Author:John Steinbeck
'Everything was dead, everything unreal; the dark mob was made up of stiff lay-figures'
One of America's greatest writers explores mob violence, voyeurism and betrayal in these unforgettable tales of Californian life.
Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York's underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.
He has probably written more classic books than any of his contemporaries
—— Daily TelegraphBoyd is a brilliant novelist
—— ObserverWilliam Boyd is a gifted chronicler of lives both enigmatic and artistic
—— Mail on SundayOne of Britain's best and best-loved storytellers
—— Sunday ExpressBoyd deals with heavy themes with the lightest touch. We're lucky to have him writing for us
—— John Sutherland , The TimesBoyd is a gifted and intelligent story-teller
—— Amanda Craig , Independent on SundayBoyd is as good as ever at capturing time and place, and at blurring the line between fact and fiction. A highly enjoyable read
—— Daily Telegraph on 'Sweet Caress'The short story that has sent tongues wagging and keyboards tapping since it was published... #CatPerson has cast light on an oft-experienced but rarely discussed form of sexual consent: when yes means no.
—— IndependentTrending on Twitter, choking Facebook newsfeeds, and whizzing through the ether by email… Cat Person has been a phenomenal success... It’s a game-changer.
—— Evening StandardCat Person is both brilliant and disarming in its exploration of the artifice of gender.
—— New StatesmanCat Person: the short story that launched a thousand theories.
—— GuardianWomen have embraced the story, crediting Roupenian for her brave depiction of the slippery line between desire and loathing.
—— GQBy now you have either read or heard a friend of yours talk at great length about Cat Person.
—— JezebelA fictional short story published in a magazine is being shared widely online as social media users discuss how much it relates to modern day dating.
—— BBCAfter Cat Person... went viral over the weekend, it was praised for putting into words the thoughts and feelings many young women have had while navigating the world of dating, and the world in general.
—— Vice[Cat Person] launched an armada of thinkpieces... At 36, Roupenian is young and just starting out... The fate of previous zeitgeist-catching New Yorker stories suggests her future is bright.
—— The TimesFor women, the story brilliantly articulates the minefield which is dating.
—— Daily TelegraphCat Person captured and explained the low-level dread that often accompanies romance for women... It has women saying, in other words, “Yeah, us too.”
—— AtlanticThe viral New Yorker short story that last year opened the floodgates to a vital discussion about modern dating, bad sex and consent… Cat Person catapulted [Kristen Roupenian] to fame.
—— Natalie Gil , Refinery29Genius... infamous.
—— Kayleigh Dray , StylistRarely does a new writer define a moment common to all so well… It’s a fascinating read.
—— Lorraine Candy , Sunday Times StyleThese elegant stories are poignant and inventive
—— Mail on SundayIt’s easy to forget… what a masterful writer he is... The interplay of sadness and heartache with moments of humour and surrealness are what make him the writer he is… Subtle, playful and nuanced. It is a subversive, almost existential look at relationships between men and women, one that plays with and even does away with the toxic masculinity of Hemingway’s work
—— Nikesh Shukla , iThis scrutiny of both misogyny and the loss of male virility is delicately handled by Murakami, who manages to bring just enough of the surreal into the story without drawing too much attention to itself or indeed what it is he is trying to do. This is the magic of Murakami… Murakami’s prose throughout is, unsurprisingly, beautiful. He writes with his signature stripped down sparsity that nonetheless never loses warmth of becomes too conspicuous. His dialogue is natural and believable and he has truly mastered the ability to write simply about complex and nuanced themes
—— Nicholas Tufnell , Dante MagazineI was blown away by the sense of loneliness, longing and yearning in each story
—— Carol Drinkwater , YoursMarked by the same dry humour that has defined his entire body of work, in this collection Murakami has crafted another contemporary classic.
—— Asian Art NewspaperA book of piercing stories. Murakami writes in a calm, clear way, and suddenly you’re very moved
—— iEach story is centred around the concept of longing or loneliness, and all told with Murakami's unique and illuminating style. One for long-serving fans and newcomers alike
—— Esquire[A] masterclass in writing about the edges of everyday life. This collection of short stories that all link to the Sunshine State captures loneliness, alienation, abandonment and inner resourcefulness in the most creative of tales.
—— Victoria SadlerFantastical tales ... You'll be swept up in a wild hurricane of a ride with this lyrical stories of fury and love, loss and hope.
—— NewsweekEach story is perfectly formed, exquisite, often troubling but there is something so brilliantly humane about her work.
—— Kate Hamer, Wales Art ReviewThe five darkly comic stories that comprise The Largesse of the Sea Maiden are befitting final testaments to [Johnson’s] wild originality... His sentences, like his plots, are full of gorgeous little shocks.
—— Irish Independent, *The best reads of 2018: Our critics name their top picks*