What are some of your favourite short stories?
Some of mine:
Galloping Foxley by Roald Dahl
The Haunted Doll’s House by MR James
The Terrapin by Patricia Highsmith
It Grows On You by Stephen King
A Temple of the Holy Ghost by Flannery O’Connor
Nine-Hundred Grandmothers by RA Lafferty
Ringing the Changes by Robert Aickman
Paperwork by Ruth Rendell
Galloping Foxley by Roald Dahl
The Haunted Doll’s House by MR James
The Terrapin by Patricia Highsmith
It Grows On You by Stephen King
A Temple of the Holy Ghost by Flannery O’Connor
Nine-Hundred Grandmothers by RA Lafferty
Ringing the Changes by Robert Aickman
Paperwork by Ruth Rendell
I' d three anthologies for English in school. one for poetry, one for prose and one for short stories. I'd the short stories read in about 6 days
one I remember most was The potatoe gatherers by Brian Friel
I read books very fast. probably too fast. I suppose they're (books) were Ike Pringles
or Pringles wereike books
no matter and anyhow. I do remember the aformentioned short story. it focused on a bunch of lads in the back of a truck being brought to work. some of the lads, the newer ones were messing about, having a bit of craic n such whe the older lads didn't say much or move much. anyhow, short story shorter: on the way back the older lads, having conserved their energy were talking about going out in the town while the newer lads were fucked having spent all their energy
I suppose, on reflection. it's a lot like that even shorter story about an old bull and his son looking at a field full of cows
I started to read The coll doll and other short stories by Walther MacKen. surprised me a little because what I had read by him up to that was very bleak, 'the silent people' for instance.
the short stories I read were decent enough. there was a lot of old Dublin slang , humor and such. didn't read a whole lot of them, wrong time
so yeah, I'd recommend both, if I still have The Coll doll I'll send it over
one I remember most was The potatoe gatherers by Brian Friel
I read books very fast. probably too fast. I suppose they're (books) were Ike Pringles
or Pringles wereike books
no matter and anyhow. I do remember the aformentioned short story. it focused on a bunch of lads in the back of a truck being brought to work. some of the lads, the newer ones were messing about, having a bit of craic n such whe the older lads didn't say much or move much. anyhow, short story shorter: on the way back the older lads, having conserved their energy were talking about going out in the town while the newer lads were fucked having spent all their energy
I suppose, on reflection. it's a lot like that even shorter story about an old bull and his son looking at a field full of cows
I started to read The coll doll and other short stories by Walther MacKen. surprised me a little because what I had read by him up to that was very bleak, 'the silent people' for instance.
the short stories I read were decent enough. there was a lot of old Dublin slang , humor and such. didn't read a whole lot of them, wrong time
so yeah, I'd recommend both, if I still have The Coll doll I'll send it over
Anonymous
Off top of me head. Good thread.
Butterflies. Ian McEwan
Extraordinary Little Cough. Dylan Thomas
On the Etiquette of Eye Contact During Oral Sex. Toby Litt
The Landlady. Roald Dahl
With Your Tongue Down My Throat. Hanif Kureshi
Rockets Around the Moon. A M Homes
Butterflies. Ian McEwan
Extraordinary Little Cough. Dylan Thomas
On the Etiquette of Eye Contact During Oral Sex. Toby Litt
The Landlady. Roald Dahl
With Your Tongue Down My Throat. Hanif Kureshi
Rockets Around the Moon. A M Homes
Anonymous
Raised on daily diet of vitamin c and Tales of the Unexpected. The twists were often disappointing and, well, expected. In print the themes resonate that little bit longer. It’s the juxtaposition of the ordinariness of The ‘Landlady’ characters against the strange fate of her guests. Similarly, ‘The Flypaper’ offers a chilling denouement.
It’s kind of obligatory to be Welsh and have an interest in ‘our Dylan.’ His poetry is often derided as “too rhetorical” (c/o far far greater critics than me) but it really works in his prose. He just has a beautiful touch in capturing landscapes and breadth of characters. Shame he was such a pisshead – could have written some of the greatest UK novels.
Ian McEwan & Toby Litt have been long time faves of mine and disturb and amuse respectively. McEwan’s first short story collection, First Love Last Rites, is a pretty fucked up view of 70’s urban England. A M Homes is equally macabre.
It’s kind of obligatory to be Welsh and have an interest in ‘our Dylan.’ His poetry is often derided as “too rhetorical” (c/o far far greater critics than me) but it really works in his prose. He just has a beautiful touch in capturing landscapes and breadth of characters. Shame he was such a pisshead – could have written some of the greatest UK novels.
Ian McEwan & Toby Litt have been long time faves of mine and disturb and amuse respectively. McEwan’s first short story collection, First Love Last Rites, is a pretty fucked up view of 70’s urban England. A M Homes is equally macabre.
I agree with you about The Landlady. It was Dahl’s attempt at writing a ghost story (as stated in his introduction to a collection of ghost stories he curated), but as he put it it just didn’t come off in the end, and he had to make the threat non-supernatural.
Anonymous
Think we are all a little bit like Walter Mitty. 'Billy Liar' (Keith Waterhouse novel & film) is similarly themed. Nice list.
This site provides free to read stories.
https://reedsy.com/discovery/blog/best-short-stories
This site provides free to read stories.
https://reedsy.com/discovery/blog/best-short-stories
