From Doris Lessing, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, the second volume of her collected short stories.

Lessing is unrivalled in her ability to capture the complexities of relationships, and the stories in this wonderful collection have lost none of their original power.

Two marriages, both middle class, liberal and 'rather literary', share a shocking flaw, a secret 'cancer'. A young, beautiful woman from a working-class family is courted by a very eligible, very upmarket man. An ageing actress falls in love for the first time but can only express her feelings through her stage performances because her happily married lover is unobtainable. A dedicated, lifelong rationalist is tempted, after the death of his father, by the comforts of religious belief.

In this magnificent collection of stories, which spans four decades, Lessing's unique gift for observation, her wit, her compassion and remarkable ability to illuminate human life are all remarkably displayed.