The short story is a literary style that is "incomparably beautiful". Using a limited narrative space to accommodate the whimsical creative ideas, reproducing the colorful life scenes and complex and multi-faceted inner world of human beings, is undoubtedly a challenge to the writer's skill.
The five masters of short stories introduced today are very good at dealing with challenges. Some names are thunderous: Chekhov, Hemingway, which immediately conjures up the classics. Some are hidden, and their long tomes are selling well and are also at ease in the field of short stories: Henry James, Maugham, F. S. Fitzgerald, you probably didn't know they wrote so many wonderful short stories!
01
Hemingway's Snow in Kilimanjaro
ISBN: I712.45/H029D.b
Ernest Miller Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway
July 21, 1899 - July 2, 1961
American writer and journalist
Winner of the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature
The quickest way to get to know Hemingway is to look at this collection of short stories, which brings together 26 representative works such as "The Snow of Kilimanjaro" and "The White Elephant Mountains", which perfectly presents Hemingway in his peak state: precision, restraint, mystery, sadness.
"If he lives by lies, he should try to die with lies."
In the book, you'll join Hemingway, the Nobel prize winner and founder of the "press-style" novel, between pristine natural beauty and intense human confrontations. His concise brushwork is known as the "iceberg theory", the description is precise, the dialogue is short, the concealment is measured, the combination of virtual and real, conveying infinite connotations in a limited space, each article is impeccable, like a small universe, self-contained. This technique has attracted countless future generations of writers to imitate, and has never been surpassed!
02
Chekhov's "Uninteresting Story"
ISBN: I512.44/Q134.a
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
January 29, 1860 - July 15, 1904
Russian writer, playwright.
The last Russian writer of critical realism at the end of the 19th century
One of the founders of modern theater in the world in the 20th century
Chekhov's short works are known for their concise and accurate language, and they are good at exposing the hidden motives of the characters through the surface of life. This short story collection includes seven of his works, including After the Play (1892), The Marquise (1889), Voloka (1887), In The Homeland (1897), The Neighbor (1892), The Story of the Unknown (1893), and The Uninteresting Tale (1889).
In the novel "Uninteresting Story", Chekhov uses gentle and delicate brushstrokes to create the image of a respected old professor. From the old man's body, we can see the world and the meaning of life. The whole novel, there is no twists and turns, the whole is the inner monologue of the old man. At first glance, it looks a bit of a mess, but the more you taste it, the more flavorful it is. What the novel wants to express is our inquiry into the nature of life. This kind of inquiry exists not only in the past, but also in the present and the future. Almost everyone can find their own shadow from the different characters in the novel and reflect on their own lives.
Gorky: "Chekhov looked at life and our sorrows, and at first he was disturbed by the chaos and chaos of our lives and groaned and sighed with us; Now he stands taller, has his own feelings, and like a mirror, he collects all the light and all the colors of our lives, and thinks about all the bad days and good days. ”
Chekhov changed the rules of the game of the short story, did not rely on the twists and turns of the bizarre plot to attract readers, he with the calmness of the bystander, silent, did not render emotions, through the tragedy hidden in daily life to expose the social ugliness, so that people feel the depth of the back of the paper, creating a group of distinctive "little people". Concise language, superb satire, he is good at setting up those laughable plots, but behind this laugh there is a pair of eyes with compassion.
03
Henry James, The Living Thing
ISBN: I712.44/Z053A
Henry james
Henry James
April 15, 1843 - February 28, 1916
British-American novelist and literary critic
Playwright and essayist
Henry James is the most important literary master in the English-speaking world, and is a well-deserved "novelist among novelists". He published a total of 112 short stories in his lifetime, and this book selects 7 short masterpieces such as "Living Things" that cover Henry James's long creative career, focusing on the extraordinary creativity of this novel master in the field of short story creation.
He is one of the longest and most influential literary giants in the modern writers of Europe and the United States. In Europe and the United States, his name is thunderous, he has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature three times, creating a precedent for the 20th century Western psychological realist novel, known as the "Shakespeare of the novel world". If there is one word to describe him, it is "complex", the long and difficult sentences he is good at writing is no small challenge for readers, and his novels complete seemingly impossible transformations through psychological descriptions, reflecting the unpredictable and variable world and the survival value of people.
"It is indeed not an exaggeration to say that it was a pioneer of stream of consciousness."
These short stories complement his novels, embodying the diversity and modernity of James's creative themes and narrative styles, and showing his holistic perspective and evaluation of social life and the characteristics of the times. In the process of reading, you will see a serious writer, constantly experimenting with multiple dimensions to find the narrative that best suits his artistic view.
04
F.S. Fitzgerald," Rejuvenation
ISBN: I712.45/F318R
Francis Scott Kitty Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald
September 24, 1896 - December 21, 1940
20th-century American writer and screenwriter.
"Rejuvenation" was originally unremarkable, but after being changed into the movie "Rejuvenation" by the famous ghost director David Finch in 2008, it became famous and was nominated for the 81st Academy Awards. The story spans a century from World War I to the 21st century, giving readers thoughts about life and death.
This book contains seven famous short stories, which basically reflect the author's creative characteristics, readers can not only appreciate the stories of the popular population, but also appreciate the inspiration and superb skills of a generation of literary geniuses. Fitzgerald uses fantastic words to portray a generation's war trauma and spiritual crisis, asking thought-provoking questions, as he writes in the book: Why is everything gone? They used to exist so literally, but now they are empty.
Time gives us death, and death gives us meaning in life
Fitzgerald has been hailed as "one of the most controversial novelists of the 20th century" with a very personal style and a unique style among his contemporaries. He is also known as a novelist of "split personality", whose characters are indulgent and hedonistic, and whose sentences are beautiful and gorgeous, and beyond all this is the serious attitude and profound intention of his works, "like a slave to the painstaking and meticulous repetition of each word".
He was born in the "jazz age" of the United States, witnessed the First World War and the financial crisis, and countless people's dreams were shattered, fell into the clouds, lost their dignity, and had to live a humble life. His short stories faithfully record the life experiences of him and his contemporaries, reflecting the social changes and life atmosphere of that turbulent era.
05
Maugham's The End of The Escape
ISBN: I561.45/M356.17
William Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham
January 25, 1874-December 16, 1965
English novelist and playwright.
Maugham is like a stranger you meet on a train, his stomach full of stories, gossiping about the legendary experiences that happened to ordinary people. He has traveled to three continents, Europe, Asia and the United States, and has created countless novels with rave reviews.
In addition to the well-known "The Moon and Sixpence" and "Blade" and other long stories, Maugham's literary genius is concentrated in his short stories, the humor of language, the analysis of human nature into the wood, and the unexpected ending, which are the characteristics of Maugham's works that are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
His short stories are so beloved by readers that they have not only been reprinted in Europe and the United States, but have also been translated into many languages and adapted, and have been widely circulated around the world. Maugham has thus been hailed as the "Holy Hand of Stories," "the Maupassant of England," and "the greatest short story writer of the twentieth century."
Maugham's writing, like a blade, slashed down fiercely, and then sawed a few more times, leaving a few drops of blood on the tip of the knife
The book's title selection is a different approach, avoiding some well-known classic short stories such as "Lunch", and selecting 16 from more than 150 works in Maugham's complete collection of short stories, which can not only meet the needs of Maugham's loyal fans, further understand the writer's literary genius, but also open a new door for readers who do not know Maugham.
The charm of the novel,
It's probably about triggering people's endless imagination.
Since tangible life is so much constrained,
Then let the invisible soul pursue freedom to the fullest!
Editor: Gao Wenzhuo
Audit: Huang Bingjie