Dubliners is a collection of 15 short stories by James Joyce that paints a vivid portrait of life in Dublin at the beginning of the 20th century. The stories follow ordinary people of different ages as they confront love, loss, ambition, faith, and the routines that shape their lives. Joyce focuses on moments of sudden self-realization, revealing how his characters are often trapped by fear, habit, or social expectations. The collection concludes with The Dead, widely regarded as one of the greatest short stories ever written.