The First Person and Other Stories - Tapa blanda

A form-bending and endlessly inventive collection of short stories - from the MAN BOOKER PRIZE-SHORTLISTED and WOMEN'S PRIZE-WINNING author of How to be both and the critically acclaimed Seasonal quartet

'A glorious collection that celebrates and subverts the short story form' Independent

'Hurrah for Ali Smith. The best short-story writers make it look as easy as making a cup of tea. Ali Smith is one of these... A bold and brilliant collection of stories by a writer unafraid to give it to us as it is' The Times

A middle-aged woman conducts a poignant conversation with her gauche fourteen-year-old self. An innocent supermarket shopper finds in her trolley a foul-mouthed, insulting and beautiful child. Challenging the boundaries between fiction and reality, we see a narrator, 'Ali', as she drinks tea, phones a friend and muses on the relationship between the short story and a nymph.

Innovative, sophisticated and intelligent, The First Person and Other Stories effortlessly appeals to our hearts, heads and funny bones in equal measure. One-of-a-kind Ali Smith and the short story are made for each other.

'Wonderful. Pared down to the point of perfection. Smith's sly wit and dextrous storytelling sing. Read' Independent

'Quintessential, even vintage . . . lilts and scintillates. Smith's best tales are airy, darting like sprites or pop-up jokes. Delicious stuff' Scotsman

The First Person and Other Stories appeals to your head, your heart and your funny bone. Always playful, but also very moving and very funny, Ali Smith explores the ways, and the whys, of life, love and storytelling.

'Utterly fascinating, deeply pleasurable. Smith is a brilliant storyteller' Time Out

'Teasing, provoking, quick-witted, Smith's stories are fearless. These nimble tales, lightly turning cartwheels . . . continue to reverberate long after you have read them' Sunday Telegraph

'Will tickle your brain and your funny bone as much as your heart: don't overlook' The London Paper

'A masterpiece. Smith has crafted a set of short stories that work together to create a brilliant and thought-provoking collection' Independent on Sunday