“Khalil,” I whisper, not sure which Khalil I’m addressing. “The sky is gone.” Illustration by David Sankey A short story “Black Hole above Gaza” is the winner of the second annual Commonweal Prize for Short Fiction, which recognizes original and outstanding short fiction by emerging writers. Written by Elina Kumra, the story was selected by… Read More Black Hole above Gaza
Franz Kafka “It’s a remarkable apparatus,” said the Officer to the Explorer and gazed with a certain look of admiration at the device, with which he was, of course, thoroughly familiar. It appeared that the Traveller had responded to the invitation of the Commandant only out of politeness, when he had been asked to attend… Read More In the Penal Colony (1919)
In the dream of the man that dreamed, the dreamed one awoke by Jorge Luis Borges NO ONE saw him disembark in the unanimous night, no one saw the bamboo canoe sinking into the sacred mud, but within a few days no one was unaware that the silent man came from the South and that… Read More THE CIRCULAR RUINS (1940)
Some of the Shortest Stories Ever Written: (with thanks to the gentleman who posted them on X) 1. Ernest Hemingway’s Six-Word Story: Legend has it that Hemingway once wagered he could write a story in just six words that would outdo all others in emotional impact. He won the bet. For sale: baby shoes, never… Read More Ernest Hemingway’s Six-Word Story
Hans Christian Andersen (1805 -1875) Many years ago there was an Emperor so exceedingly fond of new clothes that he spent all his money on being well dressed. He cared nothing about reviewing his soldiers, going to the theatre, or going for a ride in his carriage, except to show off his new clothes. He… Read More The Emperor’s New Clothes
NB: Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a novella about the life of a school teacher, Mr. Chipping, written by English writer James Hilton, and published in 1934. I think it must be among the most beautiful love stories ever told. It also reminds us of the tremendous power of the human soul. My father took me… Read More Goodbye Mr Chips
And God made him die during the course of a hundred years and then He revived him and said:“How long have you been here?” / “A day, or part of a day,” he replied. The Koran, II 261 On the night of March 14, 1939, in an apartment on the Zelternergasse in Prague, Jaromir Hladik,… Read More Jorge Luis Borges’ ‘The Secret Miracle’ (1943)
Chandan Gowda A young Sajjan horse trader, who had bought a couple of fine stallions at a horse fair and was taking them to sell at another fair in a neighbouring state, had been waylaid at night by Suguna horse vigilantes. They had demanded money to let him pass. When the horse trader refused saying… Read More A Miracle in Shanthinadu
There seemed a certainty in degradation: T. E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom In Asia Minor or in Alexandria, in the second century of our faith (when Basilides was announcing that the cosmos was a rash and malevolent improvisation engineered by defective angels), Nils Runeberg might have directed, with a singular intellectual passion, one of the… Read More Three Versions of Judas: Jorge Luis Borges
First posted October 24, 2011 According to Murakami, “1Q84” is just an amplification of one of his most popular short stories, which (in its English version) is five pages long. “Basically, it’s the same,” he told me. “A boy meets a girl. They have separated and are looking for each other. It’s a simple story. I… Read More Haruki Murakami: On seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful April morning
After the truth-shower 