The Persephone Book of Short Stories

Persephone book no. 100

The hundredth book is something of a landmark for Persephone Books and they wanted to find a way to celebrate the diversity and range of ‘their’ writers. The best way to do so was by gathering together a varied collection of stories in one large (450 page) volume. They have printed the following comment on the flap: ‘“Most of the stories focus on the small, quiet or unspoken intricacies of human relationships rather than grand dramas” wrote their proofreader, and she pointed out that “the use of metaphor is delicate and subtle; often the women are strong and capable and the men less so; shallow and selfish motives are exposed, and all the stories except the last are third-person. Interesting!" The dates of the stories range from 1909 to 1986 and there are thirty in all.

REVIEW

"An excellent anthology of women's short stories which also serves as a taster of Persephone authors. The tales are organised in chronological order through the twentieth century with mini biographies at the back, and authors include 'big' names like Shirley Jackson, Dorothy Parker and Edith Wharton to undeservedly less well-known writers like Dorothy Whipple and Mollie Panter-Downes. What the stories share is a concern with the small movements in women's lives: some are about the burdens of domesticity; others about moments of crisis between mothers and children, husbands and wives." - Goodreads reviewer

PRODUCT DETAILS
Paperback with jacket
Publisher: Persephone Books
ISBN: 978-1903155905
Pages: 477
Endpaper: The front endpaper is taken from a roller-printed cotton twill designed in 1911 for Arnold Print Works and the endpaper at the back of the book is taken from 'Cote D'Azure', a 1983 screen-printed cotton by Collier Campbell.