Featured Stories

The Hell Screen

The Hell Screen: Short story by Ryunosuke AkutagawaIn Ryūnosuke Akutagawa‘s re-working of this 13th century Japanese tale, a cold-hearted, conceited artist considered to be “the greatest in the land” insists upon personally experiencing the scenes he creates. When commissioned to paint a folding screen with a scene from Hell, he is able to complete all but the central image of a beautiful woman burning alive in a nobleman’s carriage. He asks for help from his Feudal Lord, who agrees to stage the event for him. As the artist watches, his emotions range from horror to ecstasy. Themes: hubris, inhumanity, obsession, inspiration in art, innocence, perception of truth.

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Transactions in a Foreign Currency

Transactions in a Foreign Currency: Short story by Deborah EisenbergIn this story by Deborah Eisenberg, a twenty-eight-year-old woman decides to end her relationship with a lover she has been seeing on and off for almost ten years. The man, who hasn’t contacted her for six months, calls and asks her to drop everything and spend a few weeks over Christmas with him in Montreal. Like many times before, she readily agrees. Some experiences while he is away for a few days help her realize that it is time to let him go. Themes include love, passivity, commitment, selfishness, letting go.

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Sunanda

Sunanda: Short story by BanaphoolThis story by Banaphool opens with a young Indian woman dreaming about what might have been… the power and prestige that comes with a good education. The dream ends with her contemplating revenge on a man who had recently rejected her as a prospective bride. We don’t learn the outcome, because she wakes to the grim reality of her miserable existence. Despite excellent grades at school, her father denied her a tertiary education. As her poverty-stricken family desperately tries to marry her off, she takes drastic action. Themes include poverty, the importance of education, rejection, despair.

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Letter to a Young Lady in Paris

Letter to a Young Lady in Paris: Short story by Julio CortázarThis surreal story by Julio Cortázar is in the form of a letter from an Argentinean man to a friend who has allowed him to stay in her apartment while she is visiting Paris. His concerns about disrupting the compact order of her rooms become a reality when, on the point of moving in, he vomits up a tiny rabbit. This is normally an occasional occurrence, but ten more bunnies pop out over the following weeks. As they grow and begin to trash the place, he contemplates drastic action. Themes include phobia (about moving), obsession (with orderliness), depression, alienation, despair.

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In the Kindergarten

In the Kindergarten: Short story by Ha Jin (aka Jin Xuefei)In this story by Ha Jin, a Chinese kindergarten student (Shaona) comes up with an unusual response to her teacher’s lies about herbs their class has been collecting. Major themes are (for Shaona) loneliness, uncertainty, alienation, adaption (for Shen) poverty, hunger, deception, betrayal. Shen may be a symbol of the Chinese authorities, her ‘poverty’ being a metaphor for greed. With no respect for the rules, she accumulates wealth (purslanes) through corruption and the toil of her charges. Shaona identifies several of Shen’s character traits, and puts two of them (bribery and deceit) to use in dealing with the class bully.

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A Conversation from the Third Floor

A Conversation from the Third Floor: Short story by Mohamed El-BisatieMohamed El-Bisatie’s writing is known for its visually stimulating descriptions of setting in which any drama or romance is subdued or inferred. Here, a woman tries to visit her husband in an Egyptian prison. She is allowed to leave a package (cigarettes) but not to see him. As she stands in the street below, her husband calls out from his third floor cell window. They have a brief but superficial conversation in which a lot of things are left unsaid. Themes include loss (of family and freedom), powerlessness, disappointment, uncertainty, struggle.

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In the Region of Ice

In the Region of Ice: Short story by Joyce carol OatesIn this story by Joyce Carol Oates, a young nun teaching her first semester at a Jesuit university is confident in her academic role but feels confused and alienated by the outside world. Things change when a brilliant but mentally disturbed Jewish graduate student joins her literature class. Although stimulated by his questions and probing mind, he exhibits a need for emotional support beyond her comfort zone. When she refuses a request to lend him money and take his hand, he becomes hysterical and verbally abusive. Themes include identity, connection (emotional detachment), mental illness, alienation, faith, compassion.

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The Garden of Stubborn Cats

The Garden of Stubborn Cats: Short story by Italo CalvinoIn this Italo Calvino fantasy, a bored man spends his lunch breaks following a neighbourhood cat on its afternoon rounds through his rapidly growing the city. Thanks to the cat, he discovers a secret world within the city known only to its feline inhabitants. The story takes a grim turn when the cat steals a fish and leads the man to an overgrown garden that provides the last sanctuary for stray cats in the city. When progress tries to claim it, the cats and other animal residents fight back. Themes: social class, the negative aspects of progress, adaptivity, rebellion.

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