Complete Short Stories of A. A. Milne
A new collection of A. A. Milne’s short stories for grown-ups. Gathered in full for the first time, they include several never published before. They show Milne’s renowned charm, concision and whimsical flair in all their brilliance.
He paints memorable scenes – from a children’s birthday party, to an accidental encounter with murder, and a case of blackmail – often with an unexpected twist. But he also deals in poignancy, from the girl who pulls the wool over her boyfriend’s eyes, to a first dance and first disappointment or family reunion and domestic dissonance.
Beguiling and evocative, Milne’s thought-provoking stories for adults will make you see his works for children in a whole new light.
Alan Alexander Milne (1882-1956) was born in London. He was a regular contributor to Punch, and later, assistant editor, before the interruption of active service in the First World War. A remarkably versatile writer, Milne went on to become a hugely successful and widely-known playwright, both in the West End and on Broadway, as well as an essayist, poet, novelist and – most famously – children’s author, as the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh.
Gyles Brandreth is a former Punch contributor and lifelong admirer of the work of A. A. Milne. A friend of Christopher Robin Milne, Gyles wrote Now We Are Sixty with the composer Julian Slade in the 1980s, a play celebrating A. A. Milne, in which the young Aled Jones starred as Christopher Robin.