind his regular-guy façade.

—— Daily Telegraph

Perfect for book lovers and cinephiles alike.

—— Elle

A pretty damn good writer.

—— OK! Magazine

Full of Hanks' winning charm.

—— Mr Hyde

Hanks’ measured storytelling makes the collection an addictive read.

—— Hindustan Times

Startlingly good… A spellbinding easygoing read, it is hard to find any fault, other than that Hanks is annoyingly talented and yet still somehow remains impossible to dislike.

—— Irish News

Startlingly good … each of these 17 stories leap out from the page in their authenticity and whimsicality … A spellbindingly easygoing read, it is hard to find fault.

—— Press Association

A wonderful collection.

—— Candis

Warm, gently funny and mostly engaging.

—— Red

Behind the collection is a warmth and humanity.

—— Sunday Sport

Unexpectedly brilliant.

—— Love It!

A spellbindingly easygoing read, it is hard to find fault.

—— The Universe

Rich range of subject matter and emotions.

—— Harrods Magazine
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