Neglected classics

I know the blog is about short story , but BBC Radio 4 will announce today the winner of "Neglected Classic" , i.e., a book that deserves to be read, or re-read, and that has been neglected over the years. Therefore, please, allow me.

Ten great authors have advocated in favour of their preferred book and the public has voted. You can listen to the podcasts in which writers such as Colm Toibin, Ruth Rendell, Joanna Trollope and Michael Morpugo talk about their favourite classics. My vote is also for Colm Toibin´s choice Esther Waters, by George Moore. I read it years ago and Mr. Toibin is absolutely right: you cannot forget Esther. The result will be on today at 4pm (GMT)

You can find most of the classics (if not all of them!) here.

Paul Theroux for the Weekend

I love Paul Theroux´s writings. Fact or fiction, I find him highly entertaining. My suggestion for the weekend is this story, The Lower River, published by The New Yorker.

You can also read Mr. Theroux´s controversial article on celebrities helping Africa.

Or watch a short video with Mr. Theroux talking about writing.

Rana Dasgupta

One of the things I like about reading is that it gives me an opportunity to dive into a totally new world. This is what I felt when I read Rana Dasgupta´s story The Flyover. His prose strikes me as fluent, cosmopolitan and unforgettable. One of those stories that remains with you long after you finished reading it.

Mr. Dasgupta´s website is very creative and worth visiting.

Also, you can read an article on The Guardian about Rana Dasgupta´s first novel, Tokyo Cancelled.

Hemingway: A Very Short Story

Hemingway´s stories are all about saying the maximum with the minimum. Also, his tales have a haunting quality about them. I still think about the first text by Hemingway I read : The Snows of Kilimanjaro.

Here is "A very Short Story", by Ernest Hemingway.

And here is a video about Hemingway´s life.

Short stories for EFL learners

Reading short stories in a language we are learning is a great way to enlarge our vocabulary. If you are learning English the number of stories available on the net is enormous.

Please, take a look at this link. Or this one for more advanced readers.

Lorrie Moore

I just love reading The New Yorker. Its Poetry and Fiction column gives me the opportunity of discovering new (to me!) short story writers. This is what happened when I came across this story by Lorrie Moore, "Childcare".

Nadine Gordimer

As today is Nelson Mandela´s birthday, here is the great Nadine Gordimer reading one of her short stories: 'The Loot', from the book "The Loot and Other Stories".