The Complete Short Stories of Saki is a comprehensive collection of the short fiction published by the writer born as Hector Hugh Munro. Writing under the pen name Saki, the British writer published the first of what would come to be known as “Reginald” series in 1901 and the popularity of these stories were such that two complete volumes consisting of nothing but those stories were both phenomenally popular enough to establish his reputation. The original Reginald stories and the follow-up tales collected as “Reginald in Russia” are all included in The Complete Short Stories of Saki.
Continuing in the tradition of Reginald, Saki found continued success with a series of stories featuring a character named Clovis and “The Chronicles of Clovis” were also included in their entirely within this more expansive collection. Today, Saki is actually known far less for his stories featuring his particularly British heroes and instead for his oft-anthologized stories that often wind up being assignments for student analysis like “The Open Window” and “The Interlopers.”
The Complete Short Stories of Saki could just as aptly be named the essential collection; if there is a Saki short story you are looking to read, it will likely be found in what remain the definitive career overview of one of the most important and influential short story writers of the 20th century.
