"These stories, well translated from the Spanish, describe the severe beauty and cruelty of southern Chile--cold, inhospitable, full of craggy, treacherous channels--the end of the world. As in Jack London's stories, the environment forms a crucible in which man's true--or perhaps worst--nature is revealed: two stranded lighthouse keepers fight each other as their provisions run low ('The Hen Who Laid Eggs of Light.') The collection would be worth reading just for the spectacular scenery from the tip of the world, but Coloane is also a master storyteller, distilling the universal from the extreme."--"Publishers Weekly" Francisco Coloane has received rave reviews in Europe, where he is considered the greatest Latin American author.