Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Bantam (1983), Mass Market Paperback, 205 pages
Description
Contains thirty-eight short stories-many of them by world-famous authors.
User reviews
LibraryThing member joshberg
One feels after finishing many of these 38 very short pieces that they are ultimately mystery stories, not as in, Whodunnit?, but as in "what the hell just happened?" The editors, Irving and Ilana Howe, have a special fondness for ambiguity. All of the authors are world class, but with occasional
Show More
exception the stories are not so well-known. My favorite effort was Doris Lessing's "Homage for Isaac Babel," so I was disappointed to find that the actual Isaac Babel story in the collection--The Death of Dolgushov--didn't do much for me. Overall, a few hits, a few misses, and a lot of head-scratchers. Show Less
LibraryThing member kdaugherty
A good collection of short stories that can be carried in the pocket for easy reading.
LibraryThing member spiphany
A collection of shorter-than-average but not microscopic stories, generally between two and eight pages in length -- stories condensed down to their essence. They depend not on plot but on excellent craftsmanship. Because of their length, the stories often take on a parable-like or dreamlike
Especially pleasing is the number of international authors included in this anthology, and the mixture of well-known and lesser-known writers, many of whom are difficult to find in English. Alongside Kafka and Tolstoy (both masters at this type of story) are Heinrich Böll's "The Laugher", Sherwood Anderson's "Paper Pills", Giuseppe di Lampedusa's "Joy and the Law". The variety of styles and subject matter is also excellent. On a personal note, I was also thrilled to see the last story included was Luise Valenzuela's "The Censors" which I read years ago in an English class and has stayed with me since.
Show More
quality; for that reason, they linger long in the mind after reading.Especially pleasing is the number of international authors included in this anthology, and the mixture of well-known and lesser-known writers, many of whom are difficult to find in English. Alongside Kafka and Tolstoy (both masters at this type of story) are Heinrich Böll's "The Laugher", Sherwood Anderson's "Paper Pills", Giuseppe di Lampedusa's "Joy and the Law". The variety of styles and subject matter is also excellent. On a personal note, I was also thrilled to see the last story included was Luise Valenzuela's "The Censors" which I read years ago in an English class and has stayed with me since.
Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1982
Physical description
205 p.; 6.6 inches
ISBN
0553235028 / 9780553235029