Beasts and Superbeasts is a collection of short stories, written by Saki (the literary pseudonym of Hector Hugh Munro) and first published in 1914. The title parodies that of George Bernard Shaw's Man and Superman. Along with The Chronicles of Clovis, Beasts and Superbeasts is one of Saki's best-known works. It was his final collection of stories before his death in World War I, and several of its stories, in particular "The Open Window", are reprinted frequently in anthologies. The book contains the following stories: "The She-Wolf" "Laura" "The Boar-Pig" "The Brogue" "The Hen" "The Open Window" "The Treasure-Ship" "The Cobweb" "The Lull" "The Unkindest Blow" "The Romancers" "The Schartz-Metterklume Method" "The Seventh Pullet" "The Blind Spot" "Dusk" "A Touch of Realism" "Cousin Teresa" "The Yarkand Manner" "The Byzantine Omelette" "The Feast of Nemesis" "The Dreamer" "The Quince Tree" "The Forbidden Buzzards" "The Stake" "Clovis on Parental Responsibilities" "A Holiday Task" "The Stalled Ox" "The Story-Teller" "A Defensive Diamond" "The Elk" "Down Pens" "The Name-Day" "The Lumber Room" "Fur" "The Philanthropist and the Happy Cat" "On Approval" The majority of the volume's stories deal in some fashion with animals, providing the source for its title. The character of Clovis Sangrail, featured in earlier works by Saki, appears in several stories. Most of the stories appeared previously in periodicals. Stylistically, Beasts and Superbeasts displays the simple language, cynicism and wry humor that characterize Saki's earlier literary output. (Wikipedia)
Author
Known British writer Hector Hugh Munro under pen name Saki published his witty and sometimes bitter short stories in collections, such as The Chronicles of Clovis (1911). His sometimes macabre satirized Edwardian society and culture. People consider him a master and often compare him to William Sydney Porter and Dorothy Rothschild Parker. His tales feature delicately drawn characters and finely judged narratives. "The Open Window," perhaps his most famous, closes with the line, "Romance at short notice was her specialty," which thus entered the lexicon. Newspapers first and then several volumes published him as the custom of the time. His works include * a full-length play, The Watched Pot , in collaboration with Charles Maude; * two one-act plays; * a historical study, The Rise of the Russian Empire , the only book under his own name; * a short novel, The Unbearable Bassington ; * the episodic The Westminster Alice , a parliamentary parody of Alice in Wonderland ; * and When William Came: A Story of London under the Hohenzollerns , an early alternate history. Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, and Joseph Rudyard Kipling, influenced Munro, who in turn influenced Alan Alexander Milne, Sir Noel Pierce Coward, and Pelham Grenville Wodehouse.
