A collection of winter stories by Selma Lagerlöf, now available in English for the first time and revealing the breadth of this exceptional storyteller’s skills. In a format beloved of nineteenth-century European readers, this is a selection of stories designed to be read aloud in the family circle in the festive season, like those that Charles Dickens contributed to Yuletide almanacs and annuals in his own country. In this Penguin Classics volume, Lagerlöf weaves together magic and miracles, Swedish folklore and timeless fables, darkness and light, heartfelt joy and festive wonder, adds a dash of ghost tale and tops it all with a glittering title story that will appeal to anyone who has ever loved reading and longed for a new book under the Christmas tree. A collaborative project by a team of seasoned Lagerlöf translators, Linda Schenck, Peter Graves and Sarah Death.

“Among women novelists of great talent or genius, none, in my opinion, is to be placed higher than Selma Lagerlöf” (Marguerite Yourcenar)