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Author Topic: The great short story  (Read 2436 times)

Nearly Sane

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The great short story
« on: March 19, 2016, 11:08:25 AM »
There's a lot of great free access short stories out there
 This by the great Saki is one of my favourites


http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/vashtar.html
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Aruntraveller

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Re: The great short story
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2016, 07:14:56 PM »
I used to read short stories avidly as a teenager. One that has stayed with me is:

The Rocking Horse Winner by D H Lawrence.

I remember being very, very upset by it.

There is another story I recall about a man who made things go away if he didn't believe in them - it ended with him outside the Bank of England and him laughing at it and the foundations beginning to shake. BUT I can't remember the title or author - if anyone else knows this story I'd be grateful if you could let me know. Cheers.
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If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. - God is Love.

Gordon

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Re: The great short story
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2016, 07:22:33 PM »
Quote from: Trentvoyager on April 25, 2016, 07:14:56 PM
I used to read short stories avidly as a teenager. One that has stayed with me is:

The Rocking Horse Winner by D H Lawrence.

I remember being very, very upset by it.

There is another story I recall about a man who made things go away if he didn't believe in them - it ended with him outside the Bank of England and him laughing at it and the foundations beginning to shake. BUT I can't remember the title or author - if anyone else knows this story I'd be grateful if you could let me know. Cheers.

Another D H Lawrence short story I remember from school, aside form the one you mention, is 'Odour of Chrysanthemums', and also 'The Machine Stops' by E.M Forster. 
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Nearly Sane

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Re: The great short story
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2016, 07:30:01 PM »
Can't place that one, Trent. (The bank of England one. )But other favourites that link are The 1,000,000 Pound Note by Twain, and both Enoch Soames and Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm
« Last Edit: April 25, 2016, 07:34:33 PM by Nearly Sane »
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Aruntraveller

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Re: The great short story
« Reply #4 on: April 25, 2016, 07:56:06 PM »
Quote from: Gordon on April 25, 2016, 07:22:33 PM
Another D H Lawrence short story I remember from school, aside form the one you mention, is 'Odour of Chrysanthemums', and also 'The Machine Stops' by E.M Forster.

Oh yes - The Machine Stops - fantastic story.
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If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. - God is Love.

Gordon

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Re: The great short story
« Reply #5 on: April 25, 2016, 08:04:14 PM »
The was a guy called Patrick Campbell, who (as members of a certain vintage may recall) was a regular on 'Call My Bluff' in the early 1970's - he was memorable for having a stammer that was very very obvious and that, somehow, wasn't really a problem in the quiz even when it was obvious.

He wrote a short story that we read at school about his getting a book on 'How to be a Ventriloquist', which goes on to recount his attempts at ventriloquism  - my memory is that it was very funny: I can't recall the title of the story and I don't want to re-read it; I'd rather have the memory.
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Aruntraveller

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Re: The great short story
« Reply #6 on: April 25, 2016, 08:06:49 PM »
John Wyndham could turn his hand to a nifty short story too.

'Oh where, now, is Peggy MacRafferty?'

At first it appears to be a slight piece of whimsy but it develops into quite a good satire on Hollywood.
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If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. - God is Love.

Nearly Sane

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Re: The great short story
« Reply #7 on: April 25, 2016, 08:07:18 PM »
Quote from: Gordon on April 25, 2016, 08:04:14 PM
The was a guy called Patrick Campbell, who (as members of a certain vintage may recall) was a regular on 'Call My Bluff' in the early 1970's - he was memorable for having a stammer that was very very obvious and that, somehow, wasn't really a problem in the quiz even when it was obvious.

He wrote a short story that we read at school about his getting a book on 'How to be a Ventriloquist', which goes on to recount his attempts at ventriloquism  - my memory is that it was very funny: I can't recall the title of the story and I don't want to re-read it; I'd rather have the memory.

I had forgotten that for some years. I cried, I snorted, I probably wee'd a bit. Absolutely hilarious. He also wrote a similar story called The Hot Box
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Gordon

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Re: The great short story
« Reply #8 on: April 25, 2016, 08:12:59 PM »
Quote from: Nearly Sane on April 25, 2016, 08:07:18 PM
I had forgotten that for some years. I cried, I snorted, I probably wee'd a bit. Absolutely hilarious. He also wrote a similar story called The Hot Box

Haven't read that one : a deficiency I'll try to remedy.

I used to love 'Call My Bluff', and no doubt the originals weren't kept for posterity. I'm hoping they don't remake it (maybe they have and I've missed it) - it would be as awful as a re-make of 'Harvey' with a CGI Pooka.
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Shaker

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Re: The great short story
« Reply #9 on: April 25, 2016, 08:15:38 PM »
Fantastic thread. Anybody who has ever chanced their arm at fiction will tell you that in literature short stories are as fiercely difficult to write as string quartets in music - with everything stripped right back to the bare bones there's nowhere to hide, no padding to hide dodgy technique as you can in a novel or a symphony. So composers who can write good string quartets are great composers, and writers who can concoct really good short stories are (usually) for that reason really good writers. Some writers are known particularly and specifically for their short stories alone - NS mentioned Saki; in modern times it would be William Trevor or (my favourite) the late lamented and sorely missed Raymond Carver. Personally, I love a bottle of something nice next to me and an evening in bed with H.P. Lovecraft.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2016, 08:25:43 PM by Shaker »
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Rhiannon

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Re: The great short story
« Reply #10 on: April 25, 2016, 08:18:27 PM »
Late at night it has to be MR James for me.
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Nearly Sane

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Re: The great short story
« Reply #11 on: April 25, 2016, 08:25:56 PM »
Quote from: Gordon on April 25, 2016, 08:12:59 PM
Haven't read that one : a deficiency I'll try to remedy.

I used to love 'Call My Bluff', and no doubt the originals weren't kept for posterity. I'm hoping they don't remake it (maybe they have and I've missed it) - it would be as awful as a re-make of 'Harvey' with a CGI Pooka.
There was a 'new' version - had Alan Coren and Sandi Toksvig.
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Nearly Sane

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Re: The great short story
« Reply #12 on: April 25, 2016, 08:33:13 PM »
Quote from: Rhiannon on April 25, 2016, 08:18:27 PM
Late at night it has to be MR James for me.
one of the strange things is that, the short story works so well with the outre. I love Robert Aickman. I remember the visceral attack of Clive Barker's Books of Blood. And the gentle weirdness of William Sansom
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Gordon

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Re: The great short story
« Reply #13 on: April 25, 2016, 08:45:43 PM »
Quote from: Shaker on April 25, 2016, 08:15:38 PM
Personally, I love a bottle of something nice next to me and an evening in bed with H.P. Lovecraft.

I discovered podcasts a couple of years ago and there is one, it is free on iTunes so I'll try and find the details, where H.P. Lovecraft short stories have been recorded so they can be read to you, which I love if I can't sleep. Last one I listened to was about a chap who become interested in a locked mausoleum, broke in one night and found some stairs, so he proceeded down the stairs torch in hand, rats scurrying etc - I'll stop there!

I'll try and find details of the podcast - another, if you like fantasy being read to you, is 'Drabblecast' (also free on iTunes).
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Aruntraveller

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Re: The great short story
« Reply #14 on: April 25, 2016, 09:03:16 PM »
EF Benson more well known for Mapp & Lucia used to turn out good ghost stories - one of his better known ones is "The Bus Conductor" which was later used for a segment in the film "Dead of Night".

Still searching for my Bank of England story.  :(
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If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. - God is Love.

Gordon

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Re: The great short story
« Reply #15 on: April 25, 2016, 09:21:18 PM »
This site has H P Lovecraft stuff (inc. 'The Tomb': the story I mentioned earlier).

http://www.loyalbooks.com/book/collected-public-domain-works-of-h-p-lovecraft
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Humph Warden Bennett

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Re: The great short story
« Reply #16 on: April 26, 2016, 08:28:27 AM »
I don't think that you can beat Somerset Maugham.
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