A Kitchen in the Corner of the House

அம்பை சிறுகதைகள் #2

by Ambai, Lakshmi Holmström (Translator)

A Kitchen in the Corner of the House collects Ambai's most daring, original stories. Her narrators are always filled with courage, stretching the concepts of home, marriage, and world. They embark on journeys small and large: taking offerings across town to the goddess Mariamman or packing up four deities in a plastic box and flying them to America. These women knead mountains of chapati dough, step deep into rivers threaded with fish, and stay up late talking about books and music. Ambai's words are sharpened knives, carving out a new terrain for young women in a tradition-bound world. It's in the small lapses—when a character forgets, fast forwards a tape, or begins another journey—that Ambai frees up a new linguistic and mental space.

Genres: Short Stories, India, Fiction, Feminism, Indian Literature, Asian Literature, 20th Century

363 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Ambai (nom de plume of C. S. Lakshmi), is a historian, an independent Women's Studies researcher, and a feminist writer in Tamil. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts from Madras Christian College and MA in Bangalore and her PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Her dissertation was on American policy towards refugees fleeing Hungary due to the failed revolution of 1956. After completing her education, she worked as a school teacher and college lecturer in Tamil Nadu. She is married to Vishnu Mathur, a film maker, and lives in Mumbai.

In 1962, Ambai published her first work Nandimalai Charalilae (lit. At Nandi Hills) – written when she was still a teenager. Her first serious work of fiction was the Tamil novel Andhi Maalai (lit. Twilight) published in 1966. She received critical acclaim with the short story Siragukal muriyum (lit. Wings Will be Broken) (1967) published in the literary magazine Kanaiyazhi. This story was later published in book form as a part of short story collection under the same name in 1976. The same year she was awarded a two-year fellowship to study the work of Tamil women writers. The research work was published as The Face behind the mask (Advent Books) in 1984. In 1988, her second Tamil short story collection titled Veetin mulaiyil oru samaiyalarai (lit. A Kitchen in the Corner of the House) was published. This established her reputation as a major short story writer.

Her work is characterised by her feminism, an eye for detail, and a sense of irony. Some of her works – A Purple Sea (1992) and In A Forest, A Deer (2006) – have been translated to English by Lakshmi Holmström. For her contributions to Tamil literature, she received the 2008 Iyal Virudhu (Lifetime Achievement Award) awarded by the Canada-based Tamil Literary Garden. She is currently the Director of SPARROW (Sound & Picture Archives for Research on Women).

Reviews

[Subashini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved In a Forest, a Deer, a collection of stories by Ambai published in India. This collection of twenty stories by Archipelago contains eight stories that appeared in Forest. These stories about the life of Tamil women cast a spell on me. They are quiet; like the ebb and flow of a calm river in a serene forest, but contain so much intelligence and heart, with unusual female characters. I love her writing and its references to Hindu myth and Tamil classics.

After reading Jenny Odell's How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, I've become a bit more attentive to how writers write their (human) characters and how they see the world. Ambai's melancholy, poignant, yet life-affirming stories are very attuned to their landscape and to nature. Thoughtful women in her stories are always seeing things differently from everyone else, feeling differently, and attempting to live on their own terms. Her beautiful writing makes me think about my Tamil heritage and what kind of a life I might have had, had my family stayed on in Sri Lanka.

[SueLucie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slow burner because the many cultural references were so unfamiliar to me. I started out looking up the references but became so bogged down that I lost track of the stories, so let them go and went with the flow. This is a celebration of women of all levels of wealth and education in the Indian Tamil community, the way they are encouraged to embrace security along with limitations. Many of them are heartbreaking stories of aspirations and love thwarted by close-knit families and traditional society. We also see women taking control of their own lives as soon as they get the chance and these touched me particularly.

…when the entire family is engaged in creating the head of the household, a man, she has to find the nooks and crannies where she can create herself out of the evidence of her own being.

“Why are you at the window?” is the question underlying her life. The window is the symbol of the world outside. Her freedom lies outside the window.

She was overcome with weariness at the thought that she had lost forever the security of accepting everything with closed eyes, that from now on she must walk through paths which she herself had to clear of stones and thorns.

What might seem to be a gloomy collection is offset, though, by the penultimate one where a woman decides not to emigrate after all and stay to continue her friend’s work.

A very interesting read, beautifully translated, and I’d recommend it.

With thanks to Archipelago via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

[Lauren]

"Agniye swaa-haa. Not impurities alone are burnt in the fire. Buds and blossoms too are blackened."

From "My Mother, Her Crime" (short story) in A KITCHEN IN THE CORNER OF THE HOUSE by Ambai (C.S. Lakshmi), translated from the Tamil by Lakshmi Holmström, 2019 by Archipelago.

#ReadtheWorld21 📍India
#WomeninTranslation

This collection of short stories focuses on the lives of Tamil women of all ages, their relationships, struggles, and coming to terms with their own bodies and sexuality. Ambai is considered a prominent feminist writer, because she goes beyond women in society, and shows the intimate experiences of women: a young woman who first begins menstruating not understanding puberty, a woman rejected for marriage because of her darker skin, a woman describes her abortion procedure, another chooses to challenge her university professor in class, women with grown children and their own relationships.

✨“My characters think not only out-of-the-box but also question the prevailing systems,” she asserts... What is to be a good woman is something defined and pre-planned. Drawing a kolam, cooking and keeping the husband in good humour defines an ideal woman and this is questioned by my characters." Ambai details in a newspaper interview, The Hindu, April 2016.

Some stories stood out to me, while others were harder to grasp. Ambai is experimental in nature and form, and for this reader, some of it came across in the translation while other aspects proved more difficult. I really appreciated the themes and characters of the stories, even when parts were challenging to decipher. A few stories "lost" me completely and I was unsure how we got there, deciding to move on to the next and try again. Perhaps another of her works would have been a better fit for me at this time...

[Subasreenee Muthupandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

புத்தகம் : வீட்டின் மூலையில் ஒரு சமையலறை
எழுத்தாளர் : அம்பை
பதிப்பகம் : காலச்சுவடு பதிப்பகம்
பக்கங்கள் : 143
நூலங்காடி : சப்னா புக் ஹவுஸ்

🔆பல ஆண்டுகளாக பெண் கலைஞர்கள் , பெண் எழுத்தாளர்கள் , அவர்களின் வாழ்க்கை வரலாறு குறித்து ஆராய்ந்து வருபவர். வீட்டின் மூலையில் ஒரு சமையலறை - 11 கதைகளைக் கொண்டது .

🔆“வெளிப்பாடு” ஒரு கிராமத்தில் இருக்கும் பெண்களின் வாழ்க்கை பற்றி எழுத அவள் சென்றாள் . தெரிந்தவர் வீட்டில் தங்க ஏற்பாடு . அவள் தங்குவதற்கு , குளிப்பதற்கு , சாப்பிடுவதற்கு அனைத்து ஏற்பாடுகளையும் அந்த வீட்டு பெண் தான் செய்தாள் . அவளுக்கான அத்தனை சிறகுகளும் அந்த வீட்டினுள் தான் கட்டப்பட்டிருக்கிறது . அதீத பாதுகாப்பும் ஒரு அடக்குமுறை தான் .

🔆“வீட்டின் மூலையில் ஒரு சமையலறை “ அந்த வீட்டை கட்டும் போது, போனால் போகட்டும் –னு ஒரு சமையலறை வைத்தார்களாம் . பல வீட்டில் பெண்களின் நிலைமையே அதுதான் . ஜீஜி தான் , அந்த வீட்டின் சமையலறைக்கு தலைமை . சமையல் , வீட்டை கவனித்துக் கொள்வது , யார் யார் என்ன வேலை செய்ய வேண்டுமென்று முடிவெடுப்பதும் அவள் தான் . ஒரு நாள் அவளுக்கு உடல்நிலை சரி இல்லாமல் போனது . அவள் என்னவானாள் ?

🔆அம்பை அவர்களின் எழுத்தை படிக்காதவர்கள் இந்தப் புத்தகத்தில் இருந்து தொடங்கலாம் . நல்ல வாசிப்பு அனுபவமாக இருந்தது .


புத்தகங்களை படிப்போம் , பயன் பெறுவோம்,
புத்தகங்களால் இணைவோம் ,
பல வேடிக்கை மனிதரைப் போலே ,
நான் வீழ்வேனென்று நினைத்தாயோ – மகாகவி

சுபஸ்ரீனீ முத்துப்பாண்டி
வாசிப்பை நேசிப்போம்

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exceedingly rich compilation of short stories by the revered writer, C. S. Lakshmi under her nom de plume, Ambai. Twenty-five pieces, all regarding what it means to be a woman in a Tamil family. While there are many cultural differences, it is the similarities that provoke and spark interest, areas such as reaching maturity, dealing with the natural maturity of the female body, and the importance of holding sway in the kitchen. This definitely will resound with women readers.

[Madhupria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The writing at times was clumsy, and confusingly convoluted, but I can't quite figure if it was the original writing or inconsistent translation...

This is a collection of varied stories that feature a wide range of experiences, from 'high' society to the marginalized. "In a Forest, a Deer" and "A Kitchen in the Corner of the House" both deserve 5 stars. Other notable stories are "Forest", "A Movement, a Folder, Some Tears" and "Yellow Fish".

[Suzanne Bhagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really didn’t know anything about Ambai before I read A Kitchen in the Corner of the House but now, I am truly enlightened. I have read a lot of literature written in English by Indian writers but Ambai’s work was a first for me to read Indian, specifically Tamil literature, in translation. Ambai’s work can be considered feminist literature as many of her stories examine what’s it’s like to be a woman in India, particularly regarding how the female body is portrayed and treated in Indian society. In one story, adults regard one woman’s body as one that never “blossomed” because she never bore children even though children see her differently. The author also explores the traditionally female space of the kitchen as one where women think they hold power. She also re-examines the story of Sita, Rama’s wife, whose faithfulness to her husband came into question after she was rescued from her kidnapper. Sometimes, I found Ambai’s stories difficult to follow because they were peppered with local references but overall, her work carries a somber tone and is sure to resonate with female readers.

[Ahila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a true picture of our Indian household, where the kitchen is just a dark alley dungeon where the ladies share their whole lifetime. Narration is quite good and as usual it's loaded with the marked writing of Ambai.
Excellent writing..

[Sookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed few of the stories in this collection. Ambai provides diverse voices in this collection and it is perhaps the titular short story that stands out the most. Exploring various aspects of femininity, intersecting that with identity, social stature, sexuality, Ambai's characters give voices to those who haven't their chance to bloom.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I personally needed more translation than this edition offered. Being from an entirely different culture, the number of words that the had no translation, and whose meanings were not explained, got in the way of my enjoyment of these stories. After about a third of the book, sadly, I finally gave up.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading Ambai’s collection, A Kitchen in the Corner of the House, is like being a tourist in the lives of woman across Tamil Nadu, India. These stories, translated by Lakshmi Holmström, take us inside homes where woman are living lives of quiet (more or less) desperation. Many of these women feel trapped by the expectations of being a girl and a woman: being on a fast track to wife and mother; cooking, cleaning, and caring for everyone in the family; keeping silent and biddable. The tension comes from wondering if the protagonist of each story will find some kind of freedom—at least a room of her own for self-expression—or if they will continue to live circumscribed existences...

Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.

[Dany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this story for my sister's exam. I loved this story and the realism in this story. This story is actually situated in the northern part of India and depicts the household of a middle class family . It mainly features women and struggles faced by them. This story broke me down but after reading this i saw from a different perspective.

My fav scene : I loved the scene with a little amount of sass and hard slap of reality when the mother-in-law says she made pooris for the rest of the family immediately after her son died .

Ending : I totally fell in love with the ending ( please read the ending)

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Kitchen in the Corner of the House (Paperback) by Ambai, Lakshmi Holmström (Translator)- stories- A Kitchen in the Corner of the House collects Ambai's most daring, original stories. Her narrators are always filled with courage, stretching the concepts of home, marriage, and world. They embark on journeys small and large: taking offerings across town to the goddess Mariamman or packing up four deities in a plastic box and flying them to America. These women knead mountains of chapati dough, step deep into rivers threaded with fish, and stay up late talking about books and music. Ambai's words are sharpened knives, carving out a new terrain for young women in a tradition-bound world. It's in the small lapses — when a character forgets, fast forwards a tape, or begins another journey — that Ambai frees up a new linguistic and mental space. This is a celebration of women of all levels of wealth and education in the Indian Tamil community, the way they are encouraged to embrace security along with limitations. Many of them are heartbreaking stories of aspirations and love thwarted by close-knit families and traditional society. We also see women taking control of their own lives as soon as they get the chance, and these touched me particularly. …when the entire family is engaged in creating the head of the household, a man, she has to find the nooks and crannies where she can create herself out of the evidence of her own being. “Why are you at the window?” is the question underlying her life. The window is the symbol of the world outside. Her freedom lies outside the window. She was overcome with weariness at the thought that she had lost forever the security of accepting everything with closed eyes, that from now on she must walk through paths which she herself had to clear of stones and thorns. What might seem to be a gloomy collection is offset, though, by the penultimate one where a woman decides not to emigrate after all and stay to continue her friend’s work. All stories are interesting, good read and beautifully translated, therefore, it is recommended that this book should be translated in all Indian languages so that all Indians can read it.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How can we say which of the events that make up history are remembered, and which are forgotten? History is made up of so many silences," (A Thousand Words, One Life).
"A woman is aware of both the heaviness and the lightness of Being, she said. Sometimes, Non-being is itself her Being, she said. Sometimes she is when she is not. At other times, even when she is, she isn't," (The Calf That Frolicked in the Hall).

a beautiful collection of stories that deal with an array of universal, national, and deeply personal issues. rounded down from a 4.5 because I found the translation to be a bit distracting. I appreciate that the translator chose to leave in some Tamil and Hindi words, as I can imagine for some phrases, a direct translation would take away from the beauty of the language. However, I often found it distracting and difficult to understand the plot of some stories because I didn't know what half the words in a given sentences were referring to. I admit that this is probably more on me as an American and English-speaking reader than it is on the translator, but it did unfortunately lessen my enjoyment while reading.

[Prathap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ambai's exquisitely written collection of short stories, translated with equal expertise by Lakshmi Holmström, spans themes those are vernacular, yet their humanity appeals to a global readership. Even as the stories are mostly set in Tamil Nadu, Holmström's keen-eyed translation ensures that cultural nuances never get lost in translation. (I realise I may be biased as a reviewer who grew up in Tamil Nadu and I want to acknowledge that some cultural references / quirks can indeed prove to be a stumbling block for international readers). Ambai's women are dignified in the face of patriarchal oppression, religious intolerance, and achieve their own form of self-liberation within the confines of their restricted lives when it comes to expressing love, loss, motherhood and sexuality. Some stories evoke a sense of place so strong I often found myself longing with nostalgia (even though I have no similar experience to speak of).

[Abhilash · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title story is the highlight of this collection and its a nice read. Collection bored me after a while as it had the typical tropes of feminist/modernist stories that comes out in Indian magazines and literary journals which feels like a thing of the past as far as story telling techniques are concerned (this was particularly bad in story about a singer, that story seemed straight out of an Indian movie) - and the retelling of Puranic stories, give me a break (there is a flood of such books in Indian market now with the advent of nationalistic politics). There were too many stories to read too. I bailed half way through. I haven't read Ambai before, but I guess she writes well, The title story was well translated. Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review the book.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't imagine a more poetic, lyrical writer who better projects the firm, confident power that comes from quiet wisdom and sensibility. Mostly stories set in kitchens and buses and other small places, these short stories embody what I imagine would be the ideal female voice, however charged that statement might be. She writes of babies and children and cooking and says probably more than anyone, maybe even Rushdi, about the national political and cultural challenge that seems to be India. In all of that, I have not read an Indian writer - a Tamil, to be most correct -- who gives a better picture of what it feels and looks like to live a life in India. A book of short stories to read again, soon.

[Morbid Swither · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, there’s no doubt about it. Ambai is a special writer. This collection of contemporary stories translated from the Tamil by writer and academic, Dr. C.S. Lakshmi, who publishes under the nom de plume, Ambai, is a slightly uneven but welcome introduction to this essential feminist writer. Warmth, humor, tough existential truths, and a genius for irony are found in each of these stories told from the point of view of an Indian woman. Ambai also knows how much detail/description to include: a balance that is very evocative and still restrained. No disrespect meant to author, translator or publisher, but this may not be among Archipelago Book’s most polished translations. Thus: 3.5 rounded up, just because Ambai is so precious.

[Flavia · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘A kitchen in the corner of the house’ is a rare delight, a rich and evocative series of short stories which spill over into one another, informing each other and building up a specific backdrop across generations of Tamil women. The book is a literary tapestry, the language colourful, lyrical and deeply sensual (and addictive) – it makes you want to crawl into the pages and stay there. The quiet tension is built up by a density of language and Ambai’s adept ability to inject flavour and mood into her prose. The themes circle the fate of the female, her body, the physical space she inhabits and the roles she plays. A slow paced read but all the more worthy because of it!

[Kerry · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book. I'm always curious about foreign culture and customs, and whilst the stories in the anthology succeeds in offering the reader a glimpse into the lives of everyday Tamil people, the translation and editing does the book a huge disservice. Simply put, it is badly translated; and the prose is jarring. I would gladly read it again if these issues were corrected.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Kitchen in the Corner of the House was an intriguing short story collection, especially because of the language and writing style. The stories confronts the construction of gender, which makes it a feminist read, which I enjoyed a lot.

[Maria McGrath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grateful it was suggested and that I read it. There's a lot that went over my head, since I don't know the language or the history well, but the stories of women making their way in the face of a system that is stacked against them struck a chord.

[Archana Aggarwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Net galley. As always, Ambai is a delight to read. Having them on my kindle is very convenient.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this seems like a very interesting collection of short stories, I just couldn’t get into it...maybe another time...

[Tejasri Vijayakumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every story made me cry :’)

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

so striking, some of the most poignant poetic writing and feminist thought i’ve engaged with in maybe years. this is gonna stick with me

[Geert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very diificult reading as there are many words in the original language, and no explanation. Same with passages of probably well known old sagas, but totally foreign to me. The change of perspective makes this even harder to follow. I'll put it aside for the moment...

[Anandhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

11 கதைகள் கொண்ட நூல் இது. வலியைன்றுகூட உணரமுடியாமல் வாழ்க்கையில் விரவி கிடக்கும் வேதனைகள், மனதில் உள்ளதை வெளிப்படியாக வெளிப்படுத்தி கொள்வதில் பிரச்சினைகள், நுண்ணியமாகவும் வெளிப்படையாகவும் செயல்படும் ஆணாதிக்கச் சிந்தனைகள், அரசியல் நிலைப்பாடுகள், மனித உறவுகளில் உள்ள சிக்கல்கள் அவற்றைப் பற்றிய சிந்தனைகள். இதில் ஆண், பெண் மட்டுமல்ல அனைத்து உயிர்களும் அடங்கும்.

அகில உயிர்களும் கிழிபடுவதை, சிதைந்துபோவதை, விழுவதை, விழுந்து எழுவதைச் சொல்ல முயலும் கதைகள்.

'வெளிப்பாடு' கதை திருநெல்வேலியில் பெண்களைப் பற்றி ரிப்போர்ட் எழுத வரும் எழுத்தாளரிடம் இருந்து தொடங்குகிறது. பின் அவர் சந்தித்த இரண்டு பெண்கள், இரண்டு ஆண்கள் ஒரு வீட்டில் பெண்ணை வன்முறையால் அடக்கியும், மற்றேரு வீட்டுல் பாதுகாப்பு என்னும் பெயரில் அடக்குமுறையைக் கையாளுகிறார்கள். "பாதுகாப்பும் அடக்குமுறைதான். நீ வீட்டில் இருந்தால் உன்னை நான் காப்பாற்ற முடியும் வெளியே வந்து நான் சுவாசிக்கும் காற்றை நீ உள்ளுக்கு இழுத்தவுடனேயே அபாயம் உன்னைச் சூழ்கிறது. எட்டுத் திக்கும் வாயை அகல விரிக்கிறது உன்னை விழுங்க."

"ஒரு கட்டுக்கதை"யில் பன்றியின் சாவைப் பற்றி பன்றியே கூறுவதாக எழுதியுள்ளார்."தயவு செய்து சாவைப் பற்றிய ஏதாவது அரிய உண்மையைச் சொல்லிவிட்டுப் போவேன் என்று எதிர்பார்க்காதே. ஒன்றுதான் என்னால் சொல்ல முடியும். நாம் சாகிறோம்"

"வயது" - (must read)பர்மிங்கம் நகரில் ஒரு மோசமான மாலையில் பாகீரதியும் லாஜூஉம் அரசியல் அகதியான காப்ரியேலாவை சந்திக்க நேர்ந்து 45 வயது தோன்றமுடைய ஆனால் 25 வயதே ஆன அவளின் கதையை கேட்கிறார்கள். "அவரவர் நாட்டை விட்டு வெளியே இருப்பவர்களுக்கு ஞாபக சக்திதான் இதம்."

"வீட்டின் மூலையில் ஒரு சமையலறை" -1988 வெளியான கதையிது. "The great indian kitchen" 2020யில் வெளி வந்த இத்திரைபடம் பல film critic-ஆல் no1 இடத்தைப்பெற்ற திரைப்படம் இது.இந்த படத்தைவிட ஆழமாகவும் அழுத்தமாகவும் பெண்களின் நிலையைப் பதிவு செய்கிறார் அம்பை. மைசூர் பெண்ணான மீனாட்சி பஞ்சாப் நகரத்தை சார்ந்த கிஷனை திருமணம் செய்து இங்கு வருகிறாள். எப்போதும் பரப்பரப்பாய் இயங்கி கொண்டு இருக்கும் அந்த சமையலறையை ஒருப் போர் களமாக எண்ணும் பெண்களின் கதையிது. மனித உடம்பைப் பற்றி "வாழ்ந்த உடம்பு. சிறுநீர், மலம், ரத்தம், குழந்தைகள் எல்லாவற்றையும் வெளிப்படுத்தியிருந்த உடம்பு. எத்தனை தடங்கள் அதில்!".

"கறுப்புக் குதிரை சதுக்கம்" புரட்சியில் இடுப்பட்ட பெண் ரோஸாவுக்கு நேர்ந்த அநீதிப் பற்றியும் அதற்கு நியாயம் வழங்க போரிடம் பெண்கள் பற்றிய கதை.
ஒரு நீதிபதி. எதிரில் கூண்டில் ஒரு பெண். "நீ கன்னியா?" "இல்லை" " அப்படியானால் நீ பலாத்காரம் செய்யப்படவில்லை. பலாத்காரம் நடந்தபோது நீ கத்தினாயா?" "இல்லை. என் வாயைக் கட்டிவிட்டார்கள்." " கத்த முயற்சியாவது செய்தாயா?" " இல்லை. நான் மயங்கிவிட்டேன்." " அப்படியானால் இது பலாத்காரம் இல்லை. நீ உடன்பட்டு நடந்ததுதான்."
"வாமனன்", "புனர்", "அணில்", மஞ்சள் மீன்", "ஆறு", "சில மரணங்கள்".
அனைத்துமே படிக்க வேண்டிய கதைகள்.

[Poorna Rajaraman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Reshmi Suriarajan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read throughout

But not beginner friendly. The stories will take to the exact places and could able to feel the characters near you. Excellent stories