Anthology World Literature

Man has always wanted to travel into the unknown and encounter what he has not, and perhaps cannot, experience in the real world. The early 20th century witnessed an explosion of science fiction literature. Authors studied the wonders of scientific and technological progress and imagined worlds that had developed even greater advances. Jules Vernes' and H.G. Wells' fantastic tales well whetted the public's appetite for adventure tales.

“The People Could Fly,” the title story in Virginia Hamilton’s prize-winning American Black folktale collection, is a fantasy tale of the slaves who possessed the ancient magic words that enabled them to literally fly away to freedom. And it is a moving tale of those who did not have the opportunity to “fly” away, who remained slaves with only their imaginations to set them free as they told and retold this tale.

With 10 stories that move from the barrios of the Dominican Republic to the struggling urban communities of New Jersey, Junot Diaz makes his remarkable debut. Diaz's work is unflinching and strong, and these stories crackle with an electric sense of discovery.

Gripping and compassionate, Land of Big Numbers traces the journeys of the diverse and legion Chinese people, their history, their government, and how all of that has tumbled—messily, violently, but still beautifully—into the present. Cutting between clear-eyed realism and tongue-in-cheek magical realism, Chen’s stories coalesce into a portrait of a people striving for openings where mobility is limited.

The New York Times best seller from the author of Slaughterhouse-Five—a “gripping” posthumous collection of Kurt Vonnegut’s previously unpublished work on the subject of war and peace. A fitting tribute to a literary legend and a profoundly humane humorist, Armageddon in Retrospect is a collection of 12 previously unpublished writings. Imbued with Vonnegut's trademark rueful humor and outraged moral sense.

Embark on an exhilarating journey into the vibrant worlds of S.E. Smith, where seven captivating series await your exploration. Each story offers a tantalizing glimpse into the lives of the unforgettable characters created by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author S.E. Smith, woven together in a rich tapestry of love, adventure, and magic. Don’t miss this captivating collection of short stories that will transport you to realms beyond imagination!

From the high-stakes worlds of television and politics to the intimate corridors of home—including the bedroom—these wryly observed, deeply revealing stories look at life in Pakistan with humor, compassion, psychological acuity, and emotional immediacy. Childhood best friends agree to marry in order to keep their sexuality a secret. A young woman with an anxiety disorder discovers the numbing pleasures of an illicit love affair. A radicalized student's preparations for his sister's wedding involve beating up the groom.

Drawing on both lived experience and cultural memory, Norma Dunning brings together six powerful short stories centered on modern-day Inuk characters in Tainna. Ranging from homeless to extravagantly wealthy, from spiritual to jaded, from young to elderly, and even from alive to deceased, Dunning’s characters are united by shared feelings of alienation, displacement, and loneliness resulting from their experiences in southern Canada. They must rely on their wits, artistic talent, humor, and spirituality­ for survival, and find solace in shining moments of reconnection.

4 contes traditionnels wolof, mandingue et peuhl, inédits et revisités par Elsa Valentin. Elsa et Amala Valentin content à deux voix douces, chaudes, pleines d'émotion et interprètent les petites chansons de chacune des histoires. La mise en sons (insectes, singes, oiseaux, jungle) et musique (valiha, doun-doun, djembé, balafon et mini- guitare), signée Paul Henrik Kuchenbuch, nous transporte jusqu'en Afrique. On y chemine aux côtés de filles et de femmes sensibles, courageuses et particulièrement déterminées.

Written over the course of Leskov's career, each story in The Enchanted Wanderer elucidates the very essence of the human condition; themes of love, despair, loneliness, and revenge are explored against the backdrop of 19th-century working-class Russia. Leskov deftly layers social satire and subtle criticism atop myth and fable, resulting in a richly entertaining collection.

The veil between the living and the dead is obscured, chaos becomes panacea, and characters take drastic measures into their own hands. Survivors of all kinds seek strategy and solace: a group of homeless people organize an occupation of vacant condos, a new resident to a disturbing neighbourhood tries to make sense of madness, a dog investigates the sudden disappearance of his owner. The five intertwined vignettes in the title story are set in a Caribbean country where the spectre of the sugar plantation haunts everyone.

When Alice follows a white rabbit down a hole she discovers the extraordinary world of Wonderland, where a magical adventure begins. It’s not long before Alice finds herself attending a very unconventional tea party and taking part in a peculiar game of croquet, all in the company of such mysterious and unforgettable characters as the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and the Mock Turtle.

Eight fantastic stories, brilliantly retold, reaching from Africa to the United Kingdom. Hours of audio fun to keep children entertained while on the move! Introduce your children to a selection of folk tales from around the world, written especially for children. Filled with sound effects and fun, these stories will introduce your children to a wider world of classic stories....

Award-winning, best-selling author Neil Gaiman demonstrates why he’s one of the hottest stars in literature today with “The Thing About Cassandra,” a subtle but chilling story of a man who meets an old girlfriend he had never expected to see .International blockbuster bestselling author Diana Gabaldon sends a World War II RAF pilot through a stone circle to the time of her Outlander series in “A Leaf on the Winds of All Hallows.”

Renee loved living in the Caribbean on the island of Tobago, but as luck would have it, her parents want to move back to France, where "she become a proper lady". It was the early 1700s, and Renee knew that, being a girl, she had practically no say in her future - that is, until pirates attack Tobago and she gets swept into the world of the soucouyant. Will she finally be free of the chains she saw herself bearing? Or will she have to serve a new master, one more deadly than societal norms?

When her mother unexpectedly passes away, Kennedy returns home after a decade—and comes face-to-face with Xander, the man she left behind. Can they overcome their painful past and rediscover the love they had? Pru Reynolds is about to adopt a teenager—but when it looks like there could be problems, her last-minute no-strings fling with sexy Irishman Flynn Bohannon quickly turns into a fake engagement! Disgraced chef Athena and farmer Logan just might hold the keys to each other’s salvation—but when her old life comes calling, can love win over the temptation for redemption?

For fans of Etgar Keret, a debut collection that fuses the humor of everyday life in Israel with technology's challenges and the latest discoveries about the human brain. At once compassionate, philosophical, and humorous, Jerusalem Beach is a foray into the human condition in all its contradictions. Through a series of snapshots of contemporary life in Israel, Gefen reveals a world that's a step from the familiar.

This is a selection of works by three famous Irishmen: Oscar Wilde, W. B. Yeats and Bram Stoker. It includes: the short story by Bram Stoker, "Dracula's Guest"; Oscar Wilde's poem "Humanitad" and three versions of his "The Ballad of Reading Gaol"; and finally, an early collection of poetry called The Rose by W. B. Yeats. There is a general introduction by the writer and actor Tim Dalgleish and other additional material.

Cowboy Graves is an unexpected treasure from the vault of a revolutionary talent. Roberto Bolaño's boundless imagination and seemingly inexhaustible gift for shaping the chaos of his reality into fiction is unmistakable in these three novellas. In Cowboy Graves, Arturo Belano - Bolaño's alter ego - returns to Chile after the coup to fight with his comrades for socialism.

Retold by Donna Jo Napoli, this is a collection of 29 magical stories from a wide variety of cultures/countries, including Italy, Hungary, Morocco, Angola, Zimbabwe, Turkey, Russia, Japan, China, Fiji, India, Chile, Mexico, as well as three tales from Native American cultures: Inuit, Brule Sioux, and Cheyenne.