As the third volume of Classic English Short Stories, Charmed Lives covers the period from the 1950s to the 1960s, including selections from countries as diverse as Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria, and the West Indies. It contains stories by writers such as Mary Lavin, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Nadine Gordimer, Morley Callaghan, Rhys Davies, and George Lamming.