"I would prefer not to." In this novella, widely considered one of the finest works of American literature, a lawyer hires the "incurably forlorn" Bartleby as a clerk in his small firm. Silent and enigmatic, Bartleby performs well at first. One day, however, when requested by his employer to assist with some routine proofreading, he declines, ......
In this collection, Tilo Ulbricht has translated sixty of Rilke's shorter poems. Rilke's profound insights are transmitted with a clarity that is rare for even this poet in translation. The result is akin to an Old Masters painting after cleaning, illuminating the spiritual qualities of the poems that have previously been obscured.
In Dreams brings together fifty-one works for the first time in English by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, the "father of the Japanese short story" and one of the most important writers of the twentieth century. Deftly translated by Ryan Choi, these stories and vignettes all have radical brevity in common.
Mathilde aspires to high society, despite being married to a low-paid clerk who tries his best to please her. When he manages to cadge an invitation to a grand ball at the Ministry of Education, Mathilde refuses to attend unless she can look the part. She obtains a splendid gown, but then demands a necklace to go with it.
In these three warm and nuanced tales, Indonesia's supreme storyteller Pramoedya Ananta Toer gives us vivid, memorable characters caught between optimism and a darker place. A disabled veteran of his country's war of independence against the Dutch slowly succumbs to despair; a child bride's lost innocence is cherished by her observant younger ......
Winners of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2022
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is one of the world's most dynamic literary honours. It is awarded for the best short fiction from the Commonwealth. The overall winning entry was by Eswatini's Ntsika Kota. The other finalists are Sofia Mariah Ma (Singapore), Cecil Browne (England), Diana McCaulay (Jamaica) and Mary Rokonadravu (Fiji).
Winners of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2021
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize, is one of the world's most dynamic literary honours. Spanning fifty-four countries, it is awarded for the best short fiction from the Commonwealth regions of Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, the Caribbean and the Pacific. This collection is titled after the overall winning entry by Sri Lanka's Kanya D'Almeida.
In this volume, the legendary O. Henry takes readers into the careworn lives of early twentieth-century New Yorkers. "[O. Henry] wrote heartfelt stories of the life all about him. A man to remember - and revere." ART YOUNG, THE NEW YORKER
