Author Description

'Luminous, dark, unflinching' Hermione Lee, TLS 'Eight masterpieces, polished and perfect, and with such mesmerising characters that each story is equal to any novel.' Polly Samson, Independent 'Books of the Year' 'A remote Auckland farmhouse, an unvisited property rejected by the National Trust, a rain- soaked Brittany port — from the most unpromising of situations Fitzgerald creates moments of high comedy, little pockets of slapstick in the midst of larger, more pregnant dramas. A superb collection.' Alex Clark, Guardian 'Of all the novelists in English of the last quarter-century, she has the most unarguable claim on greatness. The Means of Escape sets the seal on a career we, as readers, can only count ourselves lucky to have lived through.' Philip Hensher, Spectator 'The themes of these stories are betrayal, disappointment, loneliness, terror, misunderstanding, powerlessness. Fitzgerald's coolness and dryness throw into sharp relief the physical and mental pain and passion that power her narratives. Gruesome, inconclusive, comprehensive, brilliant the essence of Penelope Fitzgerald.' Victoria Glendinning, Daily Telegraph INCLUDES TWO NEW STORIES