The World And Other Places [Paperback]

In Jeanette Winterson's first collection of short stories, we are confronted with characters so at odds with themselves and the world--whether our own, familiar world or one of the author's invention--that it is difficult to truly empathize with any of them.

The first story, "The 24 Hour Dog", is a lullaby of a tale compared to those that follow, yet still manages to leave behind the disconcerting notion that a human being who cannot even take responsibility for a tiny puppy has little chance of survival in the big, bad world.

From the voluptuous "The Poetics of Sex", so flush with earthy imagery and erotically charged word-play that the fever of desire rises from the page in an uncomfortable steam, to the frigidity of the "Stepford-Wife-like Newton", Winterson spins us around a breathless, off-centre world, leaving the reader dizzy and disturbed.

This challenging collection from the acclaimed author of Oranges are not the Only Fruit and Sexing the Cherry is a kaleidoscope of people and places, with some just a tad out of the reach of reality and others just within the boundaries of dreams. Yet all somehow manage to tug at the soul. --Amazon.com

In Jeanette Winterson's first collection of short stories, we are confronted with characters so at odds with themselves and the world--whether our own, familiar world or one of the author's invention--that it is difficult to truly empathize with any of them.

The first story, "The 24 Hour Dog", is a lullaby of a tale compared to those that follow, yet still manages to leave behind the disconcerting notion that a human being who cannot even take responsibility for a tiny puppy has little chance of survival in the big, bad world.

From the voluptuous "The Poetics of Sex", so flush with earthy imagery and erotically charged word-play that the fever of desire rises from the page in an uncomfortable steam, to the frigidity of the "Stepford-Wife-like Newton", Winterson spins us around a breathless, off-centre world, leaving the reader dizzy and disturbed.

This challenging collection from the acclaimed author of Oranges are not the Only Fruit and "Sexing the Cherry" is a kaleidoscope of people and places, with some just a tad out of the reach of reality and others just within the boundaries of dreams. Yet all somehow manage to tug at the soul. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"One of our most brilliant, visionary storytellers." --"San Francisco Chronicle
""Unforgettable...heartbreaking...hilarious.... A work to be savoured, to be read repeatedly, each reading revealing new depths, new complexities, and new insights." --"National Post
""Heart-breakingly beautiful...awash in sensuous, colourful imagery." --"The Edmonton Journal
""An awesome panorama [by] an original and thrilling writer...Compelling and wild." --"The Independent
""A display of double-edged talent--[Her] first collection of short stories reaffirms her position as one of the great originals of her generation." --"New Brunswick Telegraph"-"Journal"

'An awesome panorama... compelling and wild... an original and thrilling writer' Independent

In this, her first collection of short stories, Winterson reveals all the facets of her extraordinary imagination. In prose that is full of imagery and word-play, she creates physical and psychological worlds that are at once familiar and yet shockingly strange.

'A greatly gifted and original writer... There is an exhilarating freshness and energy to this collection... "Turn of the World" imagines four islands named fo, and composed of, the four elements, earth, air, fire and water... she simply describes her imaginary islands, and in the process conveys with precision her love for the natural world, her fascination with the legends of the past and her belief in the power of language and storytelling' Anne Chisholm, Observer

In this, her first collection of short stories, Winterson reveals all the facets of her extraordinary imagination. In prose that is full of imagery and word-play, she creates physical and psychological worlds that are at once familiar and yet shockingly strange.

Jeanette Winterson OBE is the author of ten novels, including Oranges are not the Only Fruit, The Passion and Sexing the Cherry; a book of short stories, The World and Other Places; a collection of essays, Art Objects as well as many other works, including children's books, screenplays and journalism. Her writing has won the Whitbread Award for Best First Novel, the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize, the E. M. Forster Award and the Prix d'argent at Cannes Film Festival.