Prolific writer Colin Cheong brings together three classic novellas and 23 short stories in this first-ever collection. Written in the 1990s, each story reflects his prowess as a storyteller. He is known for his sensitive and skillful articulation of some universal human themes - the pain of rejected love, the frustration and anticipation of being 'almost adult', the rites of passage to adulthood, and man's need for woman. This collection comprises:1. Seventeen (novella, published 1996)2. Poets, Priests and Prostitutes (novella, published 1990)3. The Man in the Cupboard (novella, published 1999) - won the Merit Award, Singapore Literature Prize 19984. Life Cycle of Homo Sapiens, Male (short stories, published 1992)5. Five new stories, previously only published in The Straits Times