Some Impressive Short Stories
By Damon Galgut
Some Impressive Short Stories
By Damon Galgut
Short stories get a bad rap with publishers and booksellers, because they supposedly don't sell very well - but the best ones are as good as any novel. The talent for short stories is not always the same as a novelist's gift. Here are some of the practitioners and collections that have made the biggest impression on me.
The Boat
Nam Le
£9.99 £9.49Seven short stories from a young writer with an old talent. There's almost no experience that seems out of reach of his imagination. This collection appeared in 2008; let's hope there's another to come, but even if there isn't, these stories will live and last.
Island
Alistair MacLeod
£10.99 £10.44Extraordinary stories, luminous and deeply-felt, with a smoky atmosphere of myth. They have to be taken in slowly and with attention; not a light or casual read.
The Complete Short Stories
Saki
£10.99 £10.44Saki was the pen name of H. H. Munro, who died at the tail end of the First World War. A chance discovery in childhood, these dark comic tales have provided acid delight whenever I've returned to them.
Jesus' Son
Denis Johnson
£9.99 £9.49An astonishing collection from an astonishing writer. There's a case to be made that this is in fact a fragmented novel, as the stories - all dealing with addiction and rehab and relapse - are all narrated by the same central character, fondly known as Fuckhead to his friends. This is a voice from the burnt-out edge of things, and it sings with a weirdly lovely music.
The Essential Tales Of Chekhov
A.P. Chekhov
£10.99 £10.44Any stories by Chekhov will do, so don't feel constrained by this particular collection; on the other hand, you could do a lot worse than let Richard Ford make the selection for you. Chekhov is, of course, most famous as a playwright, but some of the stories are every bit as great as his plays, and for the same reasons: his vision is tender and humane and profound. One of the great short story writers of all time.
Kolyma Tales
Varlan Shalamov
£12.99 £12.34At the other end of the Russian spectrum from Chekhov, these stories from the Siberian Gulag are testament to what the human spirit can endure. Shalamov spent 17 years in labour camps himself before he wrote these, and the quality of lived experience gives every line the disturbing weight of truth. An astounding account of suffering at the very limit of life, these stories aren't for everyone.
Complete Stories
Flannery O'Connor
£12.99 £12.34Flannery O'Connor provides gothic entertainment from the American Deep South. Her stories are unsettling, entertaining and compelling, but they certainly aren't consoling.
Madame Zero
Sarah (Author) Hall
£9.99 £9.49Sarah Hall is an enchantress, who makes language shimmer and burn. She's not afraid of big themes and has the talent to back up her ambition, but she’s just as good at the intimate and domestic. She's published three collections so far, and this one is selected (almost) at random; but it contains what is arguably her finest story, Mrs Fox, so that's a good reason to begin here. One of the finest writers at work today.
The Palace Thief
Ethan Canin
£14.99 £14.24Four long stories written by a writer with a pitch-perfect ear. It's amazing to me that this collection isn't better-known and more widely-celebrated; it's moving, clever and deeply memorable, with nary a misplaced word.
Young Skins
Colin Barrett
£9.99 £9.49A bravura debut by a brilliant young writer, these stories from Ireland give the impression of having arrived fully-formed, though there's no doubting the work that's gone into them. Funny, hard-edged and brave, this is a gorgeous collection.