Life seems to pick up speed again, leaving less time to read. Short Works to the rescue! Take a time-out – a brief one – with 10 gems from our catalog.
Nothing shows better that “brevity is the soul of wit” than George W. Foote’s Flowers of Freethought. The founder of “The Freethinker” lays down his – often scathing – views on Christianity in 51 essays.
Guy de Maupassant was a master of the short story, but may not have held his fellow man in the best esteem. Les contes de la bécasse are 17 stories about human weakness and character. We also have all his 184 short stories in English translation.
Also rather critical is Catherine G. Hartley in her essays on Women, Children, Love and Marriage. Already in 1924 she talked about topics that are still controversial like birth control, sex instruction, and marriage reform.
Thankfully, not all short pieces are serious. Henry W. Phillips was the master of the off-beat humor, and he proves it in Trolley Folly. Laugh with these 11 absurdist pieces centering on city life.
Xun Lu brought the vernacular to old-fashioned literary circles and thus became one of the leading figures of modern Chinese literature. His first piece in vernacular Chinese is just one in his collection 呐喊 (Call to Arms).
In neighboring Russia, Aleksandr Kuprin was called the last exponent of realism in literature. His diverse short stories draw on his experiences as circus worker, hunter, fisherman… Sasha is just one of them.
Many real historical figures are brought to life in Tradiciones Peruanas. Read these little fictional stories by Ricardo Palma and learn a bit of the history of Peru at the same time!
People like you and me, often called Stille Existenzen, populate the one-act plays of Jeanne Marni. She was a keen observer of human nature and a master of natural dialogue.
Who hasn’t had conversations that didn’t go anywhere? Hilaire Belloc is not ashamed to admit it in his essays On Nothing and Kindred Subjects. Belloc, as one of the most prolific writers of 20th century England, probably had a lot to say.
Equally chatty was fellow essayist and critic Alice Meynell, who put her gift to use as a leading suffragist of her time. However, she could also be very brief, as shown in A Father of Women and Other Poems, mostly religious in nature.
Enjoy your short break!