The Man Who Wanted to Smell Books, and Other Stories

Canongate Classics #101

by Elspeth Davie, Giles Gordon (Introduction)

Elspeth Davie is one of Scotland's finest short-story writers. Her prose style is as clear and occasionally unnerving as that of Muriel Spark, yet her work reveals a gentler and more compassionate, but no less penetrating eye for the beauty and the strangeness of the daily human condition. This wide-ranging collection of the very best of Elspeth Davie's short fiction offers an important reassessment of a wonderful writer. Introduced by Giles Gordon.

Genres: Short Stories, 20th Century, Fiction

392 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Elspeth Davie was born in Scotland but spent her earliest years in the south of England. She went to school in Edinburgh and trained at the University and Edinburgh College of Art. She taught painting for some years. Married, with one daughter, she lived for some time in Ireland before returning to Scotland. Her novels include Providings, Creating a Scene and Climbers on a Stair. Her collections of short stories include The Spark and The High Tide Talker.

Davie was awarded the 1978 Katherine Mansfield Prize for Short Stories. Her work was released by the world-famous Calder Publications. She was married to the Scottish philosopher and writer George Elder Davie.

Reviews

[Donald]

Oh the irony of reading 'The Man Who wanted to Smell Books' on an eReader :o/

Interesting collection of short stories from a previously unknown (to me) Scottish contemporary of Murial Spark, quite a few dealing with the more downbeat, depressing end of things, and an almost uncannyily prescient story about books vanishing altogether being replaced with shiny screens & tape reels! (OK we've moved on to mp3s but you get a slight shiver reading it!)

[Katrina]

3.5

Solidly entertaining collection of short stories with a slight dark humour through them. Thought Allergy was the standout.

[Srinagesh]

Very nice stories. I have begun to think that many less talented authors seem to gain fame because they play politics of literary kind- mix with a literary crowd or involve in politics or a (sexual) scandal etc. It's the marketing!

[Karen]

I really liked the first story - "Family House"and a few of the others e.g. "Allergy" and "Accompanists", but most of the rest were a bit of a chore.

[Jennifer]

A great discovery. Love the way she writes.

[Ayreon]

1.5