The Truth and Other Stories
Twelve stories by science fiction master Stanisław Lem, nine of them never before published in English. Of these twelve short stories by science fiction master Stanisław Lem, only three have previously appeared in English, making this the first "new" book of fiction by Lem since the late 1980s. The stories display the full range of Lem's intense curiosity about scientific ideas as well as his sardonic approach to human nature, presenting as multifarious a collection of mad scientists as any reader could wish for. Many of these stories feature artificial intelligences or artificial life forms, long a Lem preoccupation; some feature quite insane theories of cosmology or evolution. All are thought provoking and scathingly funny. Written from 1956 to 1993, the stories are arranged in chronological order. In the title story, "The Truth," a scientist in an insane asylum theorizes that the sun is alive; "The Journal" appears to be an account by an omnipotent being describing the creation of infinite universes--until, in a classic Lem twist, it turns out to be no such thing; in "An Enigma," beings debate whether offspring can be created without advanced degrees and design templates. Other stories feature a computer that can predict the future by 137 seconds, matter-destroying spores, a hunt in which the prey is a robot, and an electronic brain eager to go on the lam. These stories are peak Lem, exploring ideas and themes that resonate throughout his writing.
Sojourner's Truth & Other Stories
A collection of short stories about unresolved human dilemmaas.
The Rivals and Other Stories
A major literary figure and frequent contributor to the Yiddish-language newspaper Forverts from the 1920s to the mid-1930s, Jonah Rosenfeld was recognized during and after his lifetime as an explorer of human psychology. His work foregrounds loneliness, social anxiety, and people’s frustrated longing for meaningful relationships—themes just as relevant to today’s Western society as they were during his era. The Rivals and Other Stories introduces nineteen of Rosenfeld’s short stories to an English-reading audience for the first time. Unlike much of Yiddish literature that offers a sentimentalized view of the tight knit communities of early twentieth-century Jewish life, Rosenfeld’s stories portray an entirely different view of pre-war Jewish families. His stories are urban, domestic dramas that probe the often painful disjunctions between men and women, parents and children, rich and poor, Jews and Gentiles, self and society. They explore eroticism and family dysfunction in narratives that were often shocking to readers at the time they were published. Following the Modernist tradition, Rosenfeld rejected many established norms, such as religion and the assumption of absolute truth. Rather, his work is rooted in psychological realism, portraying the inner lives of alienated individuals who struggle to construct a world in which they can live. These deeply moving, empathetic stories provide a counterbalance to the prevailing idealized portrait of shtetl life and enrich our understanding of Yiddish literature.
The Truth about Stories
Winner of the 2003 Trillium Book Award "Stories are wondrous things," award-winning author and scholar Thomas King declares in his 2003 CBC Massey Lectures. "And they are dangerous." Beginning with a traditional Native oral story, King weaves his way through literature and history, religion and politics, popular culture and social protest, gracefully elucidating North America's relationship with its Native peoples. Native culture has deep ties to storytelling, and yet no other North American culture has been the subject of more erroneous stories. The Indian of fact, as King says, bears little resemblance to the literary Indian, the dying Indian, the construct so powerfully and often destructively projected by White North America. With keen perception and wit, King illustrates that stories are the key to, and only hope for, human understanding. He compels us to listen well.
The Truth and Other Lies
Famous bestselling author, loving husband, generous friend - Henry Hayden is a pleasant person to have around. Or so it seems. And when his mistress, who is also his editor, becomes pregnant, his carefully constructed life threatens to fall apart. So Henry works out an ingenious plan. Craftily and cold-bloodedly, he intertwines lies and truths and all the shades of grey in-between. But when he tries to get rid of his mistress, Henry makes a terrible mistake. Not only are the police soon after him, but his past, which he has painstakingly kept under the carpet, also threatens to catch up with him with deadly consequences. Sascha Arango was born in Berlin in 1959 and is one of Germany's most prominent screenplay writers. He has also authored audio plays and stage plays and has been awarded several prizes, including the Grimme Prize twice. The Truth and Other Lies is his first novel. 'One thing must be made absolutely clear: The Truth and Other Lies is, until further notice, this year's best achievement on the German crime book scene.' Die Welt ‘Riddled with delicious ironies, misdirection and plenty of black humour...This is a stunning debut and readers will look forward to more from this talented author.’ BookMooch ‘Sometimes it's a sheer pleasure to read such a clever book...a dark, funny, captivating read.’ Magnet ‘A highly entertaining thriller...Wry humour punctuates this insightful look at a soulless man.’ STARRED Review, Publishers Weekly ‘Noir fiction of the most beautiful kind, even in its most evil moments maintaining a certain tenderness.' Spiegel Online ‘This is one wicked tale...German screenwriter Arango’s first novel is superior pulp, with schemers all around and plenty to say about fame, identity, and mortality.’ Kirkus ‘A dark, funny, captivating read. A villain in the vein of Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley, a book you won't soon forget.’ Sydney Morning Herald 'A belting good read.’ Stillnotfussed ‘If you like crime fiction that messes with your head like a brain teaser or a game of chess, you will enjoy the many plot twists and turns in this literary cat's cradle.’ Booktopia Buzz ‘A marvellous book, the kind that never lets you get comfortable enough to let you think you know what’s happening.’ Readings ‘Ridiculously funny and seriously wicked...one of those books you zip through rapidly, suddenly realising, blearily, it’s now well into the wee hours.’ New Daily ‘Lies, deception, complexities, mysterious deaths and a dash of black humour and elegant wit. A highly captivating read.’ Nightlife with Tony Delroy ‘There's nothing tired or predictable about this blackly comic crime thriller...there's an openness, bewilderment and strange honesty to Arango's mendacious anti-hero that makes him easy to empathise with, if not admire.’ Weekly Review 'Arango is too skilled a writer to allow the farcical elements to take over. This is slick, controlled writing, witty and entertaining, light as air but with a dark heart.’ Stuff NZ ‘It’s a tricky twisting plot and The Truth And Other Lies is as smart and captivating as its awful protagonist...Henry is an awfully funny, funnily awful sociopath for our time.’ Australian Women’s Weekly
