A striking new collection of accessible, elegant stories from literary giant and master craftsman C.K. Stead.

Gathered from throughout Stead s career, these stories are a reminder of his deft storytelling and literary power. They are clever, sensual, wry and beautifully written, with Stead s subtle sense of humour evident at every turn.

The collection can be read as a meditation on the writerly life, and includes a number of new, previously unpublished stories, including Last Season s Man , which won the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award, as well as older stories that have been revised and rewritten. Set in locations as diverse as the South of France, Sydney, Zagreb, Auckland, San Francisco and Oxford, each story is vividly drawn.

This extraordinary collection, along with Stead s appointment as New Zealand Poet Laureate, confirms his position as one of our most exceptionally talented writers.