Published in 1905, Tales of the Five Towns collects a dozen stories, divided into two sections: “At Home” and “Abroad.” The eight “At Home” tales take place in Bennett’s beloved Five Towns, a location based on the Potteries district of Staffordshire, where he spent his early years. “Abroad” contains four stories which, though taking place in London, still have characters connected with the Potteries. All of the tales depict the industrial and social conditions of Victorian England, often with sympathy and humor.
Circa l’autore
Arnold Bennett (1867–1931) was a British writer whose prolific output included numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, literary criticism as well as theatre journalism, an opera, and a screenplay. English novelist Margaret Drabble says of him, “Bennett’s books I think are very fine indeed, on the highest level, deeply moving… I feel they have been underrated.”