In this coming-of-age story by William Saroya, an eleven-year-old boy redeems himself after being caught stealing a hammer from a department store. Rather than calling the police, the store manager makes him sweat for a while and lets him off with a warning. The boy spends the rest of the day plotting how to get the hammer and respond to what he considers humiliating treatment. The confusion in his mind is contrasted with the peace and tranquillity of his mother’s “parsley garden”, where everything is free for the taking. Themes include temptation, choices and consequences, shame/humiliation, anger, redemption, self-image. More…
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Il Colore Ritrovato
This story by Mark Helprin explores the theme “the price of fame”. An ageing impresario reflects on how he transformed a contented young laundry worker into the greatest opera singer in the world. He has just come across an innocent young street performer who could be even better, and faces a dilemma. Although his first discovery has found fame and fortune, he is unhappy about how it affected her. Should he immediately launch his excited new find into stardom, or insist that she takes time to consider the consequences? Other themes include entrepreneurship, responsibility, regret, compassion, redemption, art and beauty. More…
The Delicate Prey
This controversial story by Paul Bowles is not for the squeamish. Two leather merchants and their nephew set off across the Algerian desert to sell their wares. After several days a stranger fearful of bandits in the area approaches and asks to accompany them. One night, the stranger lures the merchants away from camp on the pretext of going hunting. He ambushes and shoots them, then tortures and kills the youth. The crime is discovered when the stranger tries to sell their distinctive leatherworks. Tribal justice is swift and brutal. Themes include greed, deceit, extreme violence, vengeance. More…
The Spirit of Emulation
This story by Fernando Sorrentino is a perfect example of the idiom “Keeping up with the Joneses”. A man living in a multi-story apartment building has an unusual pet… a Lycosa pampeana (Wolf spider). A neighbour who sees it is so impressed that the next day he proudly shows the man his new pet… a scorpion. Competition sets in and soon the building is awash with all sorts of exotic animals. As occupants try to out-do each other with larger and larger “pets”, things get seriously out of hand. Themes include vanity, rivalry, materialism. More…
Mahesh / The Drought
This story by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay highlights the plight of the rural poor in colonial India. After years of drought, a landless Indian farmer lives on handouts, sharing what little he and his daughter have with Mahesh, his beloved bull. After the starving animal escapes and raids his cruel zamindar’s garden, the poor man is severely beaten and given a heavy fine. Angry and frustrated when Mahesh later breaks a pitcher of precious water, he does the unthinkable. Themes include poverty, social injustice (exploitation and deprivation), devotion/human-animal bonding, the potential devastating effects of nature on rural communities. More…