James Joyce 
Dubliners 

'Dubliners' is James Joyce's attempt to portray a 'slice of life' of his beloved capital in fifteen short stories recording events in the lives of its citizens, while the tales themselves progress from a consideration of childhood to maturity, old age and, finally, Death. The book has been described as Joyce's masterpiece, and it is certainly the best starting point for entry into the obscure and sometimes bizarre world of Joyce's later novels. 'Dubliners' remains accessible to the reader in a way that the seemingly incomprehensible ramblings of 'Finnegan's Wake' can never be.