The Dead (Mint Editions (Literary Fiction))

Described by T.S. Eliot as “one of the greatest short stories ever written,” The Dead is a beautifully crafted novella by Irish novelist and literary critic, James Joyce. It’s Christmastime in Dublin. The snow is falling. And a thirty-year strong annual Christmas party is underway. Gabriel Conroy, nephew to the hosts, frets over his impending after-dinner speech, while Gretta, his wife, wanders the affair thinking of her childhood home. The lavish festivities proceed in full swing, Gabriel’s long-awaited speech ends in a rousing rendition of “For They Are Jolly Gay Fellow,” and as the party winds to a close, the guests spill out into the winter night…all except for Gretta. At the top of the stairs she stands chillingly still, seemingly mesmerized by the sounds of a soft song being sung in another room.