In this story by Jane Bowles an American woman living alone in a Moroccan hotel is befriended by a Moslem woman who appears to know a lot about her movements. On the pretext of taking her to a wedding, the Moslem woman leads her to a dimly lit room where a group of other Moslem women ask probing questions about her life and presence in the city. Uncomfortable about the personal nature of the questions, she rudely refuses their offer of refreshments and abruptly leaves. Themes include women’s independence, identity, isolation and loneliness, cultural division. More…
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Busy Lines
This story by Patricia Grace paints a poignant picture of an elderly woman who has lived alone for fifteen years after her husband’s death. She comforts herself by imagining him as a star which, along with other loved ones who have since died, watches over her at night. She has given away most of her belongings and lives a spartan but contented life, ever watchful for visitors who never come and listening for a telephone that never rings. As the story ends, she “wakes” to find her bed surrounded by dancing stars. Themes include independence, ageing with grace, contentment, loneliness. More…
Waywaya
In this novelette by Francisco Sionil José, a tragic love story between members of two rival, pre-colonial Filipino tribes highlights major themes of identity and personal freedom, the opportunity cost of cultural hostilities, and how corrupt rulers can entrench their position by encouraging fear of an enemy. The story begins on an ironic note, with a young warrior who yearns for the freedom to determine his own destiny impulsively kidnapping and enslaving a girl from the other tribe. The girl, whose name “Waywaya” translates as “freedom”, is cruelly robbed of hers. Other themes include social injustice, jealousy, prejudice, and sacrifice. More…
The Tale
In this story by Joseph Conrad, a man tells his lover a tale about an English naval captain (who she later deduces to be him) racked with guilt over a decision made at sea. While sheltering from fog, he encountered a trading ship which he became increasingly suspicious of being a privateer supplying fuel to enemy U-boats. However, the ship’s papers were in order. With no legal basis for seizing the ship, he found a way to send it and all on board to their doom without firing a shot. Themes include duty vs. morality in war, guilt. More…
The World Goes On
The tragic inferno that destroyed five high-rise apartment blocks in Hong Kong last month reminded me of this story by László Krasznahorkai. Unable to get images of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center collapse out of his mind, a narrator struggles to find adequate language to come to terms with the event. He concludes that the root cause was an “immeasurably vast” destructive power that arrived on earth simultaneously with humans and releases itself in cycles of destruction and new beginnings. Themes include the limitations of language in dealing with apocalyptic events, and the cyclical nature of destruction and renewal. More…