The tumultuous 20th century has just begun, and the great Irish writer, fully aware of the paralyzed reality that cripples his country, sneaks into the most unsuspecting corners of his beloved Dublin. With the simplest narrative tools—his effortless yet unparalleled insight, the dull, realistic colors, and the disarming hesitation of his characters at critical moments—he manages to compose perhaps the greatest collection of short stories in the history of English literature.

"He found insignificant all those things that would normally enchant him and did not respond to the looks that challenged his courage. He knew he would have to talk a lot, invent, and entertain, but his mind and throat were too dry for such a task. He couldn't think of anything else but to keep walking..."