These are the scenarios of just some of the stories in this generous new collection by Can Xue. Although rooted in the folk traditions of Chinese literature and the real conflicts of contemporary Chinese life, Can Xue's stories exist in a separate space and time where dreams and reality coalesce: tenderness quickly turns to violence, strange diseases are caught, and quaint landscapes become phantasmagorical.

A BOLD WALKABOUT ACROSS THE LAND OF VISION, IMAGINATION, AND REALITY "The stories in this book are a combination of my imagination, vision, and experiences and contacts," writes storyteller Judith A. Lewis about this compelling collection of 65 stories about the Australian Outback, the Pacific, India, and traveling. "They came to me in vivid detail and I felt compelled to share these insights into a richer way of looking at our relationship to the Earth." Her theme is the journey, across landscapes, through cultures, or into the vivid realms of visionary experience. Lewis writes evocatively about traveling, in spirit and body, across Aboriginal and cultural terrains, from meeting kangaroo spirits to long-lost fathers. But she writes with equal insight and warmth about the enigmas of the heart, its secrets, joys, aspirations, and epiphanies. A twelve-year-old girl survives an illness by communing with the waratah in bloom. A traveler in Bombay is arrested by beauty amidst the frenetic urban haze. Two twins separated in early childhood journey towards each other. A homeless man constantly walks the highways to bury his past. An Aboriginal medicine man named Waramingo meets the Dreamtime ancestors. "A lot of the visionary stories pertain to the land and its secrets and those who visit it from afar," Lewis says. "I believe that the Earth is alive and awaiting our recognition as are the other dimensions that we all could inhabit. I hope my stories help you remember what you already know, that there is no separation, that everything, from stones to stars, is part of us on this lovely planet."

Selected by Barry Hannah as the 1996 winner of the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction.

New Directions, the discoverer of the greatest of the great contemporary world writerssuch as W. G. Sebald and Roberto Bolano, Inger Christensen and Bei Dao, Victor Pelevin and Javier Mariasnow puts them on display in a showcase anthology. Terrestrial Intelligence gathers the best new ground-breaking fiction from around the world, from W. G. Sebald ("one of the most gripping writers imaginable," The New York Review of Books) and Roberto Bolano ("his generation's premier Latin-American writer, [his] reputation and legend are in meteoric ascent," The New York Times) to the Russian enfant terrible Victor Pelevin and the astonishing Yoko Tawada. Not to be missed are the pleasures of Antonio Tabucchi ("the most original voice in the new generation of Italian writers," The Harvard Book Review), Javier Marias ("Spain's best bait for the Nobel Prize," The New York Sun) and Yoel Hoffmann ("Israel's avant-garde genius," Forward). These are just a few of the two dozen fascinating new writers brought to you in wonderful translations, all on one plate, in Terrestrial Intelligence. Take a trip around the worldArgentina, Brazil, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Russia, and Spainand sample the intelligence: we guarantee you will never look at these countries the same way again. New Directions"long struggling and long astonishing," as Richard Eder put it in The New York Timesis always busy presenting what people in other countries are reading: these are riches which resonate in Terrestrial Intelligence from story to story, like art hanging in an international biennale. These two showcase anthologies are convenient samplers, designed to push the wealth of the New Directions' list as a whole into a more public view. "It would be nice to think," as James Laughlin, founder of New Directions wrote to Ernest Hemingway in 1950, "that virtue met its reward without exterior pushes, but it just ain't so."

Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933) is one of Japan's most beloved writers and poets, known particularly for his sensitive and symbolist children's fiction. This volume collects stories that focus on Miyazawa's love of space and his use of the galaxy as a metaphor for the concepts of purity, self-sacrifice, and faith, which were near and dear to his heart. "The Nighthawk Star" follows a lowly bird as he struggles to transform himself into something greater, a constellation in the night sky; "Signal & Signal-less" depicts a pair of star-crossed train signals who dream of eloping to the moon; and "Night on the Galactic Railroad," Miyazawa's most famous work, tells the story of two boys as they journey upon a train that traverses the Milky Way, learning the true meaning of friendship, happiness, and life itself along the way.

These eight stories are about the relationships and interactions of ordinary, but interesting, people who find themselves in unusual situations within a recent actual historical context. In some a character confronts, interprets, or comes to terms with, the present by reflecting on the past. Most of the settings are on Vancouver Island -- Nanaimo, the Cowichan Valley, the West Coast -- and feature characters in action, in engagement with their environment. "The Night Tony Shot the Lights Out" three WWII veterans find coming home to be a difficult adjustment. "My Former Yugoslavia" in 1963 a young man travels on foot to a remote village in Bosnia to try to find the estranged sister of a friend in Duncan. "Annie Crook" a woman, age 90, contemplates her life of solitude, with reflections of her childhood and living in hardship in a coal camp 75 years earlier. "Rhymes With Love"; a 60-something white man and a 40-something Chinese woman find themselves living together temporarily in the same house. The inevitable relationship ensues, which is complicated by the fact that she is the daughter of his former lover. "That Good Cahors Wine"; a man walks into the wilderness alone on an overnight pilgrimage to see Canada's highest waterfall. "The Shed" a story of dying man's reconciliation with his former best friend whom he has blamed for a betrayal as the result of a love triangle. "Short Haul"; in a chance encounter, a man finds he is sitting in a barber shop with his childhood hockey hero. "The Interlude"; A businessman befriends an alcoholic street person and finds that they have something in common -- not enough, however, to prevent a sad ending.

"River Mist and Other Stories" is a collection of short fiction by Kunikida Doppo, a prominent writer of Japan’s Meiji era. The anthology reflects Doppo’s blend of romanticism and realism, exploring themes like personal failure, nostalgia, nature, and inner struggle. The title story, River Mist (Kawagiri), follows Ueda Toyokichi, a man who leaves his hometown with high hopes but returns after 20 years, defeated by life’s hardships. Doppo’s vivid descriptions of the mist-covered riverbanks capture both the beauty of nature and the melancholy of unfulfilled dreams. Through this and other stories, Doppo expresses his fascination with human vulnerability, often influenced by English romantic poets like Wordsworth. The collection showcases Doppo’s talent for introspective storytelling with moments of subtle humor, tragic endings, and philosophical reflection, revealing the author’s own personal trials and emotional evolution. 1 River Mist 2 Old Gen 3 The Bonfire 4 The Deer Hunt 5 Those Unforgettable People 6 The Stars 7 Third Party 8 Woman Trouble 9 Poetic Images The white cloud over the hill The two travelers Barren ground The wayside plum 10 Phantoms 11 Musashino 12 The Self-Made Man 13 Letter From Yugahara 14 Bird Of Spring 15 Meat And Potatoes

The 14 stories in this collection display the often quiet, inconspicuous way in which terrible truths and experiences are intimated: the death of a sailboarder makes a widower see deeper into love and loss; a young poet visits his former teacher only to discover he is literally not the person he used to be; a middle-aged man glimpses the terrible humdrum of his third marriage as his son embarks on a new chapter in his life. Conveyed without grandeur or pathos, the revelations in these minimalist stories demonstrate clearly and effectively Fruelund’s gift of subtlety and nuance; like scenes from life, characters’ dramas are played out in brief but brilliant flashes. Ranging across the wide arc of human experience, from the comic to the tragic, each piece explores the complex emotions of the human heart.

In 'The Blue Hotel and Other Stories' by Stephen Crane, readers are taken on a journey through a collection of vivid and gritty tales set in the late 19th century American West. Crane's literary style, characterized by its stark realism and psychological depth, explores themes of violence, isolation, and the human condition. The stories showcase Crane's ability to capture the raw emotions and harsh realities of life on the frontier, making them a compelling read for those interested in American literature of the period. Crane's use of naturalistic language and vivid imagery adds to the intensity of the narratives, drawing readers into the turbulent worlds he creates. Throughout the collection, Crane skillfully weaves together elements of naturalism and irony, creating a dark and thought-provoking atmosphere that lingers long after the final page is turned.

Edgar Wallace's "The Little Green Man and Other Stories" is an excellent collection of mystery stories. These are thrillers with interesting plot twists, and a touch of romance. This book contains the following stories: The Little Green Man - Code No. 2 - The Stretelli Case - The Man Who Never Lost - Christmas Eve At The China Dog - Chubb Of The "Slipper" - The King's Brahm - The Man Who Killed Himself - The Undisclosed Client