Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author's brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted 'Top Tens' across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions - Why that story? Why that author? The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature.Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something.Whether Central Europe is part of East or West or both it is undeniable that it is also unto itself. Its stories and literature are amongst the boldest narratives anywhere. These authors have helped established the incredible literary heritage of all our ages.01 - The Top 10 - The Central Europeans - An Introduction2 - The New Paris by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe3 - A Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka4 - A Legend of Old Egypt by Boleslaw Prus5 - Gods in Exile by Heinrich Heine6 - The Chamomile Drops by Jaroslav Hasek7 - The Criminal from Lost Honour by Friedrich Schiller8 - The Bundle of Letters by Moritz Jokai9 - Vampirismus or Aurelia by E T A Hoffman10 - The Vampire by Jan Neruda11 - Wake Not the Dead by Johann Ludwig Tieck