NIGHTSHADE

20TH CENTURY GHOST STORIES

by Robert--Ed. Phillips ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1999

This successor to Phillips's successful 1989 collection, The Triumph of the Night, likewise fulfills critic Edmund Wilson's prescription for an anthology offering "stories by really first-rate modern writers" that favor psychological nuance over Gothic paraphernalia. Its 27 selections generally serve said-purpose well, though many (by James, Kipling, Wharton, Dinesen, Crawford, et al.) are easily available elsewhere. Readers should, however, appreciate finding lesser-known stories by Gabriel Garc°a M†rquez and Muriel Spark, among a number of gems. Others: Elizabeth Spencer's limpid, economical "Owl"; Joan Aiken's serenely loopy "Sonata for Harp & Bicycle"; and Christopher Tilghman's "A Gentle Rain," a moving analogue to his complex stories of family interrelationship and crisis. For such, this is a useful collection; but aficionados may find they already own nearly half of its contents.

Pub Date: June 1, 1999

ISBN: ---

Page Count: 470

Publisher: Carroll & Graf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999

Categories: FICTION