Tales of Persuasion

(Paperback)

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Ten daring stories from a writer who seems capable of anything (Guardian), the Booker Prize-shortlisted Philip Hensher
Backdrops vary in this collection of stories from the author of The Northern Clemency from turmoil in Sudan following the death of a politician in a plane crash, to southern India where a Soho hedonist starts to envisage the crump and soar of munitions. Each story, regardless of location, reveals a great writer at the peak of his powers.

Reviews

As a fiction writer, Hensher has virtuosity on tap, so every page delivers something enjoyable and even eye-popping; a vibrant exchange, a spry description, a tickling bit of indirect speech New Statesman

Entertainingly varied stories Hensher sneaks into a life like a cat burglar, pads around to survey the scene and slips out again, leaving everything quietly disturbed Literary Review

Thomas Mann-like in its homoerotic undertones and high-flown hymns to unrequited love but a good deal funnier Hensher is deft at locating the moment of crisis when a character experiences a change of heart or a nasty surprise, and life is exposed in all its drab wonder Entertainingly varied in tone and setting, the stories combine quaint physical observation with a caustic intelligence Evening Standard

Elegant stories that radiate with fine human feeling inspired by altogether muddled lives Henshers prose can be painterly Financial Times

'Hensher has a pitch-perfect way with language and invented detail' Sunday Times

A comedy of manners with an occasional dark side Daily Telegraph

A delightful read, full of beauty and humour' The Herald

He is an expert writer, and an expert tone runs through this vigorous collection. Hensher observes all human life with the detachment of a scientist He nails lust, hypocrisy, regret and hopefulness with an exquisite eye for detail. Unromantic, and dark at times, this collection is always interesting Daily Mail

A brilliantly astute book every narrative is unified by Henshers incredible eye for detail and effortless talent for multi-layered storytelling Attitude

Henshers adaptability as a writer and love of form brings us clever, ravishing and moving storytelling Monocle

Its Hensher writ large: poignant without sentimentalising, acutely observant of the mores of the modern world, but profoundly interested in the timeless search for the meaning of life. Observer

Author Bio

Philip Hensher is a columnist for the Independent, arts critic for the Spectator and a Granta Best of Young British novelist. He has written six novels, including The Mulberry Empire and the Booker-shortlisted The Northern Clemency, and one collection of short stories. He lives in South London.