All the Days and Nights

In settings that range from small town Illinois to the Upper East Side of Manhattan, these stories are distinguished by Maxwell's inimitable wisdom and kindness, his sense of the small details that make up a life, the nuances of joy and sadness that change its direction. Whether describing the reunion of two brothers who will never agree, the furniture of the apartment that becomes everything to a childless couple, the search for the perfect French meal or the life of a ne'er-do-well uncle, Maxwell's stories capture responses that are recognisable in us all.

William Maxwell was born in Illinois in 1908. He was the author of a distinguished body of work: six novels, three short story collections, an autobiographical memoir and a collection of literary essays and reviews. ANew Yorkereditor for forty years, he helped to shape the prose and careers of John Updike, John Cheever, John O'Hara and Eudora Welty.So Long, See You Tomorrowwon the American Book Award, and he received the PEN/Malamud Award. He died in New York in 2000.

Spanning more than 50 years, the stories in this collection encompass the life's work of one of America's best-loved and most acclaimed writers.