In this compelling collection of short stories, bestselling author Michael Chabon explores adolescent desire, love, friendship and fatherhood -- moving across this powerful emotional ground with subtlety and incisiveness. Written with wryness, whimsy, and intellectual depth, this is a collection of eleven wonderful stories of growing up and growing wise. In 'S Angel' a group of wedding guests is hijacked by a fast-talking real estate agent, but not before the bride herself disappears. 'Smoke' takes us to a baseball catcher's funeral, where one of the mourners -- a has-been pitcher -- confronts the ruins of his career. In the hilarious title story, a graduate student plagiarizes a dissertation on the movement of clouds, only to find himself and his faculty advisor in a parlour game where each player must confess the worst thing he or she has ever done. The second part of the book 'The Lost World' is a series of stories about a young boy, Nathan Shapiro, who must face the wrenching emotions caused by his parents' bitter divorce. Serious, yet shot through with wit, humour and compassion, these are unforgettable stories from one of America's most celebrated writers.

迈克尔•夏邦（1963— ），当代美国文坛最重要的中生代作家之一。1963年生于华盛顿特区，先后就读于卡内基-梅隆大学和匹兹堡大学，并在加州大学厄湾校区获得创意写作硕士学位。1988年，年仅二十五岁的迈克尔•夏邦出版其硕士学位作业、长篇小说处女作《匹兹堡的秘密》，创下当时新人小说最高预付版税的纪录，上市后造成畅销旋风，也为他赢得“塞林格接班人”的美国文坛金童美誉。他于1995年出版的第二部长篇小说《天才少年》也大获成功，被改编成电影。

2000年，迈克尔•夏邦出版第三部长篇小说《卡瓦利与克雷的神奇冒险》，更助他以三十八岁之龄赢得普利策小说奖，成为过去三十年来最年轻的普利策奖长篇小说得主。一些评论家认为：夏邦写出了无数作家穷其一生梦寐以求的“伟大的美国小说”。之后，他又陆续推出结合美国土著神话与棒球史的青少年小说《夏日禁地》与福尔摩斯小说仿作《最后的解答》。

迈克尔•夏邦对类型小说、流行文化的兴趣，也使得他的作品丰富多样，难以界定。2007年出版的长篇小说《犹太警察工会》先后荣获星云奖、雨果奖、轨迹奖等科幻小说大奖。美国电影奇才科恩兄弟将把该书改编为电影。他的最新小说是2012年出版的《电报街》。他还曾担任电影《蜘蛛侠2》的编剧。