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Man from the South
Man from the South is a short, sharp, chilling story from Roald Dahl, the master of the shocking tale.
In Man from the South, Roald Dahl, one of the world's favourite authors, tells a sinister story about the darker side of human nature. Here, a man takes part in a very unusual bet, one with appalling consequences . . .
Man from the South is taken from the short story collection Someone Like You, which includes seventeen other devious and shocking stories, featuring the wife who serves a dish that baffles the police; a curious machine that reveals the horrifying truth about plants; the man waiting to be bitten by the venomous snake asleep on his stomach; and others.
'The absolute master of the twist in the tale.' (Observer )
This story is also available as a Penguin digital audio download read by Stephen Mangan.
Roald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. These delightfully disturbing tales have often been filmed and were most recently the inspiration for the West End play, Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales by Jeremy Dyson. Roald Dahl's stories continue to make readers shiver today.
18 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
13 people are currently reading
710 people want to read
About the author
Roald Dahl
1,475 books26.7k followersRoald Dahl was a beloved British author, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter pilot, best known for his enchanting and often darkly humorous children's books that have captivated generations of readers around the world. Born in Llandaff, Wales, to Norwegian parents, Dahl led a life marked by adventure, tragedy, creativity, and enduring literary success. His vivid imagination and distinctive storytelling style have made him one of the most celebrated children's authors in modern literature.
Before becoming a writer, Dahl lived a life filled with excitement and hardship. He served as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II, surviving a near-fatal crash in the Libyan desert. His wartime experiences and travels deeply influenced his storytelling, often infusing his works with a sense of danger, resilience, and the triumph of the underdog. After the war, he began writing for both adults and children, showing a rare versatility that spanned genres and age groups.
Dahl's children's books are known for their playful use of language, unforgettable characters, and a deep sense of justice, often pitting clever children against cruel or foolish adults. Some of his most iconic titles include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox, and The Witches. These works are filled with fantastical elements and moral undertones, empowering young readers to challenge authority, think independently, and believe in the impossible.
Equally acclaimed for his work for adults, Dahl wrote numerous short stories characterized by their macabre twists and dark humor. His stories were frequently published in magazines such as The New Yorker and later compiled into bestselling collections like Someone Like You and Kiss Kiss. He also wrote screenplays, including the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and the adaptation of Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Despite his literary success, Dahl was a complex and sometimes controversial figure, known for his strong opinions and difficult personality. Nonetheless, his books continue to be treasured for their wit, originality, and the sense of wonder they inspire. Many of his stories have been adapted into successful films, stage plays, and television specials, further cementing his legacy.
Dahl's impact on children's literature is immeasurable. His ability to connect with young readers through a mix of irreverence, heart, and imagination has made his stories timeless. Even after his death, his books remain in print and continue to be read by millions of children worldwide. His writing not only entertains but also encourages curiosity, courage, and compassion.
Roald Dahl's work lives on as a testament to the power of storytelling and the magic of a truly original voice. He remains a towering figure in literature whose creations continue to spark joy, mischief, and inspiration across generations.
Before becoming a writer, Dahl lived a life filled with excitement and hardship. He served as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II, surviving a near-fatal crash in the Libyan desert. His wartime experiences and travels deeply influenced his storytelling, often infusing his works with a sense of danger, resilience, and the triumph of the underdog. After the war, he began writing for both adults and children, showing a rare versatility that spanned genres and age groups.
Dahl's children's books are known for their playful use of language, unforgettable characters, and a deep sense of justice, often pitting clever children against cruel or foolish adults. Some of his most iconic titles include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox, and The Witches. These works are filled with fantastical elements and moral undertones, empowering young readers to challenge authority, think independently, and believe in the impossible.
Equally acclaimed for his work for adults, Dahl wrote numerous short stories characterized by their macabre twists and dark humor. His stories were frequently published in magazines such as The New Yorker and later compiled into bestselling collections like Someone Like You and Kiss Kiss. He also wrote screenplays, including the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and the adaptation of Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Despite his literary success, Dahl was a complex and sometimes controversial figure, known for his strong opinions and difficult personality. Nonetheless, his books continue to be treasured for their wit, originality, and the sense of wonder they inspire. Many of his stories have been adapted into successful films, stage plays, and television specials, further cementing his legacy.
Dahl's impact on children's literature is immeasurable. His ability to connect with young readers through a mix of irreverence, heart, and imagination has made his stories timeless. Even after his death, his books remain in print and continue to be read by millions of children worldwide. His writing not only entertains but also encourages curiosity, courage, and compassion.
Roald Dahl's work lives on as a testament to the power of storytelling and the magic of a truly original voice. He remains a towering figure in literature whose creations continue to spark joy, mischief, and inspiration across generations.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
November 28, 2015
If you only know Roald Dahl from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or James and the Giant Peach, you don't know Roald. He had a dark, often macabre sense of humor that got some play in his children's books, but really came out in his adult fiction (some of which is very adult--I ran across his sexy, wacky novel My Uncle Oswald in the library when I was in my twenties and my eyebrows about hit the ceiling).
"Man from the South" is narrated by a man on vacation at a beachside resort in Jamaica. He's joined by a little, elderly man who introduces himself as Carlos. A young American sailor joins their table, lights a cigarette, and they get involved in a bizarre discussion about cigarette lighters. The sailor claims his lighter never fails, and Carlos smiles and offers a bet: His Cadillac if the boy can light his lighter ten times in a row without a failure. If it fails, Carlos gets to chop off the boy's little finger. Ulp!
This 1948 story was made into an Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV episode.
Read it here at www.ClassicShorts.com.
"Man from the South" is narrated by a man on vacation at a beachside resort in Jamaica. He's joined by a little, elderly man who introduces himself as Carlos. A young American sailor joins their table, lights a cigarette, and they get involved in a bizarre discussion about cigarette lighters. The sailor claims his lighter never fails, and Carlos smiles and offers a bet: His Cadillac if the boy can light his lighter ten times in a row without a failure. If it fails, Carlos gets to chop off the boy's little finger. Ulp!
"Don't you think this is rather a silly bet?" I said.This creepy short story is filled with tension -- I kept reading faster and faster. Is the offer of the car for real? Will sailor boy lose his finger?
"I think it's a fine bet," the boy answered. He had already downed one large Martini.
"I think it's a stupid, ridiculous bet," the girl said. "What'll happen if you lose?"
"It won't matter. Come to think of it, I can't remember ever in my life having had any use for the little finger on my left hand. Here he is." The boy took hold of the finger. "Here he is and he hasn't ever done a thing for me yet. So why shouldn't I bet him. I think it's a fine bet."
This 1948 story was made into an Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV episode.
Read it here at www.ClassicShorts.com.
May 14, 2025
A gambling scenario so fiendishly simple it could only spring from Dahl's wickedly inventive brain: an elderly gentleman wagering a Cadillac against a young sailor's pinky finger on whether a lighter will ignite ten consecutive times.
This poolside proposition at a Jamaican resort escalates into edge-of-seat psychological warfare as the peculiar South American produces "what might have been a small, almost tiny penknife in his hand, but the blade was open." Dahl transforms sunshine into unease through economical prose, each word calculated to enhance the tension. The tale exists as literary sleight-of-hand—while readers fixate on the potential finger-chop, Dahl pickpockets their assumptions about risk, reward, and rationality.
The bizarre betting ceremony transpires in a hotel room transformed into an impromptu gambling den. When the elderly man requests essential equipment—"I require your left little finger ready on the table. Also a knife. I must see everything ready before we start"—every reader involuntarily curls their digits protectively.
The American's girlfriend pleads with appropriate horror: "Carlos! You can't do this! It's absolutely mad!" Yet gambling fever outweighs self-preservation instinct. With diabolical timing, Dahl interrupts the proceedings via a chambermaid who reveals her own mutilated hand—missing all fingers except the thumb—and drops the comedic bombshell that car-wagering Carlos has lost "forty-seven cars" to his wife through similar bets.
Dahl, whose WWII fighter pilot experiences informed his understanding of risk and mortality, crafted this finger-flicking fable as cousin to Jackson's "The Lottery" and Kafka's "In the Penal Colony"—all exploring humanity's inexplicable attraction to games with flesh-and-blood stakes.
This is a very short story. It took me 30 minutes to read it and re-read it. This perfectly chiseled gambling anecdote earns top marks for how it stuns and entertains while asking: what appendages—physical or metaphorical—might you sacrifice for a fleeting chance at fortune?
This poolside proposition at a Jamaican resort escalates into edge-of-seat psychological warfare as the peculiar South American produces "what might have been a small, almost tiny penknife in his hand, but the blade was open." Dahl transforms sunshine into unease through economical prose, each word calculated to enhance the tension. The tale exists as literary sleight-of-hand—while readers fixate on the potential finger-chop, Dahl pickpockets their assumptions about risk, reward, and rationality.
The bizarre betting ceremony transpires in a hotel room transformed into an impromptu gambling den. When the elderly man requests essential equipment—"I require your left little finger ready on the table. Also a knife. I must see everything ready before we start"—every reader involuntarily curls their digits protectively.
The American's girlfriend pleads with appropriate horror: "Carlos! You can't do this! It's absolutely mad!" Yet gambling fever outweighs self-preservation instinct. With diabolical timing, Dahl interrupts the proceedings via a chambermaid who reveals her own mutilated hand—missing all fingers except the thumb—and drops the comedic bombshell that car-wagering Carlos has lost "forty-seven cars" to his wife through similar bets.
Dahl, whose WWII fighter pilot experiences informed his understanding of risk and mortality, crafted this finger-flicking fable as cousin to Jackson's "The Lottery" and Kafka's "In the Penal Colony"—all exploring humanity's inexplicable attraction to games with flesh-and-blood stakes.
This is a very short story. It took me 30 minutes to read it and re-read it. This perfectly chiseled gambling anecdote earns top marks for how it stuns and entertains while asking: what appendages—physical or metaphorical—might you sacrifice for a fleeting chance at fortune?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2016
This is a dark little story involving a macabre bet, a kind of Russian roulette, with a Zippo lighter, a little pinky finger, and a meat cleaver. Yes, that mental picture that just flashed in your mind is correct.
October 11, 2019
Oh damn, that last twist send shivers down my spine... what a creep!!! Roald Dahl has such an amazing gift for writing short creepy stories like these, I love it! This one had me on the edge of my seat right up until the end.
June 24, 2021
I knew it from Alfred Hitchcock, I knew it from Quentin Tarentino, I didn't know till today it was Roald Dahl.
May 22, 2018
The tension was real.
September 14, 2021
Dark and twisted.
"Now please, clench the fist, all except for the little finger. You must leave the little finger sticking out, lying on the table."
"Now please, clench the fist, all except for the little finger. You must leave the little finger sticking out, lying on the table."
September 28, 2022
Short, crisp, dark, and twisted.
September 9, 2023
I like the style, the plot and the characters. 3/5 stars
July 6, 2021
سرگرمکننده و در عین حال اذیتکننده و البته با پایانی غیرمنتظره.. رولد دال که همیشه برام با آثار کودکش جزو محبوبها بوده، الان با این داستان کوتاه بزرگسال رسما منو مرید خودش کرد 😁
November 5, 2021
2.5 Sterne
Ich beginne ein Gefühl für Dahls Schreibstil zu entwickeln, muss aber mit Bedauern feststellen, dass seine Texte mich nicht großartig berühren. Diese Kurzgeschichte hatte ein interessantes Konzept, wobei einige offensichtliche Hinweise das Ende vorweggenommen haben.
Ich beginne ein Gefühl für Dahls Schreibstil zu entwickeln, muss aber mit Bedauern feststellen, dass seine Texte mich nicht großartig berühren. Diese Kurzgeschichte hatte ein interessantes Konzept, wobei einige offensichtliche Hinweise das Ende vorweggenommen haben.
August 13, 2018
Oh my Gooooddddd!!!
The white suit guy is a freak here! And I was so true about the author...he just has the knack of twisting conclusive phrases that reveals the whole of it altogether.
THIS IS SOOOOO CREEEPPPYYYY!! Hahahaha! I can't stop laughing. His stories have started haunting me day and night. The moment I come across anything like this in any of his stories, I get sweaty. I seriously DO !!
The white suit guy is a freak here! And I was so true about the author...he just has the knack of twisting conclusive phrases that reveals the whole of it altogether.
THIS IS SOOOOO CREEEPPPYYYY!! Hahahaha! I can't stop laughing. His stories have started haunting me day and night. The moment I come across anything like this in any of his stories, I get sweaty. I seriously DO !!
September 16, 2021
I have only really ever known Roald Dahl because of his kids/teen books. When I saw this one pop up as a recommendation I did a quick internet search and found the entire story at my finger tips. (No pun intended) I love that I learned more about the writings of Mr. Dahl and took a chance on this one. I wasn’t sure where he was going at first but found myself chuckling and laughing in the end. Definitely worth the 20 minutes or less to get through this short story.
August 13, 2024
I wasn't expecting that end, but I found it a great macaber story to read. What a twisted story.
March 1, 2023
The Man From the South by Roald Dahl
17 pages
Genre: Short Stories, Fiction, Horror, Classics, Mystery, Read For School, Thriller, British Literature
Featuring: England, American Sailors, Bets, Dark Humor
Rating as a movie: PG-13
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
My thoughts: I discovered this story after Peter Swanson recommended it. It took a while for me to get to it, as the collections that existed when I was first told about it expired from Libby. I finally just read it online. It's a good story, with a crude plot and dark punchline.
Recommend to others?: Yes. This story cultivates a rich discussion.
17 pages
Genre: Short Stories, Fiction, Horror, Classics, Mystery, Read For School, Thriller, British Literature
Featuring: England, American Sailors, Bets, Dark Humor
Rating as a movie: PG-13
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
My thoughts: I discovered this story after Peter Swanson recommended it. It took a while for me to get to it, as the collections that existed when I was first told about it expired from Libby. I finally just read it online. It's a good story, with a crude plot and dark punchline.
Recommend to others?: Yes. This story cultivates a rich discussion.
January 13, 2022
Finalmente um conto que não é de guerra. Parei de ler por uns dias porque tava cansada, mas agora que voltei a lê-los espero não encontrar mais guerra.
Nesse conto só tem gente descompensada apostando o que tem e o que não tem. Ótimo.
Nesse conto só tem gente descompensada apostando o que tem e o que não tem. Ótimo.
May 24, 2018
This was intense. I loved it.
October 2, 2019
Very weird but good, amazing for in between reads.
May 29, 2020
It's kind of dark humor, I liked it
July 27, 2024
4.25/5 estrellas.
Si digo que el final ha sido lo mejor les estaría mintiendo, porque lo mejor ha sido todo en sí. Muy inesperado. Es realmente bueno.
Si digo que el final ha sido lo mejor les estaría mintiendo, porque lo mejor ha sido todo en sí. Muy inesperado. Es realmente bueno.
June 3, 2025
I was expecting a more... intense conclusion...
October 3, 2022
A strange short story about a South American man who loved to bet.
November 27, 2024
Volviendo al ruedo (ayudando a Nacho). Ya saben a quien estoy puteando. Nadie nuevo (iniciales C.A.)
February 17, 2019
The man, indeed from the south, an Italian accent leaves his mouth, or Spanish?
Dressed in white, a creamy panama hat adorning his head sits next to an unknown man by the pool side.
American sailors have come that day, descending their naval boat & enjoying themselves in the hotel pool. Much to the distaste of the man from the south.
An American boy sits next to them, an English girl in wait for him to finish his cigarette a bet is struck with the man from the south.
If the boy can light his lighter 10 times in a row he will gift him his Cadillac, if he loses the bet he will forfeit a finger. His little finger, not of much use & a little finger is worth a car at any rate. Isn’t it?
A very short story, vintage Roald Dahl writing, fantastically descriptive & as most of his adult tales are; eerily dark.
Dressed in white, a creamy panama hat adorning his head sits next to an unknown man by the pool side.
American sailors have come that day, descending their naval boat & enjoying themselves in the hotel pool. Much to the distaste of the man from the south.
An American boy sits next to them, an English girl in wait for him to finish his cigarette a bet is struck with the man from the south.
If the boy can light his lighter 10 times in a row he will gift him his Cadillac, if he loses the bet he will forfeit a finger. His little finger, not of much use & a little finger is worth a car at any rate. Isn’t it?
A very short story, vintage Roald Dahl writing, fantastically descriptive & as most of his adult tales are; eerily dark.
November 4, 2021
The story is about someone who lives in Jamaica and meets an old American man in his late 60s. The American seems to be a bit crazy when he offers to bet with a young man, who is probably about 19 years old, about the functionality of a modern cigarette lighter. Who wins the bet gets a noble car or loses the pinky finger. The narrator is asked to be the referee in this bet but he hesitates to join. In the end, they cannot finish the bet because a woman appears. She seems to know the old man, named Carlos, very well and is ashamed of his bet offer. She apologizes and states that he has this done a lot of times before.
All in all, this story is a real cruel and captivating short-story, nearly as crazy as Dahls “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. To be honest, I read it in a class for my University, but recommend it to anyone who wants to read a real crazy story.
All in all, this story is a real cruel and captivating short-story, nearly as crazy as Dahls “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. To be honest, I read it in a class for my University, but recommend it to anyone who wants to read a real crazy story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2015
I read it so fast and was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Woaah... no Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this!
December 9, 2015
An unsettling little gem.
January 18, 2016
Well, this was interesting. LOL
February 27, 2016
Haha I did not see that coming lol. Also, this certainly is a side of Roald Dahl I've never seen.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews