Since its publication in 1922, Aldous Huxley's Mortal Coils has delighted readers with the ironic observations that would become a trademark of Huxley's later work.

This collection of short fiction consists of the following titles:

THE GIOCONDA SMILE

PERMUTATIONS AMONG THE NIGHTINGALES

THE TILLOTSON BANQUET

GREEN TUNNELS

NUNS AT LUNCHEON

Huxley was a great admirer of French symbolist poetry and poets such as Stéphane Mallarmé, Arthur Rimbaud, Jules Laforgue, and Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam.

Though his style and viewpoint moved further from the romantic in works such as Point Counter Point and Brave New World, an optimistic and determined point of view characterized his writings throughout his lifetime.

ALDOUS HUXLEY (1894-1963) was a poet, novelist, dramatist, essayist, and humanist philosopher. He attended Eton and Oxford and briefly taught at Eton before devoting himself solely to writing. Crome Yellow's critical success earned him advances for future novels, and his fifth novel, Brave New World, became one of the most prophetic and influential books in history. Later in life, Aldous Huxley became increasingly alarmed that human beings might be controlled and manipulated through the sophisticated application of mass media, mood-altering drugs, and interpersonal technology.