Synopses & Reviews
If Stephen King could write with murderous concision, he might have come up with "The Landlady," the story of a boarding house with an oddly talented proprietress and a small but permanent clientele. If Clive Barker had a sense of humor, he might have written "Pig," a brutally funny look at cooks and vegetarianism. And a more bloodthirsty Jorge Luis Borges might have imagiuned the fanatical little gambler in "Man From the South," who does his betting with a hammer, nails and a butcher knife.
But all these stories in this volume were written by Roald Dahl, whose genius for the horrific and grotesque is unparalleled and entirely his own.
Review
"Dahl has the mastery of plot and characters possessed by great writers of the past, along with a wildness and wryness of his own. One of his trademarks is writing beautifully about the ugly, even the horrible." The Los Angeles Times
Review
"An ingenious imagination, a fascination with odd and ordinary detail, and a lust for its thorough exploitation are the...strengths of Dahl's storytelling." The New York Times Book Review
Review
"The mind of Roald Dahl is quintessentially nasty and wicked." The Washington Post
Synopsis
A collection of the best short stories from a writer with "an ingenious imagination, a fascination with odd and ordinary detail, and a lust for its thorough exploitation" (The New York Times Book Review).
If Stephen King could write with murderous concision, he might have come up with "The Landlady," the story of a boarding house with an oddly talented proprietress and a small but permanent clientele. If Clive Barker had a sense of humor, he might have written "Pig," a brutally funny look at cooks and vegetarianism. And a more bloodthirsty Jorge Luis Borges might have imagined the fanatical little gambler in "Man From the South," who does his betting with a hammer, nails, and a butcher knife.
But all these stories in this volume were written by Roald Dahl, whose genius for the horrific and grotesque is unparalleled and entirely his own.
Synopsis
Includes the stories "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" and "The Ratcatcher," soon to be short films from Wes Anderson on Netflix A collection of the best short stories from a writer with "an ingenious imagination, a fascination with odd and ordinary detail, and a lust for its thorough exploitation" (The New York Times Book Review).
If Stephen King could write with murderous concision, he might have come up with "The Landlady," the story of a boarding house with an oddly talented proprietress and a small but permanent clientele. If Clive Barker had a sense of humor, he might have written "Pig," a brutally funny look at cooks and vegetarianism. And a more bloodthirsty Jorge Luis Borges might have imagined the fanatical little gambler in "Man From the South," who does his betting with a hammer, nails, and a butcher knife.
But all these stories in this volume were written by Roald Dahl, whose genius for the horrific and grotesque is unparalleled and entirely his own.
Synopsis
This collection brings together Dahl's finest work, illustrating his genius for the horrific and grotesque which is unparalleled.
"Dahl has the mastery of plot and characters possessed by great writers of the past, along with a wildness and wryness of his own. One of his trademarks is writing beautifully about the ugly, even the horrible."--Los Angeles Times
"An ingenious imagination, a fascination with odd and ordinary detail, and a lust for its thorough exploitation are the...strengths of Dahl's storytelling."--New York Times Book Review
Table of Contents
Madame Rosette -- Man from the South -- The sound machine -- Taste -- Dip in the pool -- Skin -- Edward the Conqueror -- Lamb to the slaughter -- Galloping Foxley -- The way up to heaven -- Parson's pleasure -- The landlady -- William and Mary -- Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's coat -- Royal jelly -- Georgy Porgy -- Genesis and catastrophe -- Pig -- The visitor -- Claud's dog (The ratcatcher -- Rummins -- Mr. Hoddy -- Mr. Feasey -- Champion of the world) -- The great switcheroo -- The boy who talked with animals -- The hitchhiker -- The wonderful story of Henry Sugar -- The bookseller.