The last book published during Kafka's lifetime, A Hunger Artist (1924) explores many of the themes that were close to him: spiritual poverty, asceticism, futility, and the alienation of the modern ar…
The tale centers on two matters, a black cat and the deterioration of a man. The man is one who enjoyed family life with his wife and numerous pets, but…
Tadeusz Borowski’s concentration camp stories were based on his own experiences surviving Auschwitz and Dachau. In spare, brutal prose he describes a world where where the will to survive overrides co…
In Gustave Doré, one of the most prolific and successful book illustrators of the late 19h century, Edgar Allan Poe's renowned poem The Raven found perhaps its most perfect artistic interpreter. Doré'…
This poem first appeared in a newspaper in Troy, New York, USA, on December 23, 1823, as "A Visit From St. Nicholas". No one claimed authorship until 13 years later. Clement Clarke Moore, a professor …
"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" is a short story by American author Ernest Hemingway, first published in Scribner's Magazine in 1933; it was also included in his collection Winner Take Nothing (1933).
The story takes the form of a parable, and it concerns a king who wants to find the answers to what he considers the three most important questions in life. When is the best time to do each thing? Who…
"Cat in the Rain" is a short story by American author Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), first published by Boni & Liveright in 1925 in the short story collection In Our Time. The story is about an America…
"It's your own choosing," said the man with the withered arm once more. I heard the faint sound of a stick and a shambling step on the flags in the passage outside. The door creaked on its hinges as a…
The Case of the Perfect Maid: A Miss Marple Short Story (Miss Marple)
When her maid asks Miss Marple to intervene in the delicate problem of her rather opinionated cousin Gladys, Miss M doesn't think much can be done. Poor Gladys, also a maid, has been accused of steali…
From start to finish, "The Nightingale and the Rose" is a story about the nature of love. A nightingale overhears a student complaining that his professor's daughter will not dance with him, as he is u…
