The Black Halo

The Complete English Stories 1977-98

Iain Crichton Smith, Kevin MacNeil

• Publisher: Birlinn
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781841581712
• eBook ISBN: 9780857907141
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literary Essays
• Index: Literature

Although best-known as one of Scotland's greatest modern poets, Iain Crichton Smith was also prolific as a writer of short stories. These pieces form a central part of his oeuvre, demonstrating the full range and versatility of his literary talent.From humour to tragedy, from inner monologues to extrovert surrealism, the diversity of his writing indicates the extraordinary range of his own reading and mental world. Crichton Smith wrote short stories throughout his life. Some are fragments, others almost novellas, and the best of them all show him to be an author of unique sensitivity and intelligence. These two collections, comprising the complete English stories, include over 45 stories never before published in book form, as well as others that have been out of print for many years, thus making it possible to judge Crichton Smith's achievement as a writer in full.Incorporates stories from The Hermit, Murdo, Mr Trill in Hades and Selected Stories.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Author biography
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• Editor’s Acknowledgements
• THE HERMIT AND OTHER STORIES
• The Hermit
• The Impulse
• Timoshenko
• The Spy
• The Brothers
• The Incident
• Listen to the Voice
• The Exorcism
• Macbeth
• Leaving the Cherries
• MURDO AND OTHER STORIES
• In the Castle
• The Missionary
• At the Fair
• The Listeners
• Mr Heine
• The Visit
• What to do about Ralph?
• The Ring
• Greater Love
• The Snowballs
• The Play
• In the School
• Mr Trill in Hades
• SELECTED STORIES
• By their Fruits
• Mac an t-Sronaich
• I do not Wish to Leave
• The Ghost
• The True Story of Sir Hector Macdonald
• Chagall’s Return
• Napoleon and I
• Christmas Day
• The Arena
• The Tour
• The Travelling Poet
• The Scream
• The Old Woman, the Baby and Terry
• On the Train
• The Survivor
• The Dead Man and the Children
• A Night with Kant
• The Maze
• On the Island
• The Button
• A September Day
• The Snow
• In the Corridor
• Christine
• The Kitten
• The Parade
• The Yacht
• Record of Work
• In the Asylum
• The Black Halo
• The Crossing
• The Beautiful Gown
• Do You Believe in Ghosts?
• At Jorvik Museum
• The Ship
• In the Silence
• The Ladder
• Tommy
• The Whale’s Way
• The Dawn
• The Red Coffin
• The Bridge
• The Tool Chest
• Murdo at the BBC
• The Wind
• The Blue Vase
• The Open University
• The Boy and the Rowan Tree
• At the Stones
• The Game
• Publication acknowledgements