<P><B>For the first time all of Bernard MacLaverty’s unforgettable short stories are gathered together, with a new introduction by the author</B></P> <p>Melding his native Irish sensibilities to those of his adopted west-coast Scotland, these tales attend to life’s big events: love and loss, separation and violence, death and betrayal. But the stories teem with smaller significant moments too—private epiphanies, chilling exchanges, intimate encounters. Each of these extraordinary stories—with their wry, self-deprecating humor, their elegance, and subtle wisdom—gets to the very heart of life. Since the publication of <I>Secrets and Other Stories</I> in 1977, Bernard MacLaverty has been celebrated as one of the finest living short-story writers. Writing in the <I>New York Times</I>, William Boyd summoned the shades of Yeats, Joyce, and Flann O'Brien, insisting that "MacLaverty sits perfectly comfortably" in their company.