King called it, IMO. This phenomenon isn't restricted to lit. fic.; it applies to the genre categories too.
It's a progressive death spiral. Mass market fiction magazines don't pay enough to justify the time spent writing a story -- because their circulation and readership is declining. So short fiction has become the domain of people who don't write for money -- like poetry: once a respectable paying niche in newspapers, and now little more than a hobbyist field curated by a handful of scholars. And then you get the curious aridity King notes, an airlessness in the room, as the stories being published chase an audience of readers motivated by something other than entertainment.
I like him calling out writing for writers (or scholars) to a degree. I read a lot of short stories and it's really hard for me to continue reading when the protagonist is a short story writer, or something to that effect.
If you want to read a great collection of short stories, go pick up "Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned" by Wells Tower. It's a fine debut.
If you are in NYC and appreciate the art of storytelling, The Moth is bar none the best storytelling franchise around. Unlike some of the other short stories referenced here, the stories are all true and frequently amazing.
If you aren't, their podcast has a selection of stories recorded from their live performances. I subscribe to their podcast so if I ever feel the need to be entertained while bored, I can listen to one of their superb storytellers.
"The novelist George Dawes Green did that himself when he founded the Moth in 1997. His intention was to bring to New York the storytelling traditions of his native Georgia, with audiences drawn to the tales like moths to the light on a rural porch."
Twain's a master of a lot of things in writing, obviously, but one of my favorite things he does well is the character of "pompous, erudite jerk who doesn't realize he's actually a moron". (Stephen Colbert is a good modern example of such a character.)
Comments
King called it, IMO. This phenomenon isn't restricted to lit. fic.; it applies to the genre categories too.
It's a progressive death spiral. Mass market fiction magazines don't pay enough to justify the time spent writing a story -- because their circulation and readership is declining. So short fiction has become the domain of people who don't write for money -- like poetry: once a respectable paying niche in newspapers, and now little more than a hobbyist field curated by a handful of scholars. And then you get the curious aridity King notes, an airlessness in the room, as the stories being published chase an audience of readers motivated by something other than entertainment.
I like him calling out writing for writers (or scholars) to a degree. I read a lot of short stories and it's really hard for me to continue reading when the protagonist is a short story writer, or something to that effect.
If you want to read a great collection of short stories, go pick up "Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned" by Wells Tower. It's a fine debut.
Another great set of short stories is Salinger's 9 Stories (http://www.amazon.com/Nine-Stories-J-D-Salinger/dp/031676772...). I believe he is still writing, just not publishing... hopefully one day he'll release these unseen works.
If you are in NYC and appreciate the art of storytelling, The Moth is bar none the best storytelling franchise around. Unlike some of the other short stories referenced here, the stories are all true and frequently amazing.
If you aren't, their podcast has a selection of stories recorded from their live performances. I subscribe to their podcast so if I ever feel the need to be entertained while bored, I can listen to one of their superb storytellers.
"The novelist George Dawes Green did that himself when he founded the Moth in 1997. His intention was to bring to New York the storytelling traditions of his native Georgia, with audiences drawn to the tales like moths to the light on a rural porch."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/nyregion/thecity/16moth.ht...
http://themoth.org
Racontuer: a person who excels in telling anecdotes
Excellent, next time in NYC I'm going try and check that out. Listening to a story now.
Thanks,
Just don't expect them to be the same as the Rye, still has some similar tones and feelings like in bananafish.
A couple years ago I picked up The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain (http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Short-Stories-Bantam-Classics...), and since then I've recommended it to people at every opportunity.
Twain's a master of a lot of things in writing, obviously, but one of my favorite things he does well is the character of "pompous, erudite jerk who doesn't realize he's actually a moron". (Stephen Colbert is a good modern example of such a character.)