Featured Stories

After the Ball / Dance

After the Ball / Dance: Short story by Leo TolstoyThe major themes of this story from Leo Tolstoy are the circumstances that determine “good” and “evil”, and the morality of blaming a child for the actions of his/her father. The protagonist is captivated by a beautiful woman. They attend an elegant ball, where he is impressed by the demeanor of her father, a senior military officer. His feelings change the next morning when he witnesses the father officiating at the brutal punishment of a deserting soldier. Other themes: romance, judging by appearances, point of view (cruelty vs. duty), class, moral indignation vs. naivety.

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A Useless Man

A Useless Man: Short story by Sait Faik AbasıyanıkRather than being “useless”, the protagonist of this story by Sait Faik Abasıyanık admits to having given up on life. A recluse, he hasn’t washed himself or left his Istanbul neighborhood of four streets in seven years. He follows the same routine, meets the same people, and fantasizes about the same voluptuous Jewish woman every day. One day, for no apparent reason, he ventures further afield and is dumbstruck by the changes to and vibrancy of the city. After returning home, he is so disoriented by the experience that he contemplates suicide. Themes include alienation, loneliness, fear, hopelessness, depression.

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The Homecoming

The Homecoming: Chinese folktale from Laurence YepThis Chinese folktale retold by Laurence Yep is about a poor woodcutter who is easily distracted. He takes a keen interest in everyone’s business but his own, and has an annoying habit of giving advice, whether asked for or not, pointing out how people he meets could do things better. One day, he comes across two strange men playing Xiangqi (Chinese chess) in a forest, and can’t resist stopping to offer suggestions about their best next moves. In a Rip Van Winkle-like conclusion, he finds many changes on returning home, having been being missing for thousands of years

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A Conversation With My Father

A Conversation With My Father: Short story by Grace PaleyThis story from Grace Paley uses a meta-fictional approach (a story about storytelling) to highlight generational differences between a writer and her aged father. The father, who is confined to bed, asks his daughter to write a simple story just once more, the kind Maupassant wrote. Instead, she relates a minimalist, open-ended tale with several possible outcomes. These artistic differences reflect the ailing father’s coming death. He has accepted that the end is near; she is not ready to. Her story challenges the father’s views on themes such as family, parenting, addiction, and the ability to change one’s destiny.

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The Secret Cause

The Secret Cause: Short story by Joaquim Maria Machado de AssisCharacters in Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis stories often have a causa secreta (ulterior motive) for their actions. When a young doctor opens a hospital in partnership with a forty-year-old acquaintance, he is amazed by the older man’s dedication to nursing the most seriously ill and injured patients. A visit to his partner’s house explains why. He is a sadist who finds pleasure in inflicting pain on animals and observing the suffering of others. The doctor suppresses a growing love for the man’s frightened wife, only letting it show on her deathbed. Themes include sadism, cruelty, and secret love.

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A Jury of Her Peers

A Jury of Her Peers: Short story by Susan GlaspellThe three dominant themes of this story by Susan Glaspell are feminism (gender roles), deception and justice. Men investigating a farmer’s murder bring two of their wives to the scene of the crime (his farmhouse) to collect clothing, etc. for the suspect (the farmer’s wife) while in jail. Ironically, although the men mock the women’s ability to contribute to the investigation, the wives find evidence that would convict the suspect. They then face a moral dilemma. A jury of men would not understand the suspect’s suffering. Would justice be served by proving her guilt?

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The Third Wish

The Third Wish: Short story by Joan AikenThis story from Joan Aiken takes the form of a “three wishes” fairy-tale. The protagonist does something very unusual for someone given three wishes. He decides not to make the third wish. When asked why, he says: I’ve learned that even if your wishes are granted they don’t always better you. Themes: 1) change (it is wrong to force change on someone who is happy as they are); 2) family (for many people, family ties are just as important as a happy marriage); and 3) sacrifice (true love means being prepared to let someone go if it makes them happier).

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The Magic Barrel

The Magic Barrel: Short story by Bernard MalamudIn this humorous story from Bernard Malamud a rabbinical student, a matchmaker, and an errant young woman with “desperately innocent” eyes are all potential winners. The story is as much about the young, introverted rabbi-to-be’s spiritual emptiness as it is his desire to find a wife. His first meeting with a potential match reveals an embarrassing truth: he can’t explain the reason for his calling. He feels a need to re-invent himself, and finds a path to possible redemption in the photograph of a woman whose face carries an “impression of evil”. Themes: tradition, materialism, loneliness, identity, religion, love, redemption.

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