The Best of Saki

The Best of Saki brings together the finest short stories of H.H. Munro — universally known by his pen name Saki — one of the most brilliantly witty, sharply satirical, and darkly inventive writers in the English language. Writing at the turn of the twentieth century, Saki captured Edwardian English society with a precision, irreverence, and playful malice that has never been equalled — and his best stories remain as startlingly fresh and funny today as when they were first published.

Saki's world is populated by insufferable aunts, precocious and terrifying children, sardonic young men of leisure, credulous houseguests, and the occasional supernatural intruder — all observed with a cool, amused eye and dispatched with a wit that is always perfectly timed and frequently devastating. His stories are masterclasses in brevity: each is precisely as long as it needs to be, not a word wasted, and the endings arrive with the force of a perfectly placed full stop.

Tales such as 'Sredni Vashtar' — one of the most quietly chilling stories in the language — 'The Open Window', 'Tobermory', 'The Lumber Room', and 'Gabriel-Ernest' have never been out of print for good reason: they are simply perfect. They do what only the best short fiction can do — create a complete world, establish fully realised characters, and deliver an ending that is both surprising and inevitable, all in fewer pages than most novelists use for a chapter.

Whether you are a long-time devotee of Saki returning to old favourites or a reader encountering his work for the first time, The Best of Saki is a book of pure delight. A compact treasury of one of English literature's most distinctive and underappreciated voices — and an ideal introduction to a writer who, once discovered, is impossible to forget.

Product Details

ISBN: 817987265X
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Author: H.H. Munro (Saki)
Publisher: Rupa Publications
Recommended Age: 16+
Weight: Approx. 200 g
Delivery Time: 5-7 Business Days