Night in Tunisia

First published when he was barely twenty-five, these stories introduce us to a young builder in despair as he enters the primeval atmosphere of a public bath; teenaged boys lolling about seaside resorts, boasting about their exploits with women; a young man and an older woman playing out the last movement of their affair; and an adolescent musician who prostitutes his talent. This book, which won raves at its first publication, shows all the hallmarks of the writer who became the award-winning film director so well known today. Neil Jordan is the writer and director of such films as Mona Lisa, The End of the Affair, and The Crying Game, for which he won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 1993. He is also the author of the novels The Past, The Dream of a Beast, Sunrise with Sea Monster, and Shade. Winner of the Guardian Fiction Prize First published when Neil Jordan was barely twenty-five, these short stories reveal an author already confident in the highly visual, tragic, dreamlike idiom that would mark his later writing and film work. The unforgettable characters in these tales include a young builder in despair as he enters the primeval atmosphere of a public bath; teenage boys lolling about seaside resorts, boasting about their exploits with women; a young man and an older woman playing out the last movement of their affair; and an adolescent musician who prostitutes his talent. This sterling book of stories, which drew rave reviews upon its original publication, shows all of the hallmarks of the acclaimed writer and award-winning film director so well-known today. "A marvelous collection."�Sunday Times"His fiction is poetic in the best sense of the word . . . An exciting book by the kind of writer who makes you curious about what he'll do next."�The Washington Post "Night in Tunisia is my book of the year . . . Jordan's precise control of tone, style, and narrative deserves comparison with other Irish masters of the short story form�O'Connor, O'Faolain, and Joyce."�Time Out (London) "Bristling with talent and promise."�Irish Times"Flawless instinct . . . A superb achievement."�Books Ireland