Sometimes you’re in the mood for a memorable short story.
A powerful short story can bring to life characters, settings, and show real life conflict in compelling and innovative ways. The English Plus Podcast explained the benefits of shorter fiction.
“The shorter length of short stories allows for a tighter focus on a specific moment or event in a character’s life, without the need for lengthy exposition or backstory. This brevity also means that short stories can be read in a single sitting, making them a perfect choice for those with limited time or attention spans,” Danny Ballan wrote in April 2023.
Add the wit, humor and style of a skilled author, and you have a winning combination for a quick, entertaining read.
Authors and stories to read
Some authors thrive on building worlds in just a few pages that remain indelibly imprinted in readers’ minds for years.
Among the most talented and memorable are these four women.
Angela Carter
Author: Angela Carter
Title: “The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories“
Genre: Fairy tale retellings
British Author Angela Carter is considered a master of reimagining fairy tales into grotesque, feminist-themed works. Her most famous short stories are found in the “Bloody Chamber and Other Stories” collection.
The titular tale centers on a retelling of “Bluebeard” featuring a young woman trapped in an isolated castle who calls her mother for help when she discovers her husband’s secret. She and her mother survive but are forever scarred by the events at the castle.
Carter’s collection earned the first Cheltenham Prize in 1979. The award is given to works published in the past year that “has received less acclaim than it deserved,” according to the Cheltenham Prize for Literature Winners page on Goodreads. It was distributed from 1979 through 1995.
Samanta Schweblin
Author: Samanta Schweblin
Title: “Butterflies“
Genre: Fantasy and horror
Translated fiction can intimidate readers. They wonder if they will understand the characters and culture depicted in the work modified from its original language.
Argentinian novelist and short story author Samanta Schweblin puts those fears to rest with themes of motherhood, family dysfunction, unrequited longing, and the invasive nature of technology. To date, she’s published four works translated into English.
Schweblin’s short story collection “Mouthful of Birds” was nominated for the Man Booker International Prize.
Included in the collection is “Butterflies.” The short story points out how a callous father destroys a fragile brown-winged butterfly while waiting for his beloved daughter to get out of school. Schweblin nimbly demonstrates how his obliviousness causes unplanned harm to the child he brags about so proudly.
Joyce Carol Oates
Author: Joyce Carol Oates
Title: “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?“
Genre: Coming of age
Prolific sums up Joyce Carol Oates’ career. The American writes in longhand for several hours every day. She’s published more than 70 novels and short story collections since her career began in 1963.
She’s well-known for her novels “We Were the Mulvaneys,” “Foxfire,” “Blonde,” and many others that were adapted into films.
But many readers are introduced to one the most productive living authors through “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”
The story first appeared in the Fall 1966 edition of Epoch Magazine and has since been anthologized. It follows 15-year-old Connie as a strange man forces her to leave childhood behind and become an adult. Oates embeds clues into the story, but “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” continues to be left open to interpretation.
In 1985, a film version starring Laura Dern and Treat Williams was released to acclaim. It earned the Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic category at the 1986 Sundance Film Festival.
Carmen Maria Machado
Author: Carmen Maria Machado
Title: “The Husband Stitch“
Genre: Folklore retelling and feminist interpretations
A queer American writer of Cuban and Austrian descent, Carmen Maria Machado echoes the work of Carter with updates to classic stories.
In her 2017 collection, “Her Body and Other Stories,” the Iowa Writers Workshop graduate evokes horror and everyday sexism. The first story titled “The Husband Stitch,” is a retelling of the “Girl with the Green Ribbon.”
It follows an unnamed woman as she meets her future husband at a friend’s party, then marries him and bears his son. Throughout their lives together, the woman fiercely protects the green ribbon tightly secured around her neck from being removed by either her husband or child.
After the son leaves for college, she reluctantly agrees to allow her husband to remove the ribbon. Her head slowly falls to the floor once the ribbon is loosened and free. The story ends with the woman’s head severed from her body with her eyes looking at the ceiling.
“Her Body and Other Stories” won the Shirley Jackson Prize for Single Author Collection in 2017, was a 2017 National Book Award finalist for fiction. “The Husband Stitch,” originally published by Granta, was a 2014 finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Novelette.
Conclusion
Short stories are an artform. These women craft characters and deliver plots that engage and encourage readers to consider the world in which they live.
They seamlessly integrate social commentary into stories about everyday life. Sharing their perspectives on coming of age, facing predators, and addressing the loss of bodily autonomy, the stories and their authors have engaged readers for years.
Now, go find one of the stories from above to read and join the legions of fans worldwide!
