Today, British author and essayist Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) who was one of the most famous English writers and philosophers in the twentieth century, is best remembered for the bleak dystopian vision he set forth in the classic novel âBrave New Worldâ. Huxley was considered to be one of the great intellectuals of his time and he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in seven different years. In the engaging short pieces collected in âMortal Coilsâ, Huxley spreads his creative wings, dabbling in murder mysteries, romance, and satire. It includes the following stories: âThe Gioconda Smileâ, âPermutations Among the Nightingalesâ, âThe Tillotson Banquet Greenâ, âTunnels Nuns at Luncheonâ. Brilliantly written, sad, acid, and ironic little stories about the human condition. The stories all concern themselves with some sort of trouble, normally of an amorous nature, and often ending with disappointment.