The Complete Short Stories: From the author of ‘The Garden of Time’, the inspiration for the 2024 Met Gala - Softcover

Ballard, J. G.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007245769 ISBN 13: 9780007245765

Publisher: Fourth Estate, 2014

Synopsis

The second in a two volume collection of short stories by the acclaimed author of ‘Empire of the Sun’, ‘Crash’ and ‘Super-Cannes’. The new edition is introduced by Adam Thirwell.

With eighteen novels over four decades – from ‘The Drowned World’ in 1962 to his final novel ‘Kingdom Come’ in 2006 – J.G. Ballard is known as one of Britain’s most celebrated and original novelists.

However, during his long career he was also a prolific writer of short stories; in fact, many people consider that he is at his best in the short-story format. These highly influential stories have appeared in magazines such as New Worlds, Amazing Stories and Interzone, and in several separate collections, including ‘The Terminal Beach’, ‘The Venus Hunters’, ‘Vermilion Sands’, ‘Low-Flying Aircraft’ and ‘Myths of the Near Future’.

Set out in the original order of publication and frequently the point of conception for ideas he further developed in his novels, these stories provide an unprecedented opportunity to see the imagination of one of Britain’s greatest writers at work. This edition is part of a new commemorative series of Ballard’s works, featuring introductions from a number of his admirers (including Robert Macfarlane, Iain Sinclair, James Lever and Ali Smith) and brand-new cover designs from the artist Stanley Donwood.

About this title

Review:

‘A marvel ... there is something a little shaming in reading Ballard: you have to face the fact that there exist writers with such fresh imaginations they can’t write five pages without stumbling on an alternate world’ Zadie Smith

‘Each of Ballard’s 98 short stories is like a dream more perfectly realized than any of your own ... Simply a master story writer – the maker of unforgettable artefacts in words, each as absolute and perplexing as sculptures unviewable from a single perspective’ Jonathan Lethem

‘One of the most haunting, cogent and individual imaginations in contemporary literature’ William Boyd

Synopsis:

This is the second volume in a two volume collection of acclaimed short stories by the author of "Empire of the Sun", "Crash", "Cocaine Nights" and "Super-Cannes" - regarded by many as Britain's No 1 living fiction writer. With sixteen novels over four decades - from "The Drowned World" in 1962 to his highly acclaimed "Super-Cannes" in 2000 - J.G. Ballard is firmly established as one of Britain's most celebrated and original novelists. For all that time, he has also written short stories; in fact, many people consider that he is at his best in the short-story format. These highly influential stories have appeared in magazines such as "New Worlds", "Amazing Stories" and "Interzone", and in several separate collections, including "The Voices of Time", "The Terminal Beach", "The Day of Forever", "The Venus Hunters", "The Disaster Area", "Vermilion Sands", "Low-Flying Aircraft", "Myths of the Near Future" and "War Fever". Set out in the order in which they were originally published, these stories provide an unprecedented opportunity to review the career of one of Britain's greatest writers.

About this edition

• Publisher: Fourth Estate
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0007245769
• ISBN 13: 9780007245765
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 784