Showing results by author "Hector Hugh Munro" in All Categories

Bertie Thropplestance stands to inherit a vast fortune from his wealthy but indomitable grandmother, a fact which has not escaped the notice of every mother of a marriageable girl in the county. But old Mrs. Thropplestance has her own ideas of a suitable mate for her grandson, and even when he romantically rescues Dora Yonelet from a rampaging elk, this cuts little ice with the dowager. The elk, however, has its own ideas....

When Theophil Eshley, the bovine painter, is called upon by his neighbour Adela Pingsford to remove a stray ox from her garden things go inevitably and comically wrong. No oxen are harmed in the course of this story, but sadly the same cannot be said of assorted chrysanthemums, drawing rooms and egos.

Edwardian satirist Hector Hugh Munro (1870-1916), who wrote under the pseudonym "Saki" tells the story of an unusual three-way domestic dispute between Egbert, his wife Lady Anne, and Don Tarquinio the cat. As often happens with Saki, there is a cynical twist at the end.

When Mary Hampton challenges Leonard Bilsiter to deploy his self-proclaimed Siberian magic powers to transform her into a she-wolf, nobody reckons with Clovis's cunning. Mrs. Hampton's disappearance in an Azalea bush and the coincidental appearance of a female wolf in exactly the same part of the conservatory during coffee causes considerable consternation among the house guests - with the usual hilarious results. Ingenious!

The Baroness recounts a hunting story with a twist. Instead of a fox, the quarry turns out to be an escaped hyena, which adopts her and Constance Broddle and leads them to cover up a heinous killing. Hector Hugh Munro at his most macabre.

When Theodoric Voler boards a train he finds he is not alone in the compartment. Not only is there a female companion asleep in one corner, there is a mouse which has hidden itself inside his clothes. Can the sensitive and prudish young man manage to undress and extricate the mouse without his female companion waking up? Hector Hugh Munro (Saki) at his most satirical. A superb and witty observation on the sensibilities and mores of British Edwardian society.

When Mr. Cornelius Appin announces that he has succeeded in teaching the cat, Tobermory, to speak, nobody in the house party believes him. But when Tobermory makes his entrance and begins to reveal the kind of personal secrets only a cat can know about the assembled company, chaos breaks out. Tobermory must be destroyed at all costs. Hector Hugh Munro at his most masterful!

When master chef Monsieur Aristide Saucourt presents his signature dish to diners at the Grand Sybaris Hotel, he anticipates they will acknowledge this as the pinnacle of his career. But the moment does not go as planned and ends in a fatal tragedy involving hot soup.

Finding himself trapped in a compartment with a set of unruly children, the Storyteller decides to take revenge by narrating a tale with a most immoral twist. This is a wonderful example of Hector Hugh Munro’s witty and multi-layered storytelling, satirizing British Edwardian society. The listener is drawn into the story along with the children and is equally horrified and delighted by the unexpected ending.

When the Momeby family’s baby goes missing, their neighbour Miss Gilpet undertakes to find the child. Her immediate success turns out to be less of a miracle and more of an embarrassment for all.

A quartet of short stories by Britain’s raconteur supreme, Hector Hugh Munro, better known under his pseudonym “Saki”. This collection brings together four of his most curious and amusing tales, all of which involve animals. Saki’s satirical take on the morals and eccentricities of Edwardian society, combined with a compelling narrative and an unexpected ending draw keep the reader hanging on until the very last word.

A masterful collection of 28 short stories by Edwardian satirist Hector Hugh Munro, who wrote under the pseudonym “Saki”. The Chronicles of Clovis includes many of Saki’s best known tales, exemplifying his witty and multi-layered storytelling, satirizing the habits and morals of British society of his day.

Conradin is a sickly and introverted child who hates his guardian, Mrs. De Ropp. When she takes away his pet hen and threatens to do the same with his pole-cat, whom he worships like a god, Conradin makes a special prayer and his sinister wish is answered. Hector Hugh Munro (aka Saki) at his most sinister and macabre. Superb!

Hector Hugh Munro, who wrote under the pseudonym "Saki" tells the tale of a modern werewolf. "There is a wild beast in your woods" observes the artist Cunningham to his friend van Cheele. It turns out that Cunningham is right. The next day, van Cheele finds a naked feral child in the woods, who speaks in a very disturbing way about eating flesh and hunting four-footed at night. Strangest of all is an uncanny remark about having eaten child's flesh recently.