Beautifully crafted, perceptive, sometimes shocking, and often heartbreaking stories that examine the impact of cheap international travel on modern lives and relationships A boys' weekend in Eastern Europe spirals out of control. A bleeding tourist is rescued by a stranger in downtown Toronto. A middle-aged woman vacationing in Tunisia considers the local options for love. An unemployed man shares his fantasies of a sex tour of Arizona with his long-suffering girlfriend. A woman is drawn into an impromptu but life-changing football game in the heart of the Amazon. With wit, wisdom, insight, and pathos, this collection examines men and women of all ages who, through the advent of discount air travel, play out their lives and loves across the globe. It brilliantly captures the isolation, dislocation, and occasional epiphanies of those who find themselves 1,000 miles from home, and those who long to be.

Product Description Ivan Klima has been acclaimed by Booklist as "one of the most important literary voices of Eastern Europe, on a par with Havel, Konrad, and Haraszti." His novels Waiting for the Dark, Waiting for the Light and The Ultimate Intimacy have established him as a writer with a uniquely wry perspective on human affection. In Lovers for a Day, he delivers a beautiful and masterfully crafted collection of short stories on the theme of love. In "Heaven Hell Paradise," a doctor who has escaped to London comes back to communist Czechoslovakia to be with his lover and realizes too late that he barely knows her. And in "A Baffling Choice," a young woman begins an affair with an older man who lives in her apartment building, right under the nose of his wife. The dreams and frustrations of the student cafeteria and the turmoil of political exile in the early 1960s evolve into portraits of people struggling with responsibility, fidelity, and absence, haunted by a terrible guilt when their desires begin to become reality. Klima's unique wisdom creates a personal political history of Prague that is an acute and moving examination of our attempts to find freedom in love. Amazon.com Review Ranging over nearly three decades, the stories collected in Ivan Klíma's Lovers for a Day offer a fine cross section of the Czech writer's career. Yet the book also traces the misunderstandings and frustrations, the hopes and disenchantments of an entire nation--where, ironically enough, Klíma's creations were banned until the mid-1990s. How does this fictional barometer work? The earlier tales, which tend toward dissections of private life, seldom mention the Communist regime--yet their protagonists are so thoroughly warped by political circumstance that even love becomes an avatar of control and constraint. In the later, post-perestroika stories, Klíma's characters explore their newfound freedom. Yet that, too, turns out to be something of a mixed bag, in both the public and private sector. No wonder the judge in "It's Raining Out" finds his new beat--divorce court--nearly as dispiriting as the old regime's political trials: He would divorce couples on grounds of infidelity or mutual incompatibility. Some of them were husbands and wives who had stopped living together long ago, but in spite of that, he could never rid himself of the conviction that most of the divorces were unnecessary, that people were attempting to escape the inescapable: their own emptiness, their own incapacity to share their lives with another person. For Klíma's countryman desire represents a zone of freedom: an assertion of the unique self in the face of a collective state. For Klíma, alas, eros is yet another venue for repression. Suggesting that national politics might inscribe itself onto the deepest contours of the individual, he's able to write about both at once. It's a grim equation, perhaps. But Klíma's mastery of the medium, and his rare emotional intelligence, make for a superb exposition of love among the ruins. --Burhan Tufail From Publishers Weekly Sophisticated readers may expect to admire anything new from the justly revered Czech novelist (Waiting for the Light, Waiting for the Dark). Many of them will be disappointed with these 12 short stories. Klima's tales are sorted into three unequal sections: "Lovers for One Night" collects five stories from the 1960s, while "Intimate Conversations" and "About Love and Death" hold seven from the '80s and '90s. All these dejected fictions concern the success or failure of hopeful myths of intimacyAbut they are not equally successful. The fiction from the '60s tends to drown in involuted rhetoric; sometimes it's trite, other times it's supercharged with languid enervations and prominent symbolism through which the characters barely appear. It's hard to know whether the translator or Klima is responsible for such clunky prose as "She knew everything. She knew precisely why it was w

Journey into a world of poignant beauty with "Pilgrim Sorrow: A Cycle of Tales" by Carmen Sylva. This collection of short stories, crafted by the talented woman author, offers a glimpse into timeless themes of love, loss, and the human condition. Sylva's literary fiction resonates with emotional depth, weaving tales that explore the bittersweet nature of existence. "Pilgrim Sorrow" presents a series of interconnected narratives, each a gem of storytelling. These literary tales, rich in atmosphere and introspection, showcase the author's mastery of the short story form. Perfect for readers who appreciate thoughtful and evocative prose, this collection demonstrates the enduring power of well-crafted fiction. Experience the captivating world of Carmen Sylva and discover the lasting impact of her literary vision. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

"An all-access ticket to the celebrated and wholly original mind of Mark Leyner, "one of the smartest and funniest humans since Aristophanes" (Jay McInerney). Praised as "chaotic and vibrant" (Charles Yu), "visionary" (Sam Lipsyte), and "supremely original" (John Cusack), the work of Mark Leyner has inspired a generation of contemporary novelists and has long deserved its place of recognition among the literary superstars of the seismic postmodernism-influenced movement of the early 21st century. A Shimmering, Serrated Monster!: The Mark Leyner Reader samples the staggering highlights from Leyner's extraordinary career in all of its bizarre and infatuating glory, with excerpts spanning from his groundbreaking early novels My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist (1990) and Et Tu, Babe (1992) to his modern masterpieces The Sugar-Frosted Nutsack (2012) and The Last Orgy of the Divine Hermit (2021). Appreciations from modern masters introduce each novel and the book includes original pieces in Leyner's irrepressible voice, including a timeline ("The Story So Far") and a new Afterword ("The Highlighted Passages"). This comprehensive volume is the perfect entry point for readers attracted to mind-expanding prose, and a bouquet of delights for those who have loved any of his past works"--

There is a lot of rubbish to sort through in Tommy and Tuppence Beresford's new country home, The Laurels. Turning the pages of an abandoned book, Tuppence uncovers a troubling note: "Mary Jordan did not die naturally. It was one of us. I think I know which one." Peering into the past, the Beresfords learn the author of the note died very young—was it coincidence, or did he know too much? But it is no coincidence when a loose panel of glass just misses Tuppence, nor when a bullet grazes her arm. Someone wants to bury the sixty-year-old secret...and the Beresfords.

A collection of stories by the award-winning author of Past Continuous and Past Perfect features Israelis on the brink of independence in 1940s Tel Aviv, from a refugee on the run from his creditors, to a ribald nude model. Reprint.

Children of Abraham, The Short Stories of Sholem Asch.

What an Impact! Your Shabbos table will never be the same after picking up this book, guaranteed! Shabbos Table Impact features short, powerful stories corresponding to each week's parsha; this fifth in the Impact series is full of humorous, inspiring and thought-provoking stories perfect for your Shabbos table. The spicy, insightful comments are ideal discussion starters for your seuda, entertaining and always on the mark. For an even greater Shabbos Impact, Rabbi Kaplan shares a wealth of practical guidelines and helpful tips that will transform your Shabbos table from ordinary to extraordinary. Rabbi Kaplan renowned rebbe, educator and sought after lecturer keeps audiences worldwide spellbound with his captivating stories and lectures, presented in his inimitable, witty style. This book will give you a sampling and have you eagerly anticipating more.

"The embargo was a success: the people were starving and the country was in ruins..." Extreme situations have always illuminated the human condition, and in these three stories set in three widely-separated places in times of crisis, Theodore Dalrymple explores the deeper levels of human nature. Theodore Dalrymple is a retired doctor and psychiatrist who has written many books, including Life at the Bottom, Romancing Opiates and Admirable Evasions.

With this, his famous inaugural collection of stories, Max Apple dives into the mainstream of American culture, and his unfailingly wry depictions of the forces that drive this great nation (greed, lust, perfection, ice cream) make his stories exciting, frightening, and eternally new.

The White Man in the Tree is a comedy of cultural misunderstandings set in the Caribbean, New York, and Paris, a novella and eight stories about people who, because of their differences, misjudge each other. Whether it is a sophisticated European filmmaker, an ambitious young black Haitian woman, a promising politician obsessed with women's feet, or a fish-out-of-water rabbi in search of a kosher chicken in Curaçao, each of Kurlansky's characters engages us with impulses and interactions that are by turns comic, insightful, and poignant. The White Man in the Tree is an affectionate portrait of a unique society, where Europe, America, Africa, and Asia meet Latin America.

Since publishing his first collection in the eighties, John J. Clayton has continued to write "powerful stories of urban life in America, of life often enough among Jews who carry their exile and their wilderness within them. The prose is powerful, an impressive mixture of sinuous sentences--which one reads as if one overhears thoughts. All of these characters are bruised. They are often enough triumphant, though, even if locked into mortal flesh, because they have an astonishing belief in the spirit" (Fredrick Busch). We are pleased to be publishing the definitive collection of Clayton's remarkable stories. Included are two previously published collections, Bodies of the Rich and Radiance: Ten Stories , together with a selection of previously uncollected stories, and a large collection of new stories, Wrestling with Angels , plus an introduction to his work by the author.

Esther Friesner offers a collection of 12 of her best pieces of short fiction including brand new story, "Ilion", as well as two Nebula award-winning stories. Contents: All Vows (1992) True Believer (1997) "White!" Said Fred (1993) A Birthday (1995) A Pig's Tale (1995) Love, Crystal and Stone (1999) In the Realm of Dragons (1998) Jesus at the Bat (1994) Chanoyu (1999) Ilion (2002) How to Make Unicorn Pie (1999) Death and the Librarian (1994)

"I have long admired the things Dick Lupoff can do in the way of atmosphere and characterization in any sort of story-dark or light."-ROGER ZELAZNY "His books and stories, I can testify, having read a great many of them and published some myself, almost unfailingly display not only his intelligence and perceptivity, but also the grace and charm of his wit, the skill of his narrative technique, and the exemplary individuality of his ideas."-ROBERT SILVERBERG DREAMS marks the long-awaited completion of Richard A. Lupoff's epic trio of collections, following TERRORS and VISIONS. The stories range from Lovecraftian horror to Holmesian detection, from hard science fiction to whimsy, from semi-autobiographical recreations of past decades to images of the distant future, culminating in the stunning mini-trilogy of "Dreemz.biz," "Wyshes.com," and "Heaven.god." Whatever the genre or mood, these stories never cease to startle, delight, amaze, and-occasionally-terrify!

"Tales in a Minor Key" is a collection of short stories, about twentieth century Central European Jews coping with the trials and aftereffects of the two world wars and of the twin evils of fascism and communism. The narrator of "Dachau Idyll," a Romanian Jew, and her physician husband Gabriel, settle in Dachau after the war and try to pass as Catholics there. Before long, to sustain this lie, they go as far as pretending that Gabriel had served in Africa under Rommel. Living in constant fear of being exposed seriously affects the narrator's own sense of identity. In "Feeding the Piranhas," on the pier of Lisbon harbor, after the fall of Berlin, two Romanian Jews who had managed to weather the war in neutral Portugal, buy passage to Brazil for Nazis fleeing Europe. The payment is made in suitcases stuffed with German stocks, which after a thorough laundering in a Zurich bank, establish the two Jews as millionaires, while also leading to severe unintended consequences. The narrator in "The Treasure Hunters' Burdens" returns to his native Romania after the fall of communism to search for the ring and the manuscript of a nineteenth century ancestor. In this search he is helped by his childhood friends and has to confront some of the agents of the deposed communist regime. In the process, connections between his friends and the communist authorities get revealed and the question of just what qualifies as honorable behavior in a totalitarian society assumes a central role. In "A Stabbing Pain" a physician in Romania is called to attend to a patient who claims to be on the run from the communist secret police, but who may himself be a member of that very police force, sent to entrap the doctor. The physician faces the choice of denouncing his patient to the authorities, or of remaining silent. If however the patient is a police agent, not reporting him, the doctor would be signing his own and his young wife's arrest warrants. These sad stories deal with deep moral issues, and at the same time are infused with a powerful sense of humor.

Product description INCLUDES 23 STORIES WRITTEN BETWEEN 1954 AND 1984. HIGHLY AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL, THE STORIES ARE ALL ABOUT A MAN IN VARIOUS STAGES OF LIFE FROM BOYHOOD TO TH E RCAF IN WORLD WAR 2, RAISING A FAMILY OF DAUGHTERS IN ENGLAND, TO BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL WRITER. THE CHRONOLOGICAL ARRANGEMENT OF THE STORIES IS SUCH THAT THEY READ LIKE A NOVEL. From Publishers Weekly The son of Polish Jews who emigrated to Canada, Levine grew up in Ottawa, joined the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II and thereafter lived in England for 31 years, where he wrote, married and raised a family. A good number of the 23 stories in this exceptional collection were written between 1958 and 1978 and are clearly autobiographical, centering on a Canadian writer living in England who relives his youth through trips back to Canada and visits from Canadian relatives. The narrator of Levine's stories recalls his past effortlesslyfamily relationships, lost loves, old friendships. And with pleasure the reader participates in these journeys, sharing Levine's experiences of fulfillment, disappointment and nostalgia. One doesn't easily leave Levine's tales behind, for as the narrator of the title story says in the volume's concluding line: "I would carry that sound with me long after I left." NovemberCopyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.