A collection of ten short stories about friendships, family relationships, and the trials of growing up.

The original story upon which the film Shadows in the Garden is based ... and 7 other tales. A vignette of dream shimmers briefly in my mind. I remember I was crouched in a dark yard, this yard—staring at that same clothesline. I was cold, so cold, and frightened, and I didn't know why. It was far too dark to see anything clearly. I could tell only that there was something hung from the line. Approaching it, I saw how it swung back and forth in the night-wind heavily. It wasn't until I was close enough almost to touch it that I realized what it was. It was the pale woman's head …

“It grew dark and a mist spread over the countryside like a curtain. We were at the Bohemian border. Customs control, shouting, the din of the station, and finally the train moved on with a monotonous drone. ‘It was right here that I met Teresa Elinson,’ Marta said, in the corner of the cozy compartment. I replied: ‘Who is Teresa Elinson? I don’t remember you ever mentioning her.’ ‘No, never. It was a kind of adventure. That time too the train hurtled into the dark, where red sparks flew and lights flashed, scattering in the mist...’” Thus begins the story by Růžena Jesenská that gives this book its name. In this anthology, Kathleen Hayes has selected and translated eight stories by Czech female authors at the turn of the 19th and 20th century: a period of female political emancipation and impressive literary development. All of the writers included in the present volume were recognized in their own day and constitute a cross-section of the literary styles of the period. Tilschová’s “A Sad Time” is written in a Naturalist style; Jesenská’s “A World Apart” presents themes and motifs that appealed to the Decadents. Malířová’s “The Sylph” is both diaristic and satirical, while Svobodová’s ironical “A Great Passion”, with its rural setting and folklore motifs, reminds one of the writings of Karel Jaromír Erben. Preissová’s short story may be read as a celebration of folk culture. Benešová’s “Friends” is interesting for its psychological presentation of a child’s point of view and its implicit criticism of anti-Semitism. The book is accompanied by the biographies of each author and an introduction by Kathleen Hayes.

SURVIVING will astonish you. An unlikely journey from a poverty-ridden small village in the northeast of Brazil to an enchanted town in New Jersey, the child heroine will take you along as she struggles to find friendship, love, joy, and protection in a harsh world where co-existing is an overwhelming challenge. Quiteria Cloutman gives us the child heroine in her elementary school days in Rio de Janeiro, where she moves to at age six. Fighting to adjust in a new region that feels like a foreign land to her, she encounters many obstacles that she will handle with resilience and heroism. All throughout her tough journey, the child doesn’t lose hope as she is always in great spirits. Her character is never broken. Moving to the United States as a mature woman and settling in New Jersey, the heroine finds happiness and a whole world of new experiences. You will be stunned at what you will experience here. From receiving a gift on Christmas Night from a very special visitor, to meeting Katharine Hepburn’s double at Walmart, the author will surprise you at every turn. You will even have a chance to meet the heroine’s idol—who might just be yours, too. The stories are profound, hilarious, sad, moving, and unforgettable. They are about the heroine—and they are about you, as much as they are about me and everyone else. They are about the human journey. So the door is open. Come on in. Let’s survive together!

Instrumental in revisioning the potential of the short story form, Katherine Mansfield’s ‘Bliss and Other Stories’ captures the accuracy of raw emotion and social experience. Inviting readers to reflect upon our most vulnerable of states, this collection constitutes a deep dive into what it means to be human. Featuring a selection of new poetry and short story by acclaimed New Zealand author Paul Morris, as inspired by Mansfield herself. ‘Bliss and Other Stories’ is the ideal companion for fans of Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams fans of ‘The Notebook’. Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) was a short story writer and poet from New Zealand who was widely considered one of the most influential and important authors of the modernist movement. Having settled in England at the age of 19, Virginia Woolf and D.H. Lawrence were among her literary friends and admirers. She died of tuberculosis at the age of 34. Her life and best-know short stories were adapted into the 1973 TV series 'A Picture of Katherine Mansfield'.

Collection of eight short stories by the author observing absurdity that abounds in the world.