Bad Dreams and Other Stories

Few writers give me such consistent pleasure. * Zadie Smith *Tessa Hadley has become one of this country’s great contemporary novelists … possessed of a psychological subtlety reminiscent of Henry James, and an ironic beadiness worthy of Jane Austen * Guardian *One of Britain’s finest writers… Hadley’s clear-sighted observations about people’s foibles and her ability to whip up an atmosphere with only a tent pole and a pair of furry handcuffs is something to behold. * The Times *Hadley is a writer whose reputation grows with every book… This new collection of short stories reconfirms her remarkable talent… Hadley excels at both genres, brilliant at conveying emotion and with an uncanny ability to get under her character’s skin… These stories brim with a keen intelligence and linger in the mind long after you close the book. – Sebastian Shakespeare * Tatler *[It is] lapidary, full of the most gorgeous sentences and brilliant observations. – Alex Preston * Observer, 2017 Books of the Year *Hadley’s quiet rise to become one of Britain’s best writers is further confirmed by her new collection, Bad Dreams and Other Stories… These well-turned, exceptionally nuanced pieces are solidly evocative of place, period…and sensory detail. – Phil Baker * Sunday Times *Compassionate and luminous, Hadley sees… us all: our travails, our fantasies and our small joys. – Claire Messud * Financial Times *Tessa Hadley’s short stories, Bad Dreams, are simple and artful and leave you wanting more. – Hilary MantelIt is exquisite, haunting… This is writing of great nuance and psychological acuity… It combines acerbic social observation and wry humour with moments of breathtaking delicacy and tenderness. – KJ Orr * Guardian *The ordinary becomes extraordinary in these masterly short stories by one of the most brilliant and under-read writers of our time. * Mail on Sunday, 2017 Books of the Year *

Tessa Hadley is the author of eight highly praised novels- Accidents in the Home, Everything Will Be All Right, The Master Bedroom, The London Train, Clever Girl, The Past, Late in the Day and Free Love, and four collections of stories- Sunstroke, Married Love, Bad Dreams and After the Funeral. She won the Windham Campbell Prize for Fiction in 2016, The Past won the Hawthornden Prize for 2016 and she has twice been awarded the Edge Hill Short Story Prize, for 2018 and for 2024. Her stories appear regularly in the New Yorker.