The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories

Written by Carson McCullers

In a lonely Southern town, a strange love triangle builds toward a violent showdown.

3.8 Goodreads · 27,761 ratings

152 pages· ~720L· AR ~4.7

$18.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Carson McCullers's novella The Ballad of the Sad Café follows Miss Amelia, a formidable Southern woman whose café becomes her small town's gathering place, and the human triangle that tears it apart. The collection adds several of her best short stories, including Wunderkind, her first published story, about a young musical prodigy who realizes she will not become a great pianist. A study of love, loneliness and longing.

From the publisher

A classic work that has charmed generations of readers, this collection assembles Carson McCullers's best stories, including her beloved novella "The Ballad of the Sad Café." "Glowingly impressive, informed with feeling and humor and poetry, [and with] a sure knowledge of the strange forces that bind together all humanity -- whether for good or for evil."--Los Angeles Daily NewsA haunting tale of a human triangle that culminates in an astonishing brawl, the the title novella introduces readers to Miss Amelia, a formidable southern woman whose café serves as the town's gathering place. Among other fine works, the collection also includes "Wunderkind," McCullers's first published story written when she was only seventeen about a musical prodigy who suddenly realizes she will not go on to become a great pianist. The Ballad of the Sad Café is a brilliant study of love and longing from one of the South's finest writers.

At a glance