Publication and Recognition

This collection of twenty-two short stories was first published in 1936, a year after Josephine Johnson won a Pulitzer Prize for her debut novel Now in November.

Previous Publications

Some of these stories were published previously in magazines – The Atlantic Monthly, Vanity Fair, The St. Louis Review, Hound and Horn, The Forum, The Midland – and even before Johnson was awarded the prestigious literary prize for her novel, her short fiction was praised for its evocative and perceptive content and simple but powerful style.

The Themes

The stories in this collection revolve around universal human cravings for love, happiness, and completion, and expose the fragile balance of human relationships. Johnson's writing touches her readers on a personal level, evoking memories of childhood dreams, first heartbreaks, and warm summer nights in the country surrounded by the sound of cicadas and frogs...