This indispensable volume, which includes the classic stories "Silent Snow, Secret Snow" and "Mr. Arcularis," is a testament to the dazzling artistry of one of the twentieth century's most influential writersA young woman passes through the countryside to visit her dying grandmother for a final time. A cabbie, exhausted from a long day's work, fights to get an intoxicated woman out of his taxi. A man on his way to a bachelor party tries to come to grips with the bru...

Inspired by the infamous case of Leopold and Loeb, King Coffin is a chilling glimpse into the mind of a twisted geniusThe sun is setting over Harvard, and Jasper Ammen is not impressed. A brilliant student who loathes all that the world has put before him, he gazes with contempt at the beauty of the campus, the intellectual pretensions of his fellow students, and the gaudiness of the sunset, for none of these approaches the majesty of Jasper's mind. A reade...

A profound examination of the mysteries of memory and perception from one of the twentieth century's most admired literary artistsThe train races from New York to Boston. For Andrew Cather, it is much too fast. He will return home three days early, and he is both terrified and intrigued by what he may find there. He pictures himself unlocking the door to his quiet Cambridge house, padding silently through its darkened halls, and finally discovering the thing he both...

In this autobiographical debut novel from one of America's most acclaimed poets, a writer's sentimental journey across the Atlantic becomes a crucible of heartbreak and mental anguishWilliam Demarest settles into his room, checks his pockets for his seasickness pills, and wanders onto the deck of the ship that will be his home for the next few days. The lights of New York City are still faintly visible, but Demarest's mind is on London, where he hopes to be reunited...

An unrequited love, a passionless marriage, and an exotic adventure all play a role in this "engrossing" novel by a National Book Award–winning author ( The New York Times Book Review).Blomberg has loved Noni for what seems like his whole life. He loves her like he loves the sunset, like he loves the air he breathes. But beautiful, strange, impulsive Noni—who has spent years in a passionless marriage to one of Boston's most notorious swindlers—has only a fe...

A painter torn between his domestic arrangements and his artistic pursuits makes a fateful choice in this brilliant and provocative novel from a winner of the National Book Award and the Pulitzer PrizeTimothy Kane brought his wife and young daughter to Cape Cod in order to find the peace and quiet necessary to paint. But the mood inside their small cottage is far from tranquil—a past affair weighs on Timothy's conscience, and the strain of running a household by her...

Conrad Aiken received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and was Poet Laureate of the United States.

This is an excellent collection of thematically-related poems by Conrad Aiken. Aiken's poetry is haunting and dreamlike (at times, nightmarish). Aiken's poetry is stylistically similar to T. S. Eliot's, but is much darker in tone. (Excerpt from Goodreads)

.. . Parts of this poem have been printed in "The North America

Written at the height of the Great War, the poems of this volume are suffused with a sense of melancholy and tragedy. Some of the poems speak directly of war-time scenes and images, but even those which don't do so are permeated with a feeling of loss and desolation occasioned by the War. In spite of this pervading pathos, however, these poems are also filled with haunting beauty of imagery, drawn as Aiken so often does from natural images of wind, sea, and weather.

The House of Dust is a poem written in the four-movement format of a classical symphony. Hauntingly beautiful despite its bleak post-World War I depictions of human mortality and loss, the poem develops its movements around central images such as Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, touching the reader's senses with endlessly evocative allusions to wind, sea, and weather. In this underlying Japanese sensibility and dependence on central perceptual images, Aiken's poem is similar to poetry of...

"The Borzoi 1920" serves as a fascinating chronicle of a pivotal era in literature, showcasing the works and contributions of prominent authors such as Conrad Aiken, Willa Cather, and T. S. Eliot. This compilation reflects the dynamic literary landscape of its time, highlighting the innovative styles and themes that emerged from these influential writers. Each author brought a unique voice, contributing to a rich tapestry of modern literature that continues to resonate with readers today, ...