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Collected Stories
For the first time all of Bernard MacLaverty’s unforgettable short stories are gathered together in a beautiful hard cover edition containing a new introduction by the author Since the publication of Secrets and Other Stories in 1977, Bernard MacLaverty has been celebrated as one of the finest living short-story writers. Writing in the New York Times , William Boyd summoned the shades of Yeats, Joyce, and Flann O'Brien, insisting that "MacLaverty sits perfectly comfortably" in their company. The Guardian simply said "MacLaverty is a master." Melding his native Irish sensibilities to those of his adopted west-coast Scotland, these tales attend to life’s big love and loss, separation and violence, death and betrayal. But the stories teem with smaller significant moments, too—private epiphanies, chilling exchanges, intimate encounters. A writer of great compassion, insight, and humanity, MacLaverty surprises us time and again with the sensitivity of his ear and the accuracy of his eye. Each of these extraordinary stories—with their wry, self-deprecating humor, elegance, and subtle wisdom—gets to the very heart of life.
640 pages, Hardcover
First published November 14, 2013
19 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Bernard MacLaverty
52 books205 followersBernard MacLaverty was born in Belfast in 1942 and lived there until 1975 when he moved to Scotland with his wife, Madeline, and four children. He has been a Medical Laboratory Technician, a mature student, a teacher of English and, for two years in the mid eighties, Writer-in-Residence at the University of Aberdeen.
After living for a time in Edinburgh and the Isle of Islay he now lives in Glasgow. He is a member of Aosdana in Ireland and is Visiting Writer/Professor at the University of Strathclyde.
Currently he is employed as a teacher of creative writing on a postgraduate course in prose fiction run by the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen.
He has published five collections of short stories and four novels. He has written versions of his fiction for other media - radio plays, television plays, screenplays. Recently he wrote and directed a short film 'Bye-Child'
After living for a time in Edinburgh and the Isle of Islay he now lives in Glasgow. He is a member of Aosdana in Ireland and is Visiting Writer/Professor at the University of Strathclyde.
Currently he is employed as a teacher of creative writing on a postgraduate course in prose fiction run by the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen.
He has published five collections of short stories and four novels. He has written versions of his fiction for other media - radio plays, television plays, screenplays. Recently he wrote and directed a short film 'Bye-Child'
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 9, 2014
Having finished reading this collection of Bernard MacLaverty's Collected Stories I feel that I have gorged on too many top notch short stories and need to lie back and stroke my belly, with a smug grin upon my face. Enjoyed them being presented chronologically, to watch the development of his craft through time and the couple at the end were glorious, particularly "Visiting Takabuti".
Lovely book.
Lovely book.
February 4, 2018
This is a wonderful collection of stories from the Irish writer Bernard MacLaverty who now lives and teaches in Glasgow. His is for the most part a quiet unassuming salt of the earth voice sparked with black humour and occasional bursts of violence. His great gift is to render the quotidian extraordinary and elegiac. Highly recommended
January 1, 2021
excellent collection of short stories but one of Ireland's finest authors...highly recommended
February 28, 2015
Where do you start? Should it be with the spellbinding power of the storytelling? Or the stunning beauty of the language? Is it enough to say that Bernard MacLaverty is a master of the art of the short story? Or should I describe him as pre-eminent in the field? Would it be wrong to make the comparison with Chekhov? In my view it would not.
Really, the only thing to say is this. Read this book. It is a wonder and a joy.
Really, the only thing to say is this. Read this book. It is a wonder and a joy.
May 21, 2016
Call no book collection serious if it doesn't have at least one of MacLaverty's books. This collection of short stories, the fruit of over forty years' labour, is arguably his finest.
February 13, 2023
“The Exercise” - 7
- Deeply felt, but a dime a dozen as it goes with these adolescent-perspective reflections on the vagaries of paternal love, and the mysteries of its awkward and sometimes violent expressions, and the big hearted expectation of its reciprocity from the child’s perspective, who knows little, save that they love this big thing and that it too can, strangely, be hurt. McLaverty writes one of those, and it’s not bad, so far as they go.
“A Rat and Some Renovations” - 9
- It’s not even that there are hidden depths beneath the superficial narrative — it’s just that the story itself, straightforward and easy, tells a true story of of true intentions, and there it is. STORY: some Americans (we take it to be distant relatives) are coming to visit the old country, and the Irish protagonists are tidying up and renovating for the “Yanks,” bespeaking a shame for their déclassé old world accoutrements. That kitchen redo brings in a rat, which threatens the impression they want to make. There it is. Gotta get rid of it.
“St. Paul Could Hot the Nail on the Head” - 8.25
- It is not belabored ambiguity in his not giving any firm stance on the relevant emotional issues at the core of his stories, but instead, so it seems, an unwillingness to move beyond the humanness of the characters, as they fill the jar he’s set out for them, no more no less. Here, his concerns are several: decorum, exhaustion, religious sensibility. At each turn, we get a sense of one, but from the median, not the fringes, as so many are wont to do. And it’s more effective for it. STORY: tired wife meets with distant priest relative, who is not an ideal guest, and she parries his mild inquiries into the lack of religiosity of her husband, and the nature of her own faith. To the end realizing that he doesn’t have a place to stay, and is therefore expecting generosity on her part must arouse little sympathy, as she’s been given little reason to give it happily. But she does, and without even internal hesitation. Indeed.
- Deeply felt, but a dime a dozen as it goes with these adolescent-perspective reflections on the vagaries of paternal love, and the mysteries of its awkward and sometimes violent expressions, and the big hearted expectation of its reciprocity from the child’s perspective, who knows little, save that they love this big thing and that it too can, strangely, be hurt. McLaverty writes one of those, and it’s not bad, so far as they go.
“A Rat and Some Renovations” - 9
- It’s not even that there are hidden depths beneath the superficial narrative — it’s just that the story itself, straightforward and easy, tells a true story of of true intentions, and there it is. STORY: some Americans (we take it to be distant relatives) are coming to visit the old country, and the Irish protagonists are tidying up and renovating for the “Yanks,” bespeaking a shame for their déclassé old world accoutrements. That kitchen redo brings in a rat, which threatens the impression they want to make. There it is. Gotta get rid of it.
“St. Paul Could Hot the Nail on the Head” - 8.25
- It is not belabored ambiguity in his not giving any firm stance on the relevant emotional issues at the core of his stories, but instead, so it seems, an unwillingness to move beyond the humanness of the characters, as they fill the jar he’s set out for them, no more no less. Here, his concerns are several: decorum, exhaustion, religious sensibility. At each turn, we get a sense of one, but from the median, not the fringes, as so many are wont to do. And it’s more effective for it. STORY: tired wife meets with distant priest relative, who is not an ideal guest, and she parries his mild inquiries into the lack of religiosity of her husband, and the nature of her own faith. To the end realizing that he doesn’t have a place to stay, and is therefore expecting generosity on her part must arouse little sympathy, as she’s been given little reason to give it happily. But she does, and without even internal hesitation. Indeed.
December 24, 2019
Bernard MacLaverty is a true master of the short story. Every one of the stories in this collected edition is a winner and I can tell that it’s going to be a book that I will return to. MacLaverty has a deep understanding of the poetry and drama of ordinary people’s lives and an ability to express it in simple, direct language. Belfast and Northern Ireland feature strongly in his work and the characters that feature in his stories are full of that city’s grit and humour. It’s impossible to pull out a favourite story from such a strong collection, but the book ends on a real high with an atypical story, Winter Storm, set during a fierce blizzard on an Iowa university campus. It probably isn’t the best story in the collection, but as a closer to an excellent Collected Stories, it’s pretty much perfect.
March 27, 2018
Wonderful collection of short stories each one beautifully written by a master of his craft.Many of the stories resonated with me on a personal level he capture the soul of a human being ...
Wonderful collection of short stories each one beautifully written by a master of his craft. Many of the stories resonated with me on a personal level he captures the soul of a human being..
Wonderful collection of short stories each one beautifully written by a master of his craft. Many of the stories resonated with me on a personal level he captures the soul of a human being..
June 17, 2021
An excellent collection of short stories. Although many spare set in Ireland, as you might expect, they range widely and cover all aspects of the human condition. Many have an air of sadness but there is some lightness there as well.
October 11, 2021
I have only been able on this occasion to read the selection of stories from Walking the Dog (1994) ; they are terrific, wonderful glimpses into lives where tiny moments are eventful. MacLaverty's observation of people and his ear for dialogue is outstanding. I look forward to reading more.
January 2, 2018
I can't express how much I loved this book... Every single short-story absolutely brilliant! I read it a few years ago and if definitely stayed with me. This is one I'll be re-reading for sure!
May 20, 2018
🍀🍀🍀🍀 / 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀
May 26, 2025
Interesting, varied and well-written collection of short stories by a talented author, with "My Dear Palestrina" as the standout, followed by "End of Season".
November 23, 2016
This was my first dip into Bernard MacLaverty's work and also short stories in general as I tend to read longer novels for the most part. I was captivated by these short works - I love MacLaverty's subtly and how he can transform the everyday event into something deeper that highlights societal and historical issues. He reflects about childhood and growing up in Ireland in the first collection of stories, before combining this volume with others that use both Scotland and Ireland as the stages for his writing. This book was a gift from a close friend on Islay and I was delighted to learn that MacLaverty also lived on Islay and was a teacher at Islay High School - small world. This book and the stories within it are truly brilliant - I'd recommend it countless times over.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews