The sixteen short stories gathered in this anthology come from various corners of Africa and the rest of the world. Written over the last half a century – right up to the present day – by both renowned authors and those whose fame is now in the making, some published before, others appearing here for the first time, they represent fascinating examples of this widely beloved genre. In the wisdom and beauty of their narrative worlds, the readers discover reality in new and stirring ways, and are memorably reminded of what a great gift it is to live – with pain, struggle, learning, love, joy, and all.