A Man of Mystery and Other Stories — Shiva Naipaul

Sharply observed, wryly comic yet touched with sadness, these eight stories were written between 1969 and 1974. 'A Man of Mystery' charts the tragic downfall of Mr Green, a shoemaker overtaken by commercialization. Other stories range from the hilarious rivalry of a group of competitors in 'The Beauty Contest' to the heartbreaking disintegration of a marriage in 'The Dolly House'. Masterpieces of storytelling, they successfully capture the absurdities and pathos of human behaviour.