Ambrose Bierce

Kate Chopin

Nikolai Gogol

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.

In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens’ across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author? 

The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature.

Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something.

In this volume we enjoy a favourite device of authors; the story is heading one way and suddenly twists in another direction entirely. In the pens of Ambrose Bierce, Nikolai Gogol, Saki and a host of others where you end up is the very question they propose. 

01 - The Top 10 - The Twist - An Introduction

02 - Roman Fever by Edith Wharton

03 - The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

04 - The Nose by Nikolai Gogol

05 - Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield

06 - The Gift of the Magi by O Henry

07 - Desiree's Baby by Kate Chopin

08 - Man Size in Marble by Edith Nesbit

09 - An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce

10 - The Open Window by Saki

11 - The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

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