This wide-ranging collection of the stories by the renowned Nobel Laureate--spanning more than two decades of her astonishing career--highlights her singular gifts for portraying the complex lives of men and women in a modern, often alienating world.

Included are seminal stories like "To Room Nineteen," in which a woman reacts against the oppression of her banal marriage with dreadful results; "One off the Short List," which traces the surprising conclusion to a seduction gone awry; "The Habit of Loving," in which a lonely older man who takes a vivacious, young wife witnesses an unexpected reversal of intimacy. Here are two classic novellas as well: The Temptation of Jack Orkney and The Other Woman, which exemplify Lessing's grasp of the most essential human psychology. Rich and various in mood and background--the settings range across England and France--these stories powerfully convey the uncompromising insight, intelligence, and vision of one of the most ardently admired writers of our time.