Since the publication of Secrets and Other Stories in 1977, Bernard MacLaverty has been celebrated as one of the finest living short-story writers. Writing in the New York Times, William Boyd summoned the shades of Yeats, Joyce and Flann O'Brien, insisting that 'MacLaverty sits perfectly comfortably' in their company. The Guardian simply said 'MacLaverty is a master.'Melding his native Irish sensibilities to those of his adopted west-coast Scotland, these tales attend to life's big events: love and loss, separation and violence, death and betrayal. But the stories teem with smaller significant moments too - private epiphanies, chilling exchanges, intimate encounters. A writer of great compassion, insight and humanity, MacLaverty surprises us time and again with the sensitivity of his ear, the accuracy of his eye. Each of these extraordinary stories - with their wry, self-deprecating humour, their elegance and subtle wisdom - gets to the very heart of life.The Collected Short Stories includes most of Secrets, A Time to Dance, The Great Profundo, Walking the Dog and Matters of Life & Death.