Customer Reviews (27)

A Fine Collection
For a perfect summer read try picking up an old favorite... this collection of the work of Saki (real name: Hector Hugh Munro) includes over 130 short stories, three novels and three plays and sports an introduction by Noel Coward. Though written 100 years ago, this vast body of work is amazingly fresh and contemporary. Many of the stories are under four pages long, but they manage to paint amusing pictures of the privileged class as seen through the eyes of an obviously gay, brilliant and somewhat bored young man who uses a sharp knife to pry up the upper crust and expose what's beneath. Sample the stories - his work is available on line - [.........]

Master of the Sublime - H.H. Munro - aka Saki
Saki is the consummate stylist and chronicler of a stuffy Victorian England nearing the end of its reign and world dominance. He savors the comedy of manners with all its many class-based restrictions and inbred peculiarities and finds ways to highlight--through ironic twists of fate--the inherent and underlying pathos of a people so stuck on themselves they frequently are tripped up on their own vanities.Therein lies the "beauty" of a Saki short story: he fleshes out the quirks and peccadillos of human nature--its pomp and its farcical facets--and we come away the better (and ennobled) for it. If it's a Saki story--there's subtle mirth and magical missteps awaiting the reader.One wonders what great additions to his rather slim body of work there would've been had he not perished--fighting in the war that was supposed to end all war: World War I.... A man of "privilege" who purposely sought no special dispensation during the vicissitudes of warfare when mustard gas hung ominously in the air and men were often taken by disease sooner than they were by enemy fire. A short life it was for the "old boy," H.H. Munro...one that lives on in his brilliant body of work....Well-told tales that will live on as long as questing readers come calling at the "House of Saki."

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Saki (H.H. Munro) writes with a facility and style that guides the reader unerringly to the surprise denouement in which propriety is set on its head. His bitingly clever turns of phrase are made bearable by his eagerness to challenge and thwart the norms of society.

What Frothy Fun!
If you like your reading to be effervescent with a bit of vinegar thrown in for effect, look no further.Saki is hilarious at his best--which is most of the time.His stories of the misadventures of his alter-ego Reginald are unsurpassed.

"The Open Window" is here-it is considered by Saki aficionados to be his best story and who am I to argue.On first reading, it has the same effect as a pail of ice water - a shock to the system, but bracing!

And for the perfect practical joke, described deliciously, do read, "Reginald's Christmas Revel."You will never look at a paper bag in quite the same way, thereafter.

Sadly, his life was cut short by the Great War.One of his own bon mots will say it all: "To die before being painted by Sargent is to go to heaven prematurely."Amen.

Precursors to Twilight Zone
I never tire of Saki/HH Munro (1870-1916). His brilliant short stories pack so much in so few pages and usually have wonderful twists or surprises. They are timeless, but take no time to devour. The joy of this collection is that, with a glance at the Table of Contents (for length), you can pretty much find a tale you will be able read in one sitting, no matter how much or little time you might have available. Each time you pick up the book, you will be amused and entertained. Favorites will most likely change as you read new stories, novelettes and plays. And there are many great bedtime stories for young and old (but read them yourself before sharing with little ones -- some may seem rather scary and/or innapropriate for them, though many others are probably fine for anyone - let each care-giver decide for themselves!). I recall "The Open Window" was my introduction to Saki, and that was in my third grade reader (so I guess I was about eight or so), and I thereafter often took out his works from the library, at least until just after college. Nearly thirty years later, I now have the complete collection to enjoy, and even those tales I had read before, still remain as fresh as ever. ... Read more

Product Description
'All decent people live beyond their incomes nowadays, and those who aren't respectable live beyond other peoples'Saki (H.H. Munro) stands alongside Anton Chekhov and O Henry as a master of the short story. His extraordinary stories are a mixture of humorous satire, irony and the macabre, in which the stupidities and hypocrisy of conventional society are viciously pilloried. This collection includes Sredni Vastor and The Unrest Cure.'We all know that Prime Ministers are wedded to the truth, but like other married couples they sometimes live apart' ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Hopelessly modern wit, hopelessly feudal outlooks
What else can be said about Saki?A man caught between the death of the old way and the birthpangs of modernity - in both politics and literature - has much to satire.Saki's humor is near-pathological, glorifying the absurd and savaging the serious.Any (and all) collections of his too-brief work are to be appreciated, cherished, and most importantly, shared.If one can read "The Unrest-Cure" and not laugh out loud I fear for the future of humanity!

Classics and Understanding
H.H. Munro takes us on a journey unmatched by his predecessors, and brings us back to our reality with an understanding of a true artist. ... Read more

Book Description
Raised in Burma and Britain, Saki was a correspondent forLondon's Morning Post and a political satirist before he found his truecalling as a short story writer. Satirical and macabre, these storiesskewer pre-war British society by unleashing their irreverent heroes intoits upper-class drawing rooms, where they flounce its dowager Duchessesand irascible aunts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Hilariously dark short stories
Probably the only sane response, as a writer, to Edwardian England was to skewer it mercilessly. And nobody serves up a finer kebab than Saki. These stories are clever and hilariously funny. I think part of their appeal is that, although Munro can be merciless, one always senses an underlying affection for his targets. It's also pretty clear that Saki's sympathies are with those who lack clout in the established power structure of Edwardian society (children, for example), which makes me like him all the more.

A very funny book.

An outstanding collection
This is one of my favorite and most admired books, ever.An ideal collection of ideal short stories - witty, brief yet complete, and not a word wasted in creating tone and point.Funny and satisfying.Unsettling and creepy.Deliberate use of language and vocabulary that cuts and exposes.All of the above.Unforgettable: The charging stag.The baby playing with buttercups.Schartz-Metterklume.

Recommended without reservation, for a single sitting or a one-a-night from the bedside table.

Darkly Humorous Revenge
Picador edition has wonderful, nicely written introduction that gives marvelous details of Saki's remarkable and short life, explaining well why his stories are usually so dark, and why he liked to take aim at stuffy old bats.

Nearly all of Saki's short stories are about some character exacting revenge upon cruel or shallow members of the British upper class.His writing sometimes feels labored and overwrought, with overlong sentences or ungainly descriptions.But his consistant style, sense of justice, and biting wit are the gems to be discovered within.

The earliest stories seemed to have a lack of balance between darkness and wit, but he did find his equilibrium and most of the later tales are deliciously satisfying.

Absolutely delightful reading if you liked Robert Altman's recent film Gosford Park, or if you are fed up with stuffy, mean upper class types.

Great Book
Saki's writing style is unique. His stories are mostly bleak and tragic.Some of his writing seems to have been influenced by his background andchildhood experiences.However, they are amusing, interesting and tingedwith humour.

Acid humour in 1900's England
If P.G.Wodehouse in "literature's performing flea" of light, easy, beautifully-turned literature of the quintessentially English house party, Saki's stories are the dark side: Wodehouse with acid. "The Unrest-Cure" probably one of the finest short stories ever written in the English language. If you like your humour astringent and your use of language tight then read these stories. ... Read more

Book Description
Today we are experiencing extraordinary technological advances in the diagnosis and treatment of illness while at the same time learning to take more responsibility for our own health and well-being. In this book, Saki Santorelli, director of the nationally acclaimed Stress Reduction Clinic, explores the ancient roots of medicine, and shows us how to introduce mindfulness into the crucible of the healing relationship. His approach revolutionizes the dynamics between the patient and the practitioner. In describing the classes at the clinic and the transformation that takes place in this alchemical process, he offers insights and effective methods for cultivating mindfulness in our everyday lives. As he reveals the inner landscape of his own life as a health care professional and we join him and those with whom he works on this journey of human suffering and courage, we become aware of and honor what is darkest and brightest within each one of us.         ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A Taste of MBSR
This book provides an anecdotal overview of the impact of mindfulness in medicine by walking and talking the reader through the experience of a full course.It teaches about mindfulness in the context of healing, or living with disease, via the experiences of the participants and the course leaders.It's a great resource for anyone exploring the use of mindfulness exercises or programs as a healing aid.It also provides a lot of self help lessons for anyone who would like to try out the concepts without committing to a full class, or for someone without access to a mindfulness program.

Profound little book
I've read this little book several times, getting more and more from it with each rereading.I've also purchased several copies for friends.I've had the pleasure of attending a 7 day workshop with the author, and he is as sincere and charismatic as he is in this book.What a gift!!

Healing in a deeper way
I've read many books on healing.This book addresses healing in a deeply spiritual manner that is very easy to read, understand and implement.

A poetics of meditation
I am just beginning graduate study in psychology, but I already consider this to be one of the truly indispensable books in the field. Saki is a brutally honest reporter of his own perceptions and feelings as he engages in the "healing relationship" as he teaches the MBSR program at UMassMed, and takes the reader deep into his view of what it means to "practice the healing arts", and invites us to consider the depth and meaning of our own journey into the field, as well as to begin our own journey into mindfulness.

See also "Full Catastrophe Living" by Jon Kabat-Zinn for a more practical, informational view of the MBSR program, and for the finest practical guide to mindfulness meditation yet written.

An extraordinarily poetic book about a pragmatic subject!
An extraordinarily poetic book about a very pragmatic subject - a way of working in any "helping field." ... Read more

Product Description
Saki was called the Oscar Wilde of his day, and hailed as a master stylist. Using witty dialogue and macabre humor, he writes of mischievous young men, foolish aunts, and blood-thirsty beasts. His stories are surprisingly modern in their incongruous mixture of humor and horror. The first truly comprehensive edition of Saki's voluminous output. The Complet Works of Saki includes six previously uncollected stories. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A delightful collection of stories
Hector Hugh Munro, alias "Saki", exposes with sharp wit all the absurdities and hypocrisies found in the country houses and clubs of the upper classes in the 1910s. Some stories are witty, others macabre and acid because the author drives a knife into the upper crust of the English Edwardian society. And the characters of the self-possessed Clovis or the vain and stylish Reginald are simply unforgettable. ... Read more

Product Description
Little-known but excellent tales published in periodicals but never before collected in book form. A must-read collection for all Saki admirers. "The Pond" is a particularly fine example of Munro's stories, with superb plotting and his trademark twist at the end. Newly designed and typeset in a modern 6-by-9-inch format by Waking Lion Press. ... Read more

Book Description

Term paper due tomorrow? Need to cram for a test? Or just looking for the best information about a favorite literary work?

Turn to "Short Stories for Students" to get your research done in record time. Brought to you by Thomson Gale--the world's leading source of literary criticism and analysis--this e-doc contains: plot summary; character analysis; author biography; an overview of the story's themes, style, and historical context; a compendium of in-depth critical material; study questions; suggestions for further reading; and much more.

Why choose "Short Stories for Students"? Because no other source offers so much in such a compact package. Trust the experts: Thomson Gale--and "Short Stories for Students."Download Description

Term paper due tomorrow? Need to bone up for a test? Or just looking for the best information about a favorite literary work?

Turn to "Short Stories for Students" to get your research done in record time. Brought to you by the Gale Group--the world's leading source of literary criticism and analysis--this e-doc contains: plot summary; character analysis; author biography; an overview of the story's themes, style, and historical context; a compendium of in-depth critical material; study questions; suggestions for further reading; and much more.

Why choose "Short Stories for Students"? Because no other source offers so much in such a compact package. Trust the experts: The Gale Group--and "Short Stories for Students." ... Read more

Book Description
From the Artist of Suikoden III! Three centuries ago, the vampire Migiri ran a reign of terror across Japan, until he was decapitated and sent to the eternal damnation from whence he came...that is, until now. Migiri has been resurrected, and the only thing standing in the way of his vampire army and salvation is Yusuke Himukai, who has a special connection to the warrior who defeated Migiri centuries ago... Aki Shimizu, creator of Qwan and artistSuikoden III, has crafted a twisted and thrilling bloodfest in the tradition of Battle Royale! ... Read more

Book Description
Saki is the acknowledged master of the short story. His writing is elegant, economical, and witty, its tone worldly, flippant irreverence delivered in astringent exchanges and epigrams more neat, pointed, and poised even than Wilde's. The deadpan narrative voice allows for the unsentimental recitation of horrors and the comically grotesque, and the generation of guilty laughter at some very un-pc statements. Saki's short stories have been much reprinted as well as adapted for radio, stage, and television, but his novels, The Unbearable Bassington and When William Came, are almost unknown, his journalism and travel writing forgotten, and his plays rarely performed. Sandie Byrne argues that his reputation has been unfairly overshadowed by his predecessor Oscar Wilde, contemporary George Bernard Shaw, and successors P.G. Wodehouse and Evelyn Waugh. In a well-meaning introduction to the Penguin Complete Saki, Noel Coward reinforced the received image of Saki's work as celebrating an Edwardian or even Victorian milieu of privilege, luxury, and affectation; comedies of manners and light satire.Byrne shows that Saki's writing was no nostalgic evocation of a lost golden age, and that he was rarely concerned with the charm and delight Coward describes. His preoccupations were with England, the values of Empire, and the dangerous beauty of the feral ephebe. The threat to the first two of these triggered his alleged metamorphosis from cosmopolitan cynic and dandy-about-town to patriotic, even jingoistic, NCO, in a manner worthy of his blackest humour. ... Read more

Product Description
In the staid British society of 1900, the irresponsible Comus Bassington is always getting into trouble. What can be done with him? Ship him to the Colonies, where he can no longer embarrass his mother or break the hearts of girls who find him inexplicably attractive. ... Read more

Book Description
Trapped 14 years in the past, Takeru and friends try to figureout how they got there and how they are going to get back. They don't knowthat a coworker saw them disappear and he's told Takeru's half-sisterHyouju about it. Now she's teaming up with Ichigo's brother to try andsolve the mystery.But is there anything they can do to help? ... Read more

Book Description
This book deals with the ideational, cultural, political and strategic aspects of the multifaceted Cold War. Drawing on the work of numerous established scholars and experts, this volume of collected essays combines knowledge of the subject with key intellectual trends that have been developed over recent years. It is an informative and updated account of the subject to familiarize readers with the current state of the discipline. ... Read more