Working with ideas, not stories

This collection was originally published by Faber in 1993, and was followed in 1996 by Martel’s first novel, Self. Then Canongate bagged the prizewinning Life of Pi in 2002, and now, in the wake of its colossal success, they have republished these four stories, ‘slightly revised’. ‘I’m happy to offer these four stories again to the reading public …’ chuckles Martel fondly in his Author’s Note, ‘… the youthful urge to overstate reined in, the occasional clumsiness in the prose I hope ironed out.’