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The Selected Stories of Elizabeth Bowen

Selected and Introduced by Tessa Hadley
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( 44 ratings, 10 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In The Selected Stories of Elizabeth Bowen, readers are treated to a rich collection that delves into the intricacies of human relationships and the subtle tensions of ordinary life. Bowen masterfully crafts stories that explore themes of love, loss, and the passage of time, all set against the backdrop of mid-20th-century Britain and Ireland. Each story captures moments of profound insight and emotion, offering a compelling look at the complexities of the human experience.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this collection if you're drawn to stories that exquisitely capture the subtleties of human emotions and social dynamics. Elizabeth Bowen's prose is renowned for its elegance and psychological insight, offering a rich tapestry of characters and settings that bring 20th-century life vividly to the fore.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A beautiful paperback edition of Elizabeth Bowen's short stories, selected and introduced by Tessa Hadley.

'Bowen's stories are novels that have been split open like rocks and reveal the glitter of the naked crystals which have formed them' - Vogue

Selected and with a new introduction by Tessa Hadley.

A girl shares her secret den. A couple stroll through a ruined city. A man walks into a ladies' hat shop. A teacher dreams of killing her pupil.

Spanning the 1920s to the post-war years, this new selection brings Elizabeth Bowen's finest short stories together for the first time. Elegant and subtle, they showcase Bowen's ability to evoke ineffable emotions - grief, nostalgia, self-consciousness, dread - and combine remarkable psychological insight with vivid settings, from the countryside of Bowen's native Ireland to the streets of her London home after the Blitz.

Encompassing characters from many walks of life and a vast array of moods, these are intricate journeys of domesticity and discovery, of the homely and uncanny, of the mind and body.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Selected Stories of Elizabeth Bowen are praised for their masterful use of the English language and exploration of human depth, likened to uncovering hidden gems beneath the surface. Her storytelling draws comparisons to other literary greats, noted for creating complex yet clear reflections of reality. The stories are celebrated for their unique portrayal of place as an 'inner landscape', offering a historical richness and modern insights.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781784877163

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 23 February 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage Classics

Contributors:

  • Introduction by Tessa Hadley

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 19.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 223g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Elizabeth Bowen (Author) Elizabeth Bowen was born in Dublin in 1899, the only child of an Irish lawyer and landowner. She travelled a great deal, dividing most of her time between London and Bowen's Court, the family house in County Cork which she inherited. Her first book, a collection of short stories, Encounters, was published in 1923. The Hotel (1927) was her first novel. She was awarded the CBE in 1948, and received honorary degrees from Trinity College, Dublin in 1949, and from Oxford University in 1956. The Royal Society of Literature made her a Companion of Literature in 1965. She died in 1973. Tessa Hadley (Introducer) Tessa Hadley is the author of eight highly praised novels, Accidents in the Home, which was longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, Everything Will Be All Right, The Master Bedroom, The London Train, Clever Girl, The Past, Late in the Day, Free Love and three collections of stories, Sunstroke, Married Love and Bad Dreams. She won the Windham Campbell Prize for Fiction in 2016, The Past won the Hawthornden Prize for 2016, and Bad Dreams won the 2018 Edge Hill Short Story Prize. Her stories appear regularly in the New Yorker.

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