Other books that might interest you

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  The Sire de Maletroit's Door

  Robert Louis Stevenson

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  “The Sire de Maletroit’s Door” by Robert Louis Stevenson is a gripping Gothic tale set in 17th-century France, weaving suspense, fate, and honor into a tightly written narrative. When a chance twist of circumstances traps a young man in a mysterious chateau, he finds himself at the mercy of its enigmatic master. Stevenson crafts a rich, atmospheric story filled with tension, old-world intrigue, and sharp psychological insight. This short story showcases Stevenson’s mastery of mood and character, making it a must-read for fans of historical fiction and classic suspense. Perfect for readers who enjoy tightly plotted narratives with a dramatic edge.

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  A Legend of Old Egypt - From...

  Boleslaw Prus

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  Aleksander Głowacki who wrote under the nom de plume Boleslaw Prus was born on 20th August 1847 at Hrubieszów in the Kingdom of Poland, at that time, controlled by the Russian Empire. 
  At three his mother died and then at nine his father.  Female relatives helped raise him but at 15 he joined the Polish uprising against the might of Imperial Russia.  Wounded on the battlefield, arrested and imprisoned, he was later released into the care of a relative and resumed secondary school and then Warsaw University but poverty forced him to leave after two years.  At some point he developed agoraphobia which often caused problems. 
  In 1869, he enrolled in the Forestry Department at Puławy but was soon sacked and so he began a system of self-education that led to work as a newspaper columnist on a wide-ranging series of topics that eventually became the ‘Weekly Chronicles’ and spanned 40 years. 
  With his finances now stabilized he married and then adopted his late brother-in-law’s son.  
  It seems he had doubts as to the scale of his talents and early on adopted the name ‘Boleslaw Prus’ for both his journalistic and literary offerings. 
  His work as a short-story writer met with much acclaim. He wrote several dozen of them, originally published in newspapers and ranging in length from micro-story to novella. His keen observation of everyday life and sense of humor are evident in them.  
  During his career he also wrote novels. After ‘Pharoah’, in 1895, he embarked on a four-month journey taking in Berlin, Dresden, Nuremberg, Rapperswil in Switzerland, where he stayed for two months, and his final destination, Paris.  Here his agoraphobia was so bad he couldn’t cross the Seine.  
  However, his writing continued and in 1911 his novel ‘Changes’, though uncompleted, began to be serialised.  It was never finished. 
  Boleslaw Prus died on 19th May 1912, at his Warsaw apartment.  He was 64.  A National Hero, thousands attended both his funeral service and interment.

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  The Yarkand Manner

  Saki Saki

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  The Yarkand Manner by Saki is a satirical short story that explores the peculiarities of human behavior through the lens of a fictional newspaper's editorial staff. The narrative begins with Sir Lulworth Quayne and his nephew discussing the phenomenon of migration among both animals and humans. 
  They reflect on a recent trend where the entire staff of the Daily Intelligencer, a prominent London newspaper, embarks on an ambitious journey to Eastern Turkestan, seeking adventure and new perspectives.Upon their return, however, the staff adopts a mysterious and aloof demeanor known as the "Yarkand manner." This change leads to a decline in communication and accessibility, causing confusion and concern among their colleagues and the public.

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  The Tales of Willowdean Forest -...

  William D Batts

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  The Tales of Willowdean Forest: 
  A secret realm. A stolen relic. A forest on the brink of war. 
  Long before maps and kingdoms, when dragons still guarded the skies and elves walked freely beneath the trees, a single act of greed broke the peace that bound them all. Now, the balance of magic and man teeters on the edge of ruin. 
  As a firestorm gathers over the enchanted Willowdean Forest, strange heroes rise from its shadows: a talking scarecrow with a mysterious past, a clever owl who sees what others cannot, and a proud stag bound by duty and destiny. Guided by a queen whose heart hides both sorrow and fire, they must uncover a truth powerful enough to heal the realm they love—or destroy it forever. 
  Old magic is stirring. Legends are waking. And the forest is ready to choose a side. 
  Perfect for fans of The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and Redwall, The Tales of Willowdean Forest weaves magic, myth, and adventure into an unforgettable journey. With dragons, elves, enchanted forests, and talking creatures, this vivid fantasy anthology captures the timeless struggle between greed and grace, hope and despair, loyalty and fate. Written to captivate older children, teens, and fantasy-loving adults alike, these stories are a lyrical escape into a world where dragons dominate the skies and magic reigns supreme.

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  A Rich Woman - From their pens...

  Katharine Tynan

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  Katharine Tynan was born on 23rd January 1859 into a large family in Clondalkin, County Dublin. 
  The family business was cattle rearing and the farmhouse, set with the mountains for a backdrop, was a wonderful world for a young mind to learn and imagine. 
  She was educated at the convent school, St Catherine of Sienna, in Drogheda.  A stubborn streak inhibited her ability to learn as easily as the school wished. However she did learn on her own terms and soon began to take her ‘forbidden literature’, hidden in her clothing, to her loft in a stable hideaway.  
  Until she turned seventeen nothing appeared to point to a literary career.  But some verse printed in a Dublin newspaper changed everything. It led to a sonnet being printed in the Spectator.  Thereafter the Graphic published several others and even paid a half guinea for the privilege.   
  In 1884 Katharine dispatched herself to London and made an abiding friendship in Alice Meynell.  Alice was an established poet and helped, with her husband Wilfred, to publish many poets. The following year it was arranged for the publication of her first poetry volume, ‘Louise de la Vallière’.  
  She formed valuable friendships with the poets Gerard Manley Hopkins, William Butler Yeats and later Francis Ledwidge.  
  As she gathered friends and contacts into her life her literary output began to gather pace. Katharine had begun to write prose for the Speaker and for the Scots and National Observer.  
  In 1892 she married Henry Albert Hinkson, a fellow writer and a barrister.  They moved to England and had five children although two were to tragically die in infancy.   
  By now her output was prolific and ranged from poetry to novels to short stories.  It would later include a biography and further extend to editing and reviewing.   
  In 1912 the family returned to Claremorris, County Mayo, when her husband was appointed magistrate, a post he held until his early death in 1919.     
  Tynan is sometimes grouped amongst the War Poets of the First World War. Her experience was not direct but as a Mother with one son serving in France and another in Palestine, the emotions, fears and doubts are expressed in a beautiful and heart-felt way.  
  Involved in the Irish Literary Revival, Tynan expressed concern for feminist causes, the poor, and the effects of World War I in her work. She also meditated on her Catholic faith. 
  She is said to have written over 100 novels, 12 collections of short stories, plays and many volumes of enduring poetry as well as five volumes of autobiography. 
  Katharine Tynan Hinkson died at age 72 on 2nd April 1931 in London and is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.

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  Virginia Woolf - Six of the Best...

  Virginia Woolf

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  Six has always been a number we group things around – Six of the best, six of one half a dozen of another, six feet under, six pack, six degrees of separation and a sixth sense are but a few of the ways we use this number. 
   
  Such is its popularity that we thought it is also a very good way of challenging and investigating an author’s work to give width, brevity, humour and depth across six of their very best. 
   
  In this series we gather together authors whose short stories both rivet the attention and inspire the imagination to visit their gems in a series of six, to roam across an author’s legacy in a few short hours and gain a greater understanding of their writing and, of course, to be lavishly entertained by their ideas, their narrative and their way with words. 
   
  These stories can be surprising and sometimes at a tangent to what we expected, but each is fully formed and a marvellous adventure into the world and words of a literary master.

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