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leggup's review against another edition
3.0
Although I liked the concept of the book, I now understand why short story compilations typically contain stories of various lengths or stories with a common author, era, etc. Individually, many of the stories were phenomenal. Collectively, the stories were disjointed and rough. Many of the stories are very painful reads which, all together, give the reader little rest.
donasbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Instagram Review: https://www.instagram.com/p/CA0qlpUgJNc/
In my ongoing endeavor to write incredible flash, I ordered this little book from Thriftbooks. I wondered if I would find examples of the form inside, as I have with other collections of various forms of short shorts. I was so impressed with Micro Fiction: An Anthology of Fifty Really Short Stories that I modeled half of the included stories' techniques in my practice. With The Best Small Fictions 2017, it was more than half. But with Short Shorts edited by Irving Howe, I attempted to model only three or four of the stories I found. The collection is a bit outdated, and you can feel it if you're using the book for a writing guide.
One of the reasons the collection feels dated is because so many of the stories are longer than 1000 words. And while those example still seem to attempt some of the narrative forms and shapes, definitely some of the spiritedness of their terser cousins, they can't maintain the rhythm, the pace. They always feel winded at the end.
What I did love about this collection was reading the introduction and seeing the birth of the term, "flash," which the literary establishment would come to adopt for the dominant form of the genre--the 1000 word story. And also gaining an understanding of how those 1500, 2000, and 2500 word stories contributed to the important, even crucial genre of short writing.
Without a doubt, the best stories inhabit part two of the collection. This is where you'll find all the shorter pieces: those that would qualify in length in contemporary times as flash fiction. For me, reading sometimes quite antique story matter in what I consider such a modern form created an arresting and exhilarating story experience. My delightful response to many of these stories reminded me of the first time I read Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" and how much it shocked me. I loved enjoying this fast genre, made using techniques they used differently than we use them now, such as their love of the well-planted trick ending, something we now consider a gimmick. (But a love I admit sharing.)
I give this collection 4 stars because there are a lot of good, timeless stories here: Augusto Monterroso's "The Eclipse," Octavio Paz's "Blue Bouquet," Jorge Luis Borges's "The Dead Man," William Carlos Williams's "Use of Force," and Doris Lessing's "Homage for Isaac Babel," for example. If you're a writer looking for writing models, you won't find as much here as in a more contemporary collection, but it certainly won't hurt to see where the form started out.
I hope you are doing well and my best to you all during quarantine! <3
In my ongoing endeavor to write incredible flash, I ordered this little book from Thriftbooks. I wondered if I would find examples of the form inside, as I have with other collections of various forms of short shorts. I was so impressed with Micro Fiction: An Anthology of Fifty Really Short Stories that I modeled half of the included stories' techniques in my practice. With The Best Small Fictions 2017, it was more than half. But with Short Shorts edited by Irving Howe, I attempted to model only three or four of the stories I found. The collection is a bit outdated, and you can feel it if you're using the book for a writing guide.
One of the reasons the collection feels dated is because so many of the stories are longer than 1000 words. And while those example still seem to attempt some of the narrative forms and shapes, definitely some of the spiritedness of their terser cousins, they can't maintain the rhythm, the pace. They always feel winded at the end.
What I did love about this collection was reading the introduction and seeing the birth of the term, "flash," which the literary establishment would come to adopt for the dominant form of the genre--the 1000 word story. And also gaining an understanding of how those 1500, 2000, and 2500 word stories contributed to the important, even crucial genre of short writing.
Without a doubt, the best stories inhabit part two of the collection. This is where you'll find all the shorter pieces: those that would qualify in length in contemporary times as flash fiction. For me, reading sometimes quite antique story matter in what I consider such a modern form created an arresting and exhilarating story experience. My delightful response to many of these stories reminded me of the first time I read Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" and how much it shocked me. I loved enjoying this fast genre, made using techniques they used differently than we use them now, such as their love of the well-planted trick ending, something we now consider a gimmick. (But a love I admit sharing.)
I give this collection 4 stars because there are a lot of good, timeless stories here: Augusto Monterroso's "The Eclipse," Octavio Paz's "Blue Bouquet," Jorge Luis Borges's "The Dead Man," William Carlos Williams's "Use of Force," and Doris Lessing's "Homage for Isaac Babel," for example. If you're a writer looking for writing models, you won't find as much here as in a more contemporary collection, but it certainly won't hurt to see where the form started out.
I hope you are doing well and my best to you all during quarantine! <3
sararadabere's review
fast-paced
3.5
Ne morem glih ocenit, ker je blo miljon short zgodb, ene so ble shitty, druge najss <33
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