The New Constitution / Naya Qanun

The New Constitution / Naya Qanun: Short story by Saadat Hasan MantoA message of this story by Saadat Hasan Manto is to make sure you fully understand something you overhear before acting on it. An illiterate tongawala [coachman] learns about the world by eavesdropping on customers. Over several days, he overhears talk of a new “India Act”, which he misinterprets to be a new constitution that will free India from British rule. Having developed a hatred of the British for subjugating and exploiting his country, he is excited by the “news”. Unfortunately, acting on it lands him in jail. Themes include colonialism vs. freedom and self-determination, excitement, hope, disillusionment.

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Who Will Greet You At Home

Who Will Greet You At Home: Short story by Lesley Nneka ArimahIn this surreal horror story from Lesley Nneka Arimah, children are created in the form of craft dolls by their mother, blessed by their grandmother or an elderly substitute, and nurtured for a year until they “become flesh”. In the interim they feed, move and act like babies, but in their doll form. The dolls can be made from any material (straw, sticks, clay, etc.) that is strong enough to last a year. But there are rules. When Ogechi, the impoverished protagonist desperate to have a child breaks one, bad things happen. Themes: magic, poverty, exploitation, isolation, obsession, motherhood.

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Saint Manuel Bueno, Martyr

Saint Manuel Bueno, Martyr: Short story by Miguel de UnamunoThis Miguel de Unamuno story (aka Saint Emmanuel the Good, Martyr) is a memoir by a Spanish woman reflecting on her close connection with a Catholic priest about to be beatified. The outwardly pious man, who was credited with several miracles and spent his life ministering to the people of her remote mountain village, harbored an astonishing secret… he did not believe in God! His life had been a charade for the supposed good of the villagers. Themes include existentialism, self-sacrifice, community, the nature and role of religion, New vs. Old World values, identity, truth vs. ignorance and bliss.

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Death in Venice

Death in Venice: Novella by Thomas MannThis Thomas Mann classic is renowned for its masterful psychological profile of Aschenbach, a jaded, aging writer who develops an unhealthy infatuation with a fourteen-year-old-boy during a Venetian holiday. Although the novella’s central theme (homosexuality) is no longer controversial, other aspects of the story (pedophilia and stalking) certainly are. Sympathy for Aschenbach is greatly diminished when, out of selfishness, he decides not to warn the holidaying boy’s family about a deadly epidemic being covered up by authorities. Many readers see Aschenbach’s fate as just punishment for his actions. Other themes: art and the artist, alienation, obsession, depravity, death.

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The Half-Skinned Steer

The Half-Skinned Steer: Short story by Annie ProulxAnnie Proulx’s protagonist begins a four-day road-trip to attend a funeral as a confident, vital octogenarian in full control of his faculties. Foolish mistakes along the way see him finish the journey a desperate, disoriented figure facing a ghostly “half-skinned steer” in a snowstorm. As he drives, he recalls his disillusioned youth on the family ranch. The memories focus on his sexual awakening and the family’s interactions with his alcoholic father’s flirtatious, story-telling, “horsey” girlfriend. The story’s major theme is ageing and its effects on memories and one’s ability to think clearly. Other themes: homecoming, sexuality, man vs. nature, death.

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Safety of Numbers

Safety of Numbers: Short story by Lucy TanOne of the appeals of this story by Lucy Tan is that versions occur in immigrant families all over the world. Parents, who have known hardship and in some cases suffered under corrupt or authoritarian regimes, find a home in a new country. There, they drive their children hard to get the best possible start in life. The children, like the protagonist in this story, don’t fully understand their parents’ experiences and rebel against the added pressure. Mutual understanding often doesn’t come until the children experience and overcome their own challenges in life… which may be too late.

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A. V. Laider

A. V. Laider: Short story by Max BeerbohmThis story by Max Beerbohm raises the philosophical themes of faith vs. reason and free will vs. fate in the context of a conversation between the narrator and a stranger about palmistry. The stranger, a self-proclaimed amateur palm reader, relates how he once failed to prevent a train crash predicted in the palms of four fellow passengers. Too weak-willed to intervene, he let fate take its course and now feels guilty of murder. The sympathetic narrator writes him a consoling letter and, when the two meet again a year later, receives a nasty shock. Other themes include insecurity, guilt, fabulism.

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The Lagoon

The Lagoon: Short story by Joseph ConradThe major message of this acclaimed story from Joseph Conrad is that you can’t escape reality: there is no place where death is forgotten — where death is unknown. Arsat, a powerful warrior, risks all for the love of a royal slave girl. While making their escape, he abandons his devoted brother as he is being attacked by pursuers. Some time later, the woman dies of fever in their lagoon-side jungle hideaway. Experiencing remorse over both deaths, he decides that the only path to redemption is (some would say unjustified) retribution. Themes: brotherly love, romantic obsession, courage, betrayal, guilt, isolation, death.

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