In this story by Kamala Das, an Indian woman angrily scolds her husband, a lazy drunkard, as she tells a fellow beggar how a year earlier he lost a secure job and caused them to be evicted from their hut. As the aging woman complains about her lot, the listener brings her to tears. He poetically extols the benefits of living in the open beside the sea, provides encouragement that things will improve, speaks to her of music and artistry, and likens her to the Hindu goddess Lakshmi. Themes include marriage (loyalty, jealousy, control and complacency), poverty, negativity, dreams, generosity. More…
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Nightfall
As once described by Isaac Asimov himself, Nightfall (is) the tale of a world with eternal sun that is suddenly plunged into total darkness and utter madness. Hailed as one of the greatest Science Fiction stories ever written it tells how, in preparation for the potential end of their civilization, a group of forward-thinking scientists have created a safe place to store their world’s accumulated knowledge and hide a select group of “survivors”. Themes: science vs superstition (cultism), having the courage of one’s convictions, sensory deprivation, insanity, mob hysteria, scientific hubris. More…
Tobermory
This story is from H.H. Munro (aka Saki)’s Chronicles of Clovis, which follows the exploits of a spoiled, upper-class young man as he causes mischief among Edwardian high society. Clovis attends a weekend house-party. Among the other guests is a visiting scientist who was invited in the hope that his cleverness would contribute to the general entertainment. All are amazed when the scientist teaches Tobermory, the family house-cat, to speak perfect English. However, their wonder soon turns to anger at some of the things Tobermory has to say. This seals Tobermory’s fate. He knows too much and must be silenced! More…
A Dead Woman’s Secret
We get a sense at the beginning of this Guy de Maupassant story that the dead woman lying peacefully in her bed may not have led as ‘saintly’ a life as is described. She has been hiding something from her family for most of her life. When going through some old letters, her son and daughter discover the secret. The son, a sanctimonious magistrate, judges her harshly. The daughter, who has devoted herself to the Church, says nothing but may harbor a secret of her own. Themes: things are not always as they seem, passion, adultery, rash judgement, hypocrisy, forgiveness More…
Thus Were Their Faces
In this surreal, rather abstract story by Silvina Ocampo, a seemingly confused (or perhaps mentally disturbed) narrator describes the bizarre behavior of children at a boarding school. The students begin to act as if they want to become equal, and increasingly lose their individuality. Seemingly directed by a collective consciousness, they strive to look and act the same and develop a strange fascination with wings. In the “miraculous” climax, we learn that all children attending the school share a common characteristic: it is a school for the deaf! Themes include identity, equality, freedom, the supernatural. More…