The Short Story has a long history and predates the written word to a time when oral storytelling of myths, legends, and lore, ruled the day. Fast forward to the 19th century in America, where the short story was predominately a commercialized entertainment found in newspapers and magazines, despite the efforts of Poe, Hawthorne, and Irving. There are sources that claim the first piece to be recognized as Literary Short Fiction was Sir Walter Scotts, The Two Drovers, in 1827 but, with the publication of Grimm's Fairy Tales in 1812, there is room for debate. When searching for a more definitive definition of "Short Stories" Cliffsnotes came through for me, (and once again reminds me that I should have used them for that book report on "Ivanhoe" way back when...):
"A short story is fictional work of prose that is shorter in length than a novel. Edgar Allan Poe, in his essay "The Philosophy of Composition," said that a short story should be read in one sitting, anywhere from a half hour to two hours. In contemporary fiction, a short story can range from 1,000 to 20,000 words. Because of the shorter length, a short story usually focuses on one plot, one main character (with a few additional minor characters), and one central theme, whereas a novel can tackle multiple plots and themes, with a variety of prominent characters. Short stories also lend themselves more to experimentation — that is, using uncommon prose styles or literary devices to tell the story. Such uncommon styles or devices might get tedious, and downright annoying, in a novel, but they may work well in a short story"
Being the shortest day of the year, December 21st, Winter Solstice, is also known as, Short Story Day."
A Brief History of the Short Story in America By NBCC
Growing Up Chicago is a collection of coming-of-age stories that reflects the diversity of the city and its metropolitan area. Primarily memoir, the book collects work by writers who spent their formative years in the region to ask: What characterizes a Chicago author? Is it a certain feel to the writer's language? A narrative sensibility? The mention of certain neighborhoods or locales? Contributors to the volume include renowned writers Ana Castillo, Stuart Dybek, Emil Ferris, Charles Johnson, Rebecca Makkai, Erika L. Sánchez, and George Saunders, as well as emerging talents. While the authors represented here write from distinct local experiences, some universals emerge, including the abiding influence of family and friends and the self-realizations earned against the background of a place sparkling with promise and riven by inequality, a place in constant flux.
The stories evoke childhood trips to the Art Institute of Chicago, nighttime games of ringolevio, and the giant neon Magikist lips that once perched over the expressway, sharing perspectives that range from a young man who dreams of becoming an artist to a single mother revisiting her Mexican roots, from a woman's experience with sexual assault to a child's foray into white supremacy. This book memorably explores culture, social identity, and personal growth through the eyes of Chicagoans, affirming that we each hold the ability to shape the places in which we live and write and read as much as those places shape us.
"From the beloved author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series comes a delightful compendium of very short fiction and comics that celebrate the joy and absurdity of the human experience. It is often said that the best things in life come in small packages--anyone in search of proof need look no further than the stories in this collection: brief, utterly engaging tales that offer lasting surprise and delight. From the original Greek financial crisis, when the profligate Gods of Olympus were punished by Odin and the other Norse Gods for their unchecked spending, to a handy unintended benefit of cosmetic surgery; from Pope Ron, the first Australian Pope, who wants nothing more than to live quietly, to a rather droll cat named Stanley, to Good President Wenceslas, benevolent leader of a snowy land: these stories are by turns funny, poignant, and deliciously wicked, each one a gift begging to be unwrapped and enjoyed again and again"--. Provided by publisher.
An electric collection of new short stories from the inimitable, bestselling writer of Talk to Me and Outside Looking In
In the title story of Walk Between the Raindrops, a woman sits down next to a man at a bar and claims she has ESP. In "Thirteen Days," passengers on a cruise line are quarantined, to horrifying and hilarious effect. And "Hyena" begins simply: "That was the day the hyena came for him, and never mind that there were no hyenas in the South of France, and especially not in Pont-Saint-Esprit--it was there and it came for him."
A virtuoso of the short form, T.C. Boyle returns with an inventive, uproarious, and masterfully told collection of short stories characterized by biting satire, resonant wit, and a boundless, irrepressible imagination.
Familiar tropes, unique twists, all the feels.
Grab a snack, some tissues, and try not to fall in love with this playful anthology that explores or reimagines a well-known trope about love from some of the most talented and captivating voices in the YA space today. Each trope acts as a prompt and inspiration for a different story, as well as serves as the main thread throughout the collection, while also allowing each author to put their own spin on these classic favorites that are sure to steal your heart including:
* "Enemies-to-Lovers": Two boys from rival schools are forced to share a room the night before their championship baseball game. What begins as their mutual nightmare just might just turn to something more between the two of them.
* "Fake Dating": Every year, Rachel's siblings and cousins bring dates to the family Hanukkah party, but Rachel always flies solo. Tired of everyone asking when she's going to meet a nice Jewish boy (or girl), she asks Matthew Klein to be her fake date. The only problem? He may have accepted her invitation only because he has a crush on her sister.
* "Kissing Under the Influence": Two interns in the Department for Unexplained Phenomena are assigned to investigate a city that seems to have disappeared. Antics (including a mistaken ensorcellment and an unexpected declaration of love) ensue.
"The 'best short story writer in English' (Time) is back with a masterful collection that explores ideas of power, ethics, and justice, and cuts to the very heart of what it means to live in community with our fellow humans. With his trademark prose--wickedly funny, unsentimental, and perfectly tuned--Saunders continues to challenge and surprise: here is a collection of prismatic, deeply resonant stories that encompass joy and despair, oppression and revolution, bizarre fantasy and brutal reality. 'Love Letter' is a tender missive from grandfather to grandson, in the midst of a dystopian political situation in the not-too-distant future, that reminds us of our obligations to our ideals, ourselves, and each other. 'Ghoul' is set in a Hell-themed section of an underground amusement park in Colorado, and follows the exploits of a lonely, morally complex character named Brian, who comes to question everything he takes for granted about his 'reality.' In 'Mother's Day, ' two women who loved the same man come to an existential reckoning in the middle of a hailstorm. And in 'Elliott Spencer, ' our eighty-nine-year-old protagonist finds himself brainwashed--his memory 'scraped'--a victim of a scheme in which poor, vulnerable people are reprogrammed and deployed as political protesters. Together, these nine subversive, profound, and essential stories coalesce into a case for viewing the world with the same generosity and clear-eyed attention as Saunders does, even in the most absurd of circumstances"--. Provided by publisher
"They're coziest of wintertime accessories ... unless, of course, they become accessories to murder! USA Today bestselling author Carlene O'Connor teams up with Maddie Day and Peggy Ehrhart for a holly jolly Christmas collection of seasonal stories, as their beloved series sleuths each solve cases revolving around handknit Christmas scarves"--. Provided by publisher
High Spirits is a collection of eleven interconnected short stories from the Dominican diaspora, from debut author Camille Gomera-Tavarez.
It is a book centered on one extended family - the Beléns - across multiple generations.
It is set in the fictional small town of Hidalpa - and Santo Domingo and Paterson and San Juan and Washington Heights too.
It is told in a style both utterly real and distinctly magical - and its stories explore machismo, mental health, family, and identity.
But most of all, High Spirits represents the first book from Camille Gomera-Tavarez, who takes her place as one of the most extraordinary new voices to emerge in years.
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