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The Open Window
Short story on the theme of appearances and reality. Frequently anthologised.
4 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1911
13 people are currently reading
404 people want to read
About the author
Saki
1,356books572followersBritish writer Hector Hugh Munro under pen name Saki published his witty and sometimes bitter short stories in collections, such as
The Chronicles of Clovis
(1911).
His sometimes macabre satirized Edwardian society and culture. People consider him a master and often compare him to William Sydney Porter and Dorothy Rothschild Parker. His tales feature delicately drawn characters and finely judged narratives. "The Open Window," perhaps his most famous, closes with the line, "Romance at short notice was her specialty," which thus entered the lexicon. Newspapers first and then several volumes published him as the custom of the time.
His works include
* a full-length play, The Watched Pot , in collaboration with Charles Maude;
* two one-act plays;
* a historical study, The Rise of the Russian Empire , the only book under his own name;
* a short novel, The Unbearable Bassington ;
* the episodic The Westminster Alice , a parliamentary parody of Alice in Wonderland ;
* and When William Came: A Story of London under the Hohenzollerns , an early alternate history.
Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, and Joseph Rudyard Kipling, influenced Munro, who in turn influenced A. A. Milne, and Pelham Grenville Wodehouse.
His sometimes macabre satirized Edwardian society and culture. People consider him a master and often compare him to William Sydney Porter and Dorothy Rothschild Parker. His tales feature delicately drawn characters and finely judged narratives. "The Open Window," perhaps his most famous, closes with the line, "Romance at short notice was her specialty," which thus entered the lexicon. Newspapers first and then several volumes published him as the custom of the time.
His works include
* a full-length play, The Watched Pot , in collaboration with Charles Maude;
* two one-act plays;
* a historical study, The Rise of the Russian Empire , the only book under his own name;
* a short novel, The Unbearable Bassington ;
* the episodic The Westminster Alice , a parliamentary parody of Alice in Wonderland ;
* and When William Came: A Story of London under the Hohenzollerns , an early alternate history.
Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, and Joseph Rudyard Kipling, influenced Munro, who in turn influenced A. A. Milne, and Pelham Grenville Wodehouse.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
July 27, 2024
Is it possible to pack mystery, horror and humour into a 5 minute story? I believe it is after reading this!
Thanks to my GR friend Beata for bringing this one to my attention.
Thanks to my GR friend Beata for bringing this one to my attention.
October 22, 2022
و كم يمضي الفراق بلا لقاء
و لكن لا لقاء بلا فراق
اذا قررت أن تنعزل.. لا تنسى أن تترك و لو نافذه واحدة مفتوحة؛ فقد ينفذ منها: الأمل
من أشهر الاقصوصات الطريفة
تمنح القارئ ارضاء لغروره ..و ستجدونها كاملة في الجزء المخفي من الريفيو
و لكن لا لقاء بلا فراق
اذا قررت أن تنعزل.. لا تنسى أن تترك و لو نافذه واحدة مفتوحة؛ فقد ينفذ منها: الأمل
من أشهر الاقصوصات الطريفة
تمنح القارئ ارضاء لغروره ..و ستجدونها كاملة في الجزء المخفي من الريفيو
September 9, 2024
A spectacular piece of work! ⭐⭐⭐⭐�
Framton Nuttel is a very nervous man indeed! At his sister’s urging, he ventures off to a retreat in the hope that he will come back a changed man. Shortly after arriving at the home of a Mrs. Sappleton, Mr. Nuttel encounters the owner's fifteen-year-old niece. What happens during this brief visit will send a shiver to your core!
Five minutes of your time for this sensational short, and it’s free on the web!
👉
Framton Nuttel is a very nervous man indeed! At his sister’s urging, he ventures off to a retreat in the hope that he will come back a changed man. Shortly after arriving at the home of a Mrs. Sappleton, Mr. Nuttel encounters the owner's fifteen-year-old niece. What happens during this brief visit will send a shiver to your core!
Five minutes of your time for this sensational short, and it’s free on the web!
👉
July 13, 2019
I enjoyed this short story!
If you have a few minutes, I recommend you check it out.
Thank you for the link and the recommendation, Kevin!
July 6, 2019
Highly recommend this short grand story!
My special thanks to Kimber! :))
My special thanks to Kimber! :))
November 12, 2019
“My aunt will be down presently, Mr. Nuttel,� said a very self-possessed young lady of fifteen; “in the meantime you must try and put up with me.�
The Open Window is one of the most popular short stories by Saki, in fact it’s just a five minute ride through the world of Saki however, an entertaining, eerie and breath-taking experience indeed. A young very self-possessed woman, who help her aunt to run business, meets Mr. Framton Nuttel, seeking a "nerve cure" prescribed by his doctor, visits a rural area where he knows no one. The opening lines of the story set embarkment of the (un)usual, unsettling and eerie but certainly convincing world of Saki, wherein he chooses his characters with marked precision and let them pull along the narrative by their peculiarity through equal space provided to each one of them. Saki had this rare but distinguished ability to move the narrative many folds by just using a few words and that regard “The Open Window� is an epitome.
As soon as I start feeling immersed in the engrossing narrative of the story, you are taken aback by naïve and unaffected presentation by the niece of Mrs. Sappleton wherein she uses social decorum very much to her favor. First, she presents herself as inconsequential, telling Nuttel that her aunt will be down soon, but "in the meantime, you must put up with me." It might come across a simple insignificant and incidental detail to a casual observer, however eventually the narrative reveals itself to make you understand how essential it would be and the niece has used it deftly as a conceit her playful exploit or is it really so? And if is not then you are staring at something unheard of. If anything Frampton may be not only vulnerable but fragile too. He does not expect Vera to lie to him and as such this may be why he completely believes Vera’s story. She includes all the details needed to create a sense of realism: the open window, the brown spaniel, the white coat, and even the mud of the supposed bog. Seen through the ghostly lens of tragedy, all of the ordinary details, including the aunt's comments and behavior, take on an eerie tone. But what is she is not lying and stating truth as clean as pure water, then you are again grabbed by unnerving chill. That’s Saki’s world for you, full of numerous probable possibilities. It would need an actively engaged reader to solve the puzzle.
If we look at the narrative from the angle of Frampton, we may realize that “the open window� might symbolizes something else to him. He is looking to find some refuge wherein he can find relief and peace and he happens to meet Vera, this unusual and strange encounter might robbed him off the very little peace he might have been carrying somewhere deep buried in the recesses of his consciousness. The fact that the narrator advises the reader that ‘romance at short notice was her speciality� may also be important as the reader suspects that Vera’s ability to tell a lie or make up a story is not limited. We all long for romance in our life, for the fact that as a social animal we need to keep our brain amusing and engaged in some entertaining way, however here arises an existential problem wherein freedom of movement of one person might rob the other person from his very his existence and might throw him in the hell of nothingness, so to what extent our ‘romantic� deeds are justified? We need to maintain order and harmony to live in a civilized society but then we have to curd our degrees of freedom, this interesting dilemma keeps us engaged right through our lives.
It is my second encounter with Saki after “Sredni Vashtar� and I find that usual themes of honesty, trust, conflict, confidence, deception and freedom were exploited quite masterfully right through the short story. The conventional careful but affecting usage of adjectives can also be observed in the story which provides cautious but certain push to the narrative. His prose has a tinge of poetic beauty under the veneer of which actually lies profound absurdity conveyed through beautifully and carefully chosen (like the precision of a surgeon) adjectives which only enhances the effect of the narrative bequeathing the underlying irony. You may sense that the author has unparallel control of his prose as if he is guiding you through an unknown abyss of human consciousness holding a torch traversing through dark and menacing paths. And as one expects form the author in a short story to use a few words without blowing up the narrative- neither too revealing nor too disguised, one won’t be disappointed with Saaki- even a bit.
“A most extraordinary man, a Mr. Nuttel,� said Mrs. Sappleton; “could only talk about his illnesses, and dashed off without a word of good-bye or apology when you arrived. One would think he had seen a ghost.�
Highly recommended, for everyone.
5/5
August 4, 2019
An ill man makes visit upon recommendation letters. When visiting his aunt a young girl is telling him a horror story why one window has to be open. As a hunting party is coming back he's running away from his relative as fast as he can. What happened? Well plotted, twisty tale with a great ending. Absolutely enjoyed reading this story. Absolutely recommended!
July 6, 2019
This is a mini-masterpiece! A truncated triumph!
Yet it takes less than five minutes to read and is *free* on that new-fangled internet thingamajig which fancy city folk rave about:
Framton Nuttel, a man of a nervous disposition, rocks up to a rural retreat at his sister's behest. She had hoped against hope that his time spent in tranquil surroundings, with nice people, would do him the power of good.
While Nuttel waits to be received by the lady of the house, he encounters her fifteen-year-old niece, who engages him in casual conversation. Ostensibly, the story's ingredients are thus: two people and an open window.
What ensues is a beautifully-realised piece that sent a rewarding chill down my spine.
Five minutes of your day, fellow bookaneers ... I highly commend it.
Yet it takes less than five minutes to read and is *free* on that new-fangled internet thingamajig which fancy city folk rave about:
Framton Nuttel, a man of a nervous disposition, rocks up to a rural retreat at his sister's behest. She had hoped against hope that his time spent in tranquil surroundings, with nice people, would do him the power of good.
While Nuttel waits to be received by the lady of the house, he encounters her fifteen-year-old niece, who engages him in casual conversation. Ostensibly, the story's ingredients are thus: two people and an open window.
What ensues is a beautifully-realised piece that sent a rewarding chill down my spine.
Five minutes of your day, fellow bookaneers ... I highly commend it.
July 26, 2021
Saki writes a cunning and creepy story with an ending that takes you by surprise. This 2-page tale is skillfully written and succinctly provides all the elements of great storytelling. A compelling and memorable read!
July 6, 2019
A classic short story that sent me hopping on my pogo stick!
Two strangers: an anxious man and a clever 15-year-old girl. Put them in front of an open window and you get this entertaining, blink-of-an-eye story. The language is incredibly lively and there’s not a wasted word. There’s a riot of a twist, which makes me bow to the beauty of imagination! This is one of those perfect stories. Boing boing goes my pogo stick!
The story was written in 1911 by H.H. Munro, better known as Saki. Even though I was a self-respecting Lit. major, I had never heard of the guy. Thank god there’s Google (which, for some reason, I picture is up there in the sky with the jumbo jets). Found out Saki is famous for his short stories, and people talk about him in the same breath as they do O’Henry and Dorothy Parker. Of course now I want to, need to, read more of his work.
Here’s the link to the story (pdf. file):
Take 5 and read this little gem! Thanks, Kevin, for telling us about this one!
P.S. Damn that stupid, itchy editor hat! The first line of the story has one of my pet peeves: “try and put up with me� instead of the correct “try TO put up with me.� The mistake stops me in my tracks every time. So I grimaced and then worried about what was ahead (which happily for me turned out to be pure gold, no other errors in sight). The story’s only flaw, I claim. But is it really a flaw, since in this case the error comes out of a character’s mouth? We all know that people can make grammatical errors when they talk. I need to just chill!
Two strangers: an anxious man and a clever 15-year-old girl. Put them in front of an open window and you get this entertaining, blink-of-an-eye story. The language is incredibly lively and there’s not a wasted word. There’s a riot of a twist, which makes me bow to the beauty of imagination! This is one of those perfect stories. Boing boing goes my pogo stick!
The story was written in 1911 by H.H. Munro, better known as Saki. Even though I was a self-respecting Lit. major, I had never heard of the guy. Thank god there’s Google (which, for some reason, I picture is up there in the sky with the jumbo jets). Found out Saki is famous for his short stories, and people talk about him in the same breath as they do O’Henry and Dorothy Parker. Of course now I want to, need to, read more of his work.
Here’s the link to the story (pdf. file):
Take 5 and read this little gem! Thanks, Kevin, for telling us about this one!
P.S. Damn that stupid, itchy editor hat! The first line of the story has one of my pet peeves: “try and put up with me� instead of the correct “try TO put up with me.� The mistake stops me in my tracks every time. So I grimaced and then worried about what was ahead (which happily for me turned out to be pure gold, no other errors in sight). The story’s only flaw, I claim. But is it really a flaw, since in this case the error comes out of a character’s mouth? We all know that people can make grammatical errors when they talk. I need to just chill!
July 10, 2019
A little thrill and devious chuckle to boot. Could I ask for more right now? The perfect break in my reading.
July 7, 2019
All you need is 5 minutes to read this clever story. I’ve never heard of of Saki. Thanks, Kevin for introducing him to me and for the free link.
April 15, 2024
قصة قصيرة..تُلقي كلماتها بظلال من الخوف الِقلق ، تترقب ..تنتظر حيث لا تملك سوى الإنتظار....
ومهما تبدى لك أنك قد تقصد مكاناً بعيداً...جداً ، وقد أحكمت غلق النوافذ ، يبقى نافذة مفتوحة بإنتظارك قد تحدق فيك بفاه فاغر يبث فيك ما يؤرقك ، قد يتسلل منها ما يُهدد كيان عزلتك ، لذا إياك أن تأمن مُخططك بالإنفراد بذاتك...تذكر هنالك نافذة مفتوحة....
ومهما تبدى لك أنك قد تقصد مكاناً بعيداً...جداً ، وقد أحكمت غلق النوافذ ، يبقى نافذة مفتوحة بإنتظارك قد تحدق فيك بفاه فاغر يبث فيك ما يؤرقك ، قد يتسلل منها ما يُهدد كيان عزلتك ، لذا إياك أن تأمن مُخططك بالإنفراد بذاتك...تذكر هنالك نافذة مفتوحة....
November 29, 2018
3.5
A quite clever, darkly humorous story. What can possibly be so scary about an open window? A nervous man, and an mischevious young girl can tell you.
I'm enjoying finding all these free shorts on the web
A quite clever, darkly humorous story. What can possibly be so scary about an open window? A nervous man, and an mischevious young girl can tell you.
I'm enjoying finding all these free shorts on the web
July 7, 2019
😄😄 good short story!
Here’s the link
Here’s the link
December 22, 2019
Review of Kindle edition
Publication date: January 1, 2014
Language: English
ASIN: B00AWKEMD4
6 pages
Simplified for modern readers!?! If you need to have Saki simplified, I have to wonder if perhaps you are a child or maybe learning English. One star for editing Saki. Five stars for one of his best stories. Why buy this when for less you can buy the Saki MegaPack which contains 140 works including this story.
NOTE: ALL OF THE REVIEWS AND RATINGS WHICH APPEAR UNDER THIS LISTING DO NOT SEEM TO BE FOR THIS SIMPLIFIED EDITION. As I write this, Amazon has but 6 reviews posted for this edition.
There appears to be an entire Simplified for Modern Readers Series with adapted text and notes by George Lakon. I suppose that reading these abominations is better than not reading classic works at all. I guess. Maybe.
Publication date: January 1, 2014
Language: English
ASIN: B00AWKEMD4
6 pages
Simplified for modern readers!?! If you need to have Saki simplified, I have to wonder if perhaps you are a child or maybe learning English. One star for editing Saki. Five stars for one of his best stories. Why buy this when for less you can buy the Saki MegaPack which contains 140 works including this story.
NOTE: ALL OF THE REVIEWS AND RATINGS WHICH APPEAR UNDER THIS LISTING DO NOT SEEM TO BE FOR THIS SIMPLIFIED EDITION. As I write this, Amazon has but 6 reviews posted for this edition.
There appears to be an entire Simplified for Modern Readers Series with adapted text and notes by George Lakon. I suppose that reading these abominations is better than not reading classic works at all. I guess. Maybe.
August 8, 2019
A five-minute long gem-of-a-short-story - and for free!
Many thanks to Kevin for his wonderfully persuasive review! /review/show...
This story can be found for free at:
September 4, 2019
Saki is the master of the short humorous story. This is just one of his gems that having read it, will live in your memory forever.
To fully describe this short story would spoil the ending.
It starts off in a quite ordinary world of polite society. Then as you are relaxed enough to not even wonder what will happen next Saki throws in a humorous punch that changes everything!
If you liked this story then go to for more free Saki stories.
Enjoy!
To fully describe this short story would spoil the ending.
It starts off in a quite ordinary world of polite society. Then as you are relaxed enough to not even wonder what will happen next Saki throws in a humorous punch that changes everything!
If you liked this story then go to for more free Saki stories.
Enjoy!
July 8, 2019
Framton Nuttel, armed with letters of introduction, intends to visit some countryside residents. Perhaps mixing with country folk would calm his nerves. His doctor's advice-no mental excitement. Waiting to converse with a Mrs. Sappleton, Framton chats with her fifteen year old precocious, imaginative niece who chillingly explains why a window is kept wide open in October! An awesome read!
July 8, 2019
Wickedly brilliant!
Now that I read a bit of Saki, I'm looking forward to discovering hopefully more excellent writing.
Now that I read a bit of Saki, I'm looking forward to discovering hopefully more excellent writing.
July 12, 2019
I just loved it! So clever to write such a short story with tension and a smile as well.
March 31, 2020
Genial relato corto, totalmente victoriano y que podría decirse que es de terror.
Saki maneja al lector en todo momento, le lleva por donde quiere y le hace creer lo que desea.
Utiliza muy bien las descripciones, las palabras.
Para mí ha sido todo un descubrimiento y me apunto a este autor para futuras lecturas.
Una sorpresa muy agradable.
Saki maneja al lector en todo momento, le lleva por donde quiere y le hace creer lo que desea.
Utiliza muy bien las descripciones, las palabras.
Para mí ha sido todo un descubrimiento y me apunto a este autor para futuras lecturas.
Una sorpresa muy agradable.
July 7, 2019
THE OPEN WINDOW (1914) - Saki (H. H. Munro 1870-1916)
Oh I have to give this 5 Stars!
Loved the bit of Creepy before my big smile. Hahahahaha......the little rascal!
Super good classic short story!
February 17, 2021
هذا الريفيو غير موضوعى ولا يمت للقصة بصلة وربما يكون مؤلم
من يعرفنى جيداً يعرف أننى فقدت والدى فى سن مبكر فى العاشرة تحديداً
ولكن ظلت تراودنى رؤيا أو حلم بأن أبى سيعود حتماً
حتماً سيدفع الباب ويدخل لينير وجهه المنزل والدنيا
أزيز محرك السيارة فى الشارع حتماً هو أزيز محرك سيارته
لا شك أننى قد أقابله يوماً فى طريق أو مكان وبدون سابق انذار سأرتمى فى أحضانه بحثاً عن الدفئ والأمان
عشت أياماً بل وسنوات وربما حتى بعد أن مر ربع قرن على وفاته أظن أنه ربما يعود يوماً ربما سأجده يوماً
من يعرفنى جيداً يعرف أننى فقدت والدى فى سن مبكر فى العاشرة تحديداً
ولكن ظلت تراودنى رؤيا أو حلم بأن أبى سيعود حتماً
حتماً سيدفع الباب ويدخل لينير وجهه المنزل والدنيا
أزيز محرك السيارة فى الشارع حتماً هو أزيز محرك سيارته
لا شك أننى قد أقابله يوماً فى طريق أو مكان وبدون سابق انذار سأرتمى فى أحضانه بحثاً عن الدفئ والأمان
عشت أياماً بل وسنوات وربما حتى بعد أن مر ربع قرن على وفاته أظن أنه ربما يعود يوماً ربما سأجده يوماً
September 27, 2019
Small but perfectly formed ☺️, a cracking little story.
November 16, 2021
Short stories set unforgettable tableaux and personages. They furnish an easy introduction to new authors requiring no investment and may foster one. Since I acquaint the birthplace and timeline of everyone I read, I have enquired into Hector Hugh Munro, of whom I had not heard. He was Burmese-English and donned the penname “Saki� for some reason.
I do not see a long list of oeuvres in either name, except short story collections that might or might contain a repetition of his entries. It turns out that Hector was the most famous for the jolt of humour I ingested this September 2021. How sweet, that this beloved oeuvre emerged on my birthday. He was said to resemble Dorothy Parker and O. Henry and deemed a master of short stories. Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, and Rudyard Kipling inspired him. He influenced Alexander A. Milne, Noël Coward, and P.G. Wodehouse. I will next wish to acquaint O. Henry and Noël Coward.
I can imagine many adjectives attributable to �The Open Window� in reaction to it: clever, witty, ingenius, brilliant, mischievous, original, daring, freaky (however, perhaps not that latter one in the year 1911)! You see that its chief element is humour steeped in surprise. Needing to calm his nerves, Framton Nuttel’s Sister recommends a country estate at which she had stayed with the Sappleton’s. Their visiting or resident niece, inferring that Framton knows nothing of them, divulges a sad tale of family members who went missing through the patio window in front of him. I shall reveal nothing about them.
I consider spirits a sacred honour and loathe anyone consigning them to horror. My reaction to the chance to behold them, in modern vernacular, is “Cool�! I find Framton’s instantaneous panic dubious. It is awful that Hector died in WWI in 1916.
I do not see a long list of oeuvres in either name, except short story collections that might or might contain a repetition of his entries. It turns out that Hector was the most famous for the jolt of humour I ingested this September 2021. How sweet, that this beloved oeuvre emerged on my birthday. He was said to resemble Dorothy Parker and O. Henry and deemed a master of short stories. Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, and Rudyard Kipling inspired him. He influenced Alexander A. Milne, Noël Coward, and P.G. Wodehouse. I will next wish to acquaint O. Henry and Noël Coward.
I can imagine many adjectives attributable to �The Open Window� in reaction to it: clever, witty, ingenius, brilliant, mischievous, original, daring, freaky (however, perhaps not that latter one in the year 1911)! You see that its chief element is humour steeped in surprise. Needing to calm his nerves, Framton Nuttel’s Sister recommends a country estate at which she had stayed with the Sappleton’s. Their visiting or resident niece, inferring that Framton knows nothing of them, divulges a sad tale of family members who went missing through the patio window in front of him. I shall reveal nothing about them.
I consider spirits a sacred honour and loathe anyone consigning them to horror. My reaction to the chance to behold them, in modern vernacular, is “Cool�! I find Framton’s instantaneous panic dubious. It is awful that Hector died in WWI in 1916.
August 14, 2019
The inimitable Saki! Want a nice spot in your day? Take five minutes and read this.
Big thank you to Kevin and Cheri for passing the idea and the link along.
This story can be found for free at:
Big thank you to Kevin and Cheri for passing the idea and the link along.
This story can be found for free at:
July 19, 2019
A brilliant short story!
Thank you to Cecily for bringing this one to my attention. I love that so many of my GR friends have read it!
Will definitely search out more of his stories!
Thank you to Cecily for bringing this one to my attention. I love that so many of my GR friends have read it!
Will definitely search out more of his stories!
July 7, 2019
Masterful in its succinctness!
May 13, 2020
الريفيو ليس به حرق نهائي الفكرة الرئيسية للقصة لم أعرضها 😎
قصة قصيرة لطيفة للغاية عن " فرامتون نتل " وهو شخص مصاب باضطراب عصبي فيلجأ إلى السيدة سابلتون في قرية منعزلة قد تساعده فى تخطي محنته ولكنه يقع تحت رحمة ابنة أختها التي تحكي له سر النافذة المفتوحة وتثير رعبه وعندما تحضر السيدة سابلتون تتحدث بتلقائية وهي لا تعلم شخصيا سر النافذة المفتوحة في بيتها ....
ابنة الأخت الشريرة😈
استمتعوا ...
دمتم قراء ... ❤️❤️❤️
قصة قصيرة لطيفة للغاية عن " فرامتون نتل " وهو شخص مصاب باضطراب عصبي فيلجأ إلى السيدة سابلتون في قرية منعزلة قد تساعده فى تخطي محنته ولكنه يقع تحت رحمة ابنة أختها التي تحكي له سر النافذة المفتوحة وتثير رعبه وعندما تحضر السيدة سابلتون تتحدث بتلقائية وهي لا تعلم شخصيا سر النافذة المفتوحة في بيتها ....
ابنة الأخت الشريرة😈
استمتعوا ...
دمتم قراء ... ❤️❤️❤️
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