The Umbrella Man and Other Stories

By turns macabre, hilarious, and grotesque, these stories are filled with unexpected delights and the always expected Dahl brilliance.

What could be wrong with a sweet landlady who offers the cheapest, cleanest, coziest quarters in town? Ask any of her tenants—if you can dig one up. What does a husband’s unceasing devotion to his frail child send his wife into paroxysms of horror? How much will people pay for vengeance?

These thirteen tales grab you from the start, hold you fast—and then throw all your expectations out the window with surprise-twist endings that are immensely satisfying. Before Roald Dahl became a master of stories for children, he was a master of adult short stories. His several popular anthologies showcase his skills and an ingenious sleight-of-hand artists. Wendy Cooling specially selected the stories in this collection as an introduction for teenagers to the adult writing of one of the world’s greatest storytellers.