Five of Saul Bellow’s most moving, richly textured, and exquisitely plotted short stories make up this volume, each providing a history of personality and self-awakening. The title story, “Him with His Foot in His Mouth,” follows a musicologist narrator who for years has scattered wounding witticisms “from the depths of my nature, that hoard of strange formulations.” As the story unfolds he tries to discover what led him into a “deep legal-financial hole,” while he awaits extradition from a refuge in British Columbia. “What Kind of Day Did You Have?” follows a divorced suburban woman and her lovers—would-be and actual—through a frantic day in their lives. Their needs and passions, as well as their comic conflicts, are matters of life and death. In “Zetland: By a Character Witness” and in “A Silver Dish,” Bellow returns, with his unequaled command of eloquent recollected detail, to a bygone Chicago, “Zetland” is a brilliant portrait of an artist as a young boy and a man, precocious and eccentric; “A Silver Dish” is a memorable story of a raffish, willful father and his affectionate son. “Cousins,” the final story in the volume, explores the mysteries of family feeling—mysteries that defy both logic and the worthiness of their objects, as Ijah Brodsky, successful in the larger world, is drawn into an encounter with criminal and naively idealistic forces. This collection represents a turning point in the bountiful career of Saul Bellow, a felicitous rendering of the human condition in all its absurd complexity.

In this unique collection of Waugh's early short stories, some of which became the inspirations for his novels, Waugh displays his unique talent for comedy and narration. 'Mr Loveday's Little Outing' is a blackly comic tale of a mental asylum and its favourite resident, while 'Cruise' sees a hilarious series of letters from a naïve young woman as she travels with her family. These witty and immaculately crafted stories display the finest writing of a master of satire and comic twists.

Part of the pleasure of poetry is unravelling the mysteries and difficulties it contains and solving the puzzles that lie within. Who, for instance, is Ozymandias? What is the Snark? Who is the Emperor of Ice-Cream? Or indeed, who is 'you' in a poem? In this perceptive and playful new book, acclaimed poet John Fuller looks at some of our greatest poems and considers the number of individual puzzles at their heart, casting light on how we should approach these conundrums as readers. From riddling to double entendres, mysterious titles to red herrings, Fuller unpicks the puzzles in works that range from Browning to Bishop, Empson to Eliot, Shelley to Stevens, to help us reach the rewards and revelations that lie at the centre of some of our best-loved poems.

An innovative and accessible guide to writing and reading poetry by an acclaimed poet and beloved professor of poetry. What makes reading a poem unlike reading anything else? In Real Toads, Imaginary Gardens, acclaimed poet and teacher Paisley Rekdal demonstrates how to observe the building blocks of a poem—including its diction, form, imagery, and rhythm—and construct an interpretation of its meaning. Using guided close readings and nearly 40 creative and critical “experiments,” this book shows how a poem takes shape through the intersection of all its lyric elements. Drawing on the work of poets from William Shakespeare to Jericho Brown, Real Toads, Imaginary Gardens reveals how to read and write critically, and how to appreciate—and achieve—the exhilarating craft of poetry.

This collection of tales by the No 1 bestselling author features all her best-loved characters: Dr Ruth Galloway, Harry Nelson, Max Mephisto, Detective Harbinder Kaur and more. It features several stories never published before, including a brand new Ruth and Nelson story. A must for all her fans. Have you been wondering what happened to your favourite characters Ruth Galloway and Harry Nelson? Dive into this fabulous collection of stories and find out. Here are stories to suit all tastes. There are ghost stories and mini cosy mysteries; tales of psychological suspense and poignant vignettes of love and loss. There's a creepy horror story to make you shiver and a tale narrated by Flint, Ruth Galloway's cat, to make you smile. There is truly something for everyone in this collection of bite-sized morsels for all thriller fans.

Before the breakthrough of postcolonial studies, British science-fiction authors already saw the opportunity to discuss political and ethical issues of imperialism by projecting human history and behavior onto the alien 'Other.' In this thesis, the case studies of 15 novels of alien-encounter science fiction illuminate the treatment of colonial and postcolonial concepts - such as colonialism, neo-colonialism, Empire, paternalism, hybridity, mimicry and science and technology - as a means of conquest and resistance. The analysis also shows that the Empire is still a vital background for British science fiction. Thesis. (Series: Anglistik / Amerikanistik; English / American Studies - Vol. 35)

This introduction to the tools required for literary study provides all the skills, background and critical knowledge which students require to approach their study of literature with confidence.

Since its original release in 1982, Jim Henson’s groundbreaking fantasy film The Dark Crystal has captured the minds and imaginations of authors, artists, filmmakers, and fans across the world with its ambitious worldbuilding and stunning visuals. Now, return to the world of The Dark Crystal and see the vivid locations, lifelike creatures, and beloved heroes as realized by a collection of uniquely original artistic voices in celebration of one of Jim Henson’s most enduring creations. The Dark Crystal Artist Tribute features illustrations from artist luminaries and newcomers alike, including Jae Lee, David Petersen, Mark Buckingham, Cory Godbey, Jeff Stokely, Benjamin Dewey, Sana Takeda, and the film’s original concept artist, Brian Froud.

Ten otherworldly “diabolical delights” from the author of Rocket to the Morgue and “The Quest for Saint Aquin” (Kirkus Reviews). Anthony Boucher was a literary renaissance man: an Edgar Award–winning mystery reviewer, an esteemed editor of the Hugo Award–winning Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, a prolific scriptwriter of radio mystery programs, and an accomplished writer of mystery, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. With a particular fondness for the locked room mystery, Boucher created such iconic sleuths as Los Angeles PI Fergus O’Breen, amateur sleuth Sister Ursula, and alcoholic ex-cop Nick Noble. “A fine volume of inventive entertainment” (The Times, London), this collection features ten of Boucher’s greatest stories of science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and horror. A down on his luck college professor chats with a magician over cocktails, and a hairy situation ensues in “The Compleat Werewolf.” Private detective Fergus O’Breen visits Mexico to investigate a peculiar case of a man with a skeleton in “The Pink Caterpillar.” Meet androids and aliens in “Q.U.R.” and “Robinc.” A terrifying—but tiny—demon is summoned in “Snulbug.” And a man discovers true terror lingering in the corner of his eye in the California desert in “They Bite.”