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Labels and Other Stories
Transporting us to all corners of the globe, the tales in Louis de Bernières’ worldly and entertaining collection Labels and Other Stories feature a cast of unlikely and unforgettable heroes who can be found collecting luxury tinned cat-food labels, posting fish to the President, falling in love with dolphin deities and dining with Brazilian street thieves. And in ‘Gunter Weber's Confession’, we return once more to the Greek island of Captain Corelli's Mandolin and its much-loved characters.
Full of wit, charm and warmth, Labels and Other Stories shows the imaginative range and unique storytelling power of one of our msot treasured writers.
Full of wit, charm and warmth, Labels and Other Stories shows the imaginative range and unique storytelling power of one of our msot treasured writers.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1993
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354 people want to read
About the author
Louis de Bernières
62 books2,172 followersLouis de Bernières is an English novelist. He is known for his 1994 historical war novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin. In 1993 de Bernières was selected as one of the "20 Best of Young British Novelists", part of a promotion in Granta magazine. Captain Corelli's Mandolin was published in the following year, winning the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book. It was also shortlisted for the 1994 Sunday Express Book of the Year. It has been translated into over 11 languages and is an international best-seller.
On 16 July 2008, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in the Arts by the De Montfort University in Leicester, which he had attended when it was Leicester Polytechnic.
Politically, he identifies himself as Eurosceptic and has voiced his support for the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union.
On 16 July 2008, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in the Arts by the De Montfort University in Leicester, which he had attended when it was Leicester Polytechnic.
Politically, he identifies himself as Eurosceptic and has voiced his support for the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
June 18, 2020
For those of us who revere his writing, the author who brought us Captain Corelli's Mandolin treats us to an all-embracing collection of fanciful short stories that traverse the globe.
I say 'revere'. Louis de Bernières has, for a long time, held a special place in the library of my heart and has even been a huge influence. Sadly, he has lost his mojo of late, so I was crossing my fingers, eyes and legs for this one.
It began with an enchanting intro: the author reminisces about a grandfather who knitted his own socks and cheated at croquet; also a grandmother whose hobbies included flower-arranging and social climbing. He goes on to ruminate about seeing white dog poo in bygone years. How come you don't see it anymore? It's as much a mystery to de Bernières as it is to me!
The stories often showcase our human fallibility and feature a mèlange of falls from grace, hopelessness, hubris, awkwardness and selfishness, all glazed with Louis' wry, often irreverent, humour (none of that priggish, sanctimonious, schoolmarmish nonsense).
I was also delighted to see a fleeting return to his magnum opus; a clever morality tale where Günter Weber, a young 'orders must be obeyed' German lieutenant from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, returns to the house of Doctor Iannis and his daughter, Pelagia.
I was furthermore delighted to see that Louis had thrown in a few magical realism stories to reward any diehard fans of his South American Trilogy.
Other notable yarns were The Deposit, a wonderful feelgood story, and A Day Out For Mehmet Erbil, a poignant 'lost in translation' piece involving a Turkish collector of soft drinks cans and an English botanist, which made me want to plunge into the story so I might find them a translator!
The closing story, A Night Off for Prudente de Moraes threw me a line so funny that the laugh left my throat before my fat lips had any chance to react, causing them to do that vibratory "pwwrrubrurrbbhh" noise that horses are prone to do! : )
I enjoyed this diverting collection of short stories, even though I anticipated many of the endings.
For me, Louis hasn't quite recaptured his mojo; he is a tamed-down version of his former self, though I doubt he'd be worried about what I think as he rides his golden unicorn across the elegantly-landscaped grounds of Château de Bernières!
3.5, rounded up to 4
I say 'revere'. Louis de Bernières has, for a long time, held a special place in the library of my heart and has even been a huge influence. Sadly, he has lost his mojo of late, so I was crossing my fingers, eyes and legs for this one.
It began with an enchanting intro: the author reminisces about a grandfather who knitted his own socks and cheated at croquet; also a grandmother whose hobbies included flower-arranging and social climbing. He goes on to ruminate about seeing white dog poo in bygone years. How come you don't see it anymore? It's as much a mystery to de Bernières as it is to me!
The stories often showcase our human fallibility and feature a mèlange of falls from grace, hopelessness, hubris, awkwardness and selfishness, all glazed with Louis' wry, often irreverent, humour (none of that priggish, sanctimonious, schoolmarmish nonsense).
I was also delighted to see a fleeting return to his magnum opus; a clever morality tale where Günter Weber, a young 'orders must be obeyed' German lieutenant from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, returns to the house of Doctor Iannis and his daughter, Pelagia.
I was furthermore delighted to see that Louis had thrown in a few magical realism stories to reward any diehard fans of his South American Trilogy.
Other notable yarns were The Deposit, a wonderful feelgood story, and A Day Out For Mehmet Erbil, a poignant 'lost in translation' piece involving a Turkish collector of soft drinks cans and an English botanist, which made me want to plunge into the story so I might find them a translator!
The closing story, A Night Off for Prudente de Moraes threw me a line so funny that the laugh left my throat before my fat lips had any chance to react, causing them to do that vibratory "pwwrrubrurrbbhh" noise that horses are prone to do! : )
I enjoyed this diverting collection of short stories, even though I anticipated many of the endings.
For me, Louis hasn't quite recaptured his mojo; he is a tamed-down version of his former self, though I doubt he'd be worried about what I think as he rides his golden unicorn across the elegantly-landscaped grounds of Château de Bernières!
3.5, rounded up to 4
November 16, 2019
A lovely collection of short stories, many very amusing
February 18, 2016
A short story & a short read about the highs & lows of obsessive collecting. I don't feel so bad about my cinema tickets now...
May 20, 2019
Lovely, lovely collection. The imagination of this man is incredible! They’re stories that I feel have flickered in dreams. Perfectly formed and genuinely entertaining - definitely going to be in my book club reading list, we focus on short books suitable for busy people.
Thankyou Louis!
Thankyou Louis!
Read
June 26, 2019I'm not going to give this an overall rating as I found the quality of the stories to be extremely variable, at least in so far as they held my interest. As a general rule of thumb, I found the South American ones to be of least interest, whereas the more contemporary ones I enjoyed more. Funnily enough I only just realised, by employing the word 'contemporary' in that previous sentence, that I do in fact think of the South American stories to be set in the imprecisely-defined past, somewhere mid-20th century (at the latest), although I'm not certain that's ever made explicit in the text.
Anyway, there are a couple of real gems here (my favourites being 'Romance on the Underground' and 'The Deposit'), half a dozen good ones, and a few clunkers. Worth a read, though, especially for the gems.
Anyway, there are a couple of real gems here (my favourites being 'Romance on the Underground' and 'The Deposit'), half a dozen good ones, and a few clunkers. Worth a read, though, especially for the gems.
June 27, 2019
One of my favourite authors and my favourite book of short stories to date. A lot less 'marmite' than Captain Corelli's Mandolin, and I was satisfied with every story (which is pretty rare with short stories??) bar one.
I will forever recommend de Bernières
I will forever recommend de Bernières
August 1, 2007
Short but intriguing and funny
September 25, 2007
Short, witty. Loved it.
September 6, 2008
A single volume short story, really (only 33 pages). Entertaining (if not really worth the fiver it cost me!)
October 31, 2010
such a quirky short story & so much of it in just 30-odd pages. i loved it & it's stayed in my mind for years...
May 31, 2014
F•••ing brilliant. I almost forgive Louis for Captain Corelli's Mandolin after this. Hilarious.
August 5, 2016
Very amusing
June 7, 2017
Absolutely hilarious!
June 28, 2019
Great short stories in that very traditional short story style - concise direct language, a few quirky characters and the frequent abrupt and surprising ending. I nice easy read.
August 22, 2019
A very weird 15 minutes of reading
October 30, 2020
Hard to rate a short story collection - but there were some real gems here. And even the stories I didn’t connect with fully were enjoyable because of de Berniere’s exquisite writing.
July 5, 2025
14 farklı hikayeden oluşan bu kitapta her hikayede değişik hayatlar okuyor ve bazılarıyla eğlenirken bazılarından da satır aralarında kalmış dersler çıkarıyoruz. İçinde fantastik ögeler bulunan hikayelerin yanı sıra herhangi birinin başına gelebilecek konuları da ele alan hikayeler bulunuyor. Ben özellikle Mehmet Erbil'in Günlük Gezisi'ni çok beğendim. Teneke toplayarak ek gelir elde eden Mehmet Erbil, Çanakkale'de 19 Mayıs kutlamaları sebebiyle çocukların tüketeceği kutu içeceklerin telaşına düşerek gideceği yere gitmek için otostop çekerek yabancı bir turistin arabasına biniyor ve birbirlerinin dilini anlamıyor olmalarına rağmen bir şekilde anlaşmayı başararak karşılıklı nezakette bulunuyorlar. Hikayenin sonunda Mehmet Erbil'in halihazırda bir öğretmen olduğunu ve enflasyon nedeniyle paranın pul olması sonucunda geçinebilmek için geri dönüşüm işçiliği yağtığını öğreniyoruz. Kaç yıl öncesinin Türkiyesinde bile, bir yabancının gözünden bile, içinde olduğumuz halin hala aynı olması çok dokundu bana. "Hükümetler değişir ama sorunlar olduğu yerde durur." Altı sıfırın durduğu yıllar öncesinden bugüne... Bari 19 Mayıs'ı da aynı coşkuyla kutluyor olsaydık.
Kinayeli anlatımlar, kısa hikayeler ve mizah seviyorsanız bu kitabı da seveceğinizi düşünüyorum. Öneridir, iyi okumalar. 🌱
Kinayeli anlatımlar, kısa hikayeler ve mizah seviyorsanız bu kitabı da seveceğinizi düşünüyorum. Öneridir, iyi okumalar. 🌱
December 20, 2025
Louis de Bernières confirms his place as top-dog writer. His collection of short stories was variously magical, moving, ironic, intriguing and dry. Lots of them stayed with me as little amuse-bouches for a long while afterwards. The only dud is an unnecessary epilogue to Captain Corelli's Mandolin - don't mess with perfection.
April 20, 2024
A pleasant surprise. Excellent writing.
December 10, 2024
sırf içinde türk öyküleri olduğu için 3 verdim adam olana çok bile
November 18, 2023
Thirteen short stories set around the world. Lots of humour, quirkiness and humanity in all its forms. Not one duffer. My favourites were
Labels - a man who obsessively collects cat food labels.
Our Lady of Beauty - a priest, a corpse and a volcano.
The Deposit - an addict and a violin.
Andouil and Andouillette Begin Their Holiday - a caravan, a toilet roll and a group of Hell's Angels.
A Day Out for Mehmet Erbil - a tourist, an empty can and a friendship.
A Night Off for Prudente Moraes - a sunset and a thief.
Louis is great at short stories with memorable characters and rich language. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Labels - a man who obsessively collects cat food labels.
Our Lady of Beauty - a priest, a corpse and a volcano.
The Deposit - an addict and a violin.
Andouil and Andouillette Begin Their Holiday - a caravan, a toilet roll and a group of Hell's Angels.
A Day Out for Mehmet Erbil - a tourist, an empty can and a friendship.
A Night Off for Prudente Moraes - a sunset and a thief.
Louis is great at short stories with memorable characters and rich language. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Read
May 24, 2019An interesting collection of his short stories. There's a treat within, that anyone who has read Captain Corelli's Mandolin should enjoy. One of the stories, Labels, is a peculiar tale about a collector of catfood tin labels.
May 26, 2019
Hard to work out a rating as the stories individually ,rated on my enjoyment were from two right up to five....but maybe only my personal taste was involved.....
The writing is of the highest order,very vivid and you are immediately there with the characters...even in the stories disliked there were fine passages I admired.
Great variety of mood from very light hearted to the most appalling sadness ,misery and evil. You must be a excellent writer to be able to write in so many different areas.
Fourteen stories in this collection...
The leading one " Labels" is a story of obsession, which I was glad to find had a positive ending being rather obsessive myself...
" Grunter Weber's Confession" apparently revisits Captain Corelli's mandolin ....which I have not read but this is very powerful
" Two Dolphins" rather weird,a sort of folk tale,not keen.
" A night Out For Prudente de Morass" clever twist ending
" Our Lady of Beauty" and ," Romon on the Underground" unpleasant topics which stopped us finishing them.
" The Turks Are So Wonderful With Children" " Mamacitas Treasure" and " The Man Who Sent Two Fish to The President" very vivid but not quite sure how to describe them at all!
" Stupid Gringo" and " Andovil and Andovillette Begin Their Holiday" offer simple stories of amusing light relief..keep you smiling and a few laugh out louds...
My favourite was " A Day Out For Mehmet Erbil" this was amusing,sad, wistful, hopeful all in one.
The writing is of the highest order,very vivid and you are immediately there with the characters...even in the stories disliked there were fine passages I admired.
Great variety of mood from very light hearted to the most appalling sadness ,misery and evil. You must be a excellent writer to be able to write in so many different areas.
Fourteen stories in this collection...
The leading one " Labels" is a story of obsession, which I was glad to find had a positive ending being rather obsessive myself...
" Grunter Weber's Confession" apparently revisits Captain Corelli's mandolin ....which I have not read but this is very powerful
" Two Dolphins" rather weird,a sort of folk tale,not keen.
" A night Out For Prudente de Morass" clever twist ending
" Our Lady of Beauty" and ," Romon on the Underground" unpleasant topics which stopped us finishing them.
" The Turks Are So Wonderful With Children" " Mamacitas Treasure" and " The Man Who Sent Two Fish to The President" very vivid but not quite sure how to describe them at all!
" Stupid Gringo" and " Andovil and Andovillette Begin Their Holiday" offer simple stories of amusing light relief..keep you smiling and a few laugh out louds...
My favourite was " A Day Out For Mehmet Erbil" this was amusing,sad, wistful, hopeful all in one.
April 24, 2022
Funny and clever, although some of the characters felt a little stereotyped. There were some unexpectedly dark stories in this collection of mostly light tales: The Turks Are So Wonderful with Children, and the last story, A Night Off for Prudente de Moraes. My only DNF was The Two Dolphins, which didn't grab me at all. The others were all very easy to read.
July 1, 2021
Fun little book. Read it loud on my birthday. Has cute illustrations. What a good journey:)
He learned a thing or two about marketing.
And of course hobbies <3
My book has a mini “Merry Christmas 1997” dedication from Daddy and it’s cute to think of the two.
He learned a thing or two about marketing.
And of course hobbies <3
My book has a mini “Merry Christmas 1997” dedication from Daddy and it’s cute to think of the two.
August 23, 2020
As others have said, it is hard to give a solid starred review to a series of short stories, and it is particularly difficult here as I found they did have quite a great variance.
I read the first 2 stories and put this book down, not having felt connected with it at all. It was only a previous enjoyment of 'Blue Dog', also by Louis de Bernières, that made me pick this up for another go (around 3 months later) before returning it to the library. I'm so glad I did.
There is some surrealism here- stories which don't necessarily have a solid place and time and which have magical elements. A strong thread running through were stories set in South America, and this continent was painted in a captivating light with folk tales contrasted alongside the reality of abusive relationships and the at times dangerous streets.
There were some moments of real humour. 'Andouil and Andouillette' had me laughing aloud, whilst 'Romance on the Underground', 'the Deposit', 'Stupid Gringo' and 'A Day Out for Mehmet Erbil' felt touching and represented different aspects of human nature and life. Sometimes life has wry twists, and sometimes there is an inevitable failure for it to live up to expectation. It does feel there is humanity and a vast amount of differing representation amongst these stories. De Bernières is a great writer and I did find myself feeling emotion in amongst these stories and being left with things to reflect upon.
I read the first 2 stories and put this book down, not having felt connected with it at all. It was only a previous enjoyment of 'Blue Dog', also by Louis de Bernières, that made me pick this up for another go (around 3 months later) before returning it to the library. I'm so glad I did.
There is some surrealism here- stories which don't necessarily have a solid place and time and which have magical elements. A strong thread running through were stories set in South America, and this continent was painted in a captivating light with folk tales contrasted alongside the reality of abusive relationships and the at times dangerous streets.
There were some moments of real humour. 'Andouil and Andouillette' had me laughing aloud, whilst 'Romance on the Underground', 'the Deposit', 'Stupid Gringo' and 'A Day Out for Mehmet Erbil' felt touching and represented different aspects of human nature and life. Sometimes life has wry twists, and sometimes there is an inevitable failure for it to live up to expectation. It does feel there is humanity and a vast amount of differing representation amongst these stories. De Bernières is a great writer and I did find myself feeling emotion in amongst these stories and being left with things to reflect upon.
January 11, 2024
What a wonderful collection of quirky short stories! Each of these stories has its own little twist; some are funny, some sad, some whimsical and all contain a lesson or two.
The settings for the stories varies as does the content but all are a delight and filled with a different but entirely recognisable side of humanity itself. Particular favourites for me were the story of the man who collects cat food labels, the story of the girl on the train, the addict and his violin, the couple in the caravan and their encounter with Hell's Angels, the couple who take their badly behaved child to Turkey and the 'Stupid Gringo' story. Perhaps the only story that really didn't appeal to me was the folk style story of the two dolphins.
Many of the stories have a somewhat wistful quality, enhanced by Bernieres' lyrical writing, and his masterful characterisation, allowing us to get to know, and relate to, each character even within the short space of each story.
I haven't read any Bernieres for a long time and these short stories have reminded me that I must resurrect him! I am also a big fan of short stories: when well done as these are, they are little pieces of perfection, an art unto themselves.
Easy, thought-provoking and very entertaining reading. ****+
The settings for the stories varies as does the content but all are a delight and filled with a different but entirely recognisable side of humanity itself. Particular favourites for me were the story of the man who collects cat food labels, the story of the girl on the train, the addict and his violin, the couple in the caravan and their encounter with Hell's Angels, the couple who take their badly behaved child to Turkey and the 'Stupid Gringo' story. Perhaps the only story that really didn't appeal to me was the folk style story of the two dolphins.
Many of the stories have a somewhat wistful quality, enhanced by Bernieres' lyrical writing, and his masterful characterisation, allowing us to get to know, and relate to, each character even within the short space of each story.
I haven't read any Bernieres for a long time and these short stories have reminded me that I must resurrect him! I am also a big fan of short stories: when well done as these are, they are little pieces of perfection, an art unto themselves.
Easy, thought-provoking and very entertaining reading. ****+
August 17, 2022
Upon reading the first few lines I was reeled in. Bernieres is a favourite author and story teller.
There's something soothing about his use of words, almost as if an old man is reciting memories to you.
Favourite stories from this collection:
Labels
Romance on the Underground
The Two Dolphins
Gunter Weber's Confession (A follow up story of a character from Captain Corelli)
I was introduced to Bernieres work via 'Captain Corellis Mandolin' and it is one of my all time favourite books because I spent my early 20's in Cyprus and living in student accomdation with Cypriots in Lancashire, UK too. The Greeks are dear to my heart and so Captain Corellis Mandolin made me both chuckle and cry.
I then went on to read 'Birds without Wings' which was just as wonderful and heart-wrenching.
Labels is warm, witty and a quirky exploration of what it is to be human. Another beautiful book of his.
The only issue I had was that whilst every main character came from beautiful cultures, all of them were men. The same can be said about Captain Corelli (with the exception of Pelagia as a side character)....I hope his other books or future books have an interesting female protagonist.
I didn't know Bernieres is a poet...I shall be reading more of his work for sure!
There's something soothing about his use of words, almost as if an old man is reciting memories to you.
Favourite stories from this collection:
Labels
Romance on the Underground
The Two Dolphins
Gunter Weber's Confession (A follow up story of a character from Captain Corelli)
I was introduced to Bernieres work via 'Captain Corellis Mandolin' and it is one of my all time favourite books because I spent my early 20's in Cyprus and living in student accomdation with Cypriots in Lancashire, UK too. The Greeks are dear to my heart and so Captain Corellis Mandolin made me both chuckle and cry.
I then went on to read 'Birds without Wings' which was just as wonderful and heart-wrenching.
Labels is warm, witty and a quirky exploration of what it is to be human. Another beautiful book of his.
The only issue I had was that whilst every main character came from beautiful cultures, all of them were men. The same can be said about Captain Corelli (with the exception of Pelagia as a side character)....I hope his other books or future books have an interesting female protagonist.
I didn't know Bernieres is a poet...I shall be reading more of his work for sure!
October 19, 2019
Dark, mystical, comforting, humorous, terrifying and terrific - this book works like a slow poison causing an unexplainable terror and unease that stays with you for hours.
The first three out of fourteen chapters would take you so deep into the trenches of your subtlest fears, that it might be impossible for you to get out of it.
After that, the next eleven chapters just play tricks with your mind - making it bask in the warmth of emotions when it starts expecting trouble and then suddenly clouding a bright sunny day.
The choice of the last chapter couldn't have been better. The slow poison finally makes you sense that the poison resides within all of us...some of us have chosen to come to terms with it.
It's everything that I was looking for. It would take me days now to get over my stupor.
The first three out of fourteen chapters would take you so deep into the trenches of your subtlest fears, that it might be impossible for you to get out of it.
After that, the next eleven chapters just play tricks with your mind - making it bask in the warmth of emotions when it starts expecting trouble and then suddenly clouding a bright sunny day.
The choice of the last chapter couldn't have been better. The slow poison finally makes you sense that the poison resides within all of us...some of us have chosen to come to terms with it.
It's everything that I was looking for. It would take me days now to get over my stupor.
February 3, 2020
What an absolutely magnificent read. Every word enticed me and my desire to read on! The beauty of short stories is that all have a form of correlation and link that can be obvious or be in the midst of oblivion. The writing was blissful, the vocabulary used drove me to adoration. The ending line of each story had my heart pining for more but also feeling fulfilled. An author and book that I highly suggest you pick up!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews