Short Stories

[Illini88228]

It seems like there are some great writers of short stories who just never get the respect that novelists do.

I've always had a soft spot for Poe and Faulkner. With that said, if you were going to pick up a book of short stories from the library to read for an evening who would you pick?

[Quark]

If I were picking just one writer it would probably be Anton Chekhov. His short stories were some of works that first got me interested in literature, and, even though I've read them dozens of times, they still get a reaction out of me. "Sleepy" is still shocking, "Rothschild's Fiddle" is always poignant, and "The Lady with the Dog" will never be less mysterious--no matter how many times you read them. That's what I come back to these stories for: a sure thrill in less than thirty pages. Novels sometimes take too long to develop, and if you only have fifteen or twenty minutes to read something you don't want to start something that isn't going to go anywhere fast. For example, Edith Wharton--whose fine novels about the tensions between power, social codes, and personal desire eventually do get interesting--are a little too slow on the windup for me sometimes. A Chekhov story, though, hits a reader almost immediately.

Of course, you might not be into Russian lit. Something a little closer to home might be Melville's Piazza Tales. Melville's known for his novels, but he wrote a number of great short stories. Some are adventures. Some are mysteries, and others are philosophical meditations. It's a pretty good collection of short stories.

[eric.bell]

(note: I generally refer to short stories, simply, as shorts.)

I am an obsessive short story collector. With that said--Faulkner's Complete Stories is an excellent book to own; he was a master. A good noob that you might like to try out is T.C. Boyle. His shorts are generally a good read, and if you pick up his "After The Plague" And Other Stories you will (most likely) not be disappointed. But, when it comes to shorts, I prefer to buy compilation books, that way one gets a wide variety. If you can get your hands on it, Modern Short Stories (circa 1960) is a great companion.

Also, try to read the shorts of foreign writers. I find that reading their shorts help you to get a feel for their over all Literature, without having to commit too much time (in case their duds).

-Faulkner's Complete Stories
-Hemingway's Complete Short Stories
-T.C. Boyle's After the Plague and Other Stories
-Evelyn Waugh's Complete Works
-Frank O'Connor's The Best of Frank O'Connor

A great place to find short stories on the web is <http://www.short-stories.co.uk/>

[Modest Proposal]

There are a couple threads in the archives dealing with short story collections that you may find helpful. Some of the usual replies are:
-Hemingway
-Poe
-O. Henry
-Gogol
-Chekhov
-Maugham
-O'Connor (Flannery or Frank)
-Carver
-Faulkner
-D.H. Lawrence
-Joyce
-Hawthorne
-Irving
-London
My favorites are probably Borges, Melville and Kafka
For good SF stories, you could try Gene Wolfe, Le Guin, PK Dick or Bradbury.

[johnw1]

For me it would be Hemingway or Conrad, both of whose short stories are fantastic. I suppose Conan-Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories could be included in this category too if you want a lighter read.

[mal4mac]

I actually did pick up a volume of short stories by Chekhov at the library. Then I plundered their shelves for all the Chekhov I could find!

[dfloyd]

Chekov, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Gogol, Pushkin, Salinger, and many other diverse authors. But one name stands out as being the master short story writer .... W. Somerset Maugham. His collected short stories I bought years ago in 4 volumes. I thought I would read a few from time to time, but I couldn't stop until I read them all. He was an admirer of Chekov, but IMO a better writer.

[applepie]

I would have to say Poe, Hemingway, or Charles De Lint for when I'm looking for more of an escape.

[Janine]

I have read all three volumes of Lawrence's short stories. I own several volumes now of Chekhov so that will be my goal next. I recently did read some of his plays. I like stories by Katherine Mansfield and other noteworthy woman authors. I have small book of just woman short story authors and I have now read most of that. Just bought some new short story collections from Dover.

[kelby_lake]

I read a good one by Katherine Mansfield called 'Carnation'.

[Janine]

I read a good one by Katherine Mansfield called 'Carnation'.

I don't think I read that one yet. I read "The Garden Party" and another in one of my new books...forget the name now. I will check my books and see if that one is listed. I like the title; sounds good. Katherine Mansfield was close friends with D.H.Lawrence.

[Modest Proposal]

Has anyone read the contemporary writer, Lorrie Moore's short stories? A friend of mine raves about her.

[PeterL]

Chekov's short stories were his best writing. Twain's short stories are better than some of his longer works. Poe wrote some excellent short stories, but they are getting old; many people find them difficult to read, but his organization was excellent. Some people like Hemingway's short stories, but I don't think much of them. For 20th century Short stories the best were those of L. Sprague de Camp, including his collaborations with Fletcher Pratt.

[myrna22]

It seems like there are some great writers of short stories who just never get the respect that novelists do.

I've always had a soft spot for Poe and Faulkner. With that said, if you were going to pick up a book of short stories from the library to read for an evening who would you pick?

Raymond Carver. One of the best short stories writers of the second half of the 20th century. He wrote some poetry, but no novels and is highly admired.

[Three Sparrows]

Hawthorne all the way for me. Poe, Kafka, and Conrad are also excellent, but never forget the Russians, they have some really good short stories out there.