Selected stories

by A.E. Coppard

288 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1972

About the author

Alfred Edgar Coppard was an English writer, noted for his influence on the short story form, and poet.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._E._Co...

Reviews

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A. E. Coppard is sadly all but forgotten today, but in his day was a popular and highly regarded author, writing many volumes of short stories set mainly in the English countryside. The stories in this collection were all published in the 1920s and include many of his best; Doris Lessing says in her introduction to this 1972 edition that 'these stories are as fine as any we have' and I'm inclined to agree with her. There are echoes of Hardy and Lawrence in these stories of the everyday wonder of ordinary lives, but Coppard has a distinctive voice of his own, and his tales (his preferred term) are unlike any other stories I have read. From the unworldly family story Adam and Eve and Pinch Me, to the heartbreaking miniature Weep not my Wanton, from The Field of Mustard with its frank tale of unrequited love in a country community to the sad and haunting Polly Morgan, this is a rich and varied selection of wonderful short stories.