Five collections from the many that I read and re-read and re-read: Burned Children of America ed. Zadie Smith - love everything about this book including the fantastic Zadie Smith introduction. Great list of contributors that includes Judy Budnitz, Dave Eggers, Jonathan Safran-Foer, A.M. Homes, Aimee Bender and the sorely-missed Amanda Davis. Leave Before You Go, Emily Perkins – the collection that triggered my short story addiction - brooding, witty, superb dialogue. There’s definitely a case to be made for starting a petition to persuade E.P. to put together another book of shorts. Tabloid Dreams, Robert Olen Butler – Wild, untamed, often hilarious stories each inspired by a genuine tabloid headline. Highlights include ‘Woman Loses Cookie Bake-Off, Sets Self on Fire’ and ‘Titanic Victim Speaks Through Waterbed’. The wonder of this one-off, though, is the unshakeable empathy Butler displays towards his characters beneath the free-spirited humour. Night Geometry and the Garscadden Trains, A. L. Kennedy – A.L.K.’s debut collection introduces an amazing talent. Her lonely, previously-voiceless characters are given a dignity and originality that is unforgettable. Dark Avenues, Ivan Bunin – published by Oneworld Classics a few years ago, Bunin’s last work cements his place alongside compatriots Gogol, Turgenev and Chekhov as a short story maestro. Writing about short stories
Always get great pleasure from reading about short stories; the history, context, craft, other people’s recommendations. Alison Macleod not only writes brilliant stories (see Fifteen Modern Tales of Attraction) she, also, writes about them in such a unique and captivating way, like this piece from the Guardian on her top 10 stories and this post on writing short stories. She’s such a champion of the form that every time she writes about short stories it’s such a spectacle. Find it all quite moving and magical. The New Short Story Theories, ed. Charles May - The fact that there is so much divided opinion and debate on what constitutes a short story and that it seems to be an ever-evolving conversation is fascinating and really exciting. Essential reading for hard-core fans. The Lonely Voice, Frank O’Connor - Much-quoted study from the 1960s that proposes, amongst other things, the idea that the short story excels at depicting the lonely, the outsider; what O’Connor calls the ‘submerged population’. Love the personal tone in this. |
