Short Thoughts on Short Fiction Vol. 13: Reflections from the Graveyard
Column, Review | Keith Rawson | September 29, 2009 at 9:42 amGreetings reprobates!
Well, it’s that time again to review some more quality short fiction on the web . . . or maybe not? Yeah, I have my fair share of great fucking stories to choose from (shit, I think A Twist of Noir posted nine new stories on Friday alone, not to mention all of the other quality daily and weekly zines who’ve been spilling buckets of blood and ink all week long). But to be honest with you, I’m feeling lazy (and more than a little scattered because of a few upcoming deadlines and video interviews that I’m prepping for, plus revisions, revisions, and more fucking revisions). So instead of picking a few stories to spotlight and review, I thought I’d review some book-length works I’ve already read. But, don’t worry jack-offs, the books I’m reviewing are all chock full of short stories!
Oh, by the way guys, before I get started, did you know that the short story is dead?
Yeah, I’m not kidding.
Apparently the whole genre took a shit decades ago?
I gotta tell ya, I was shocked.
I was appalled to find out that a literary form I work at and try to hone and perfect on a daily basis is a fucking maggot-ridden corpse.
A form that should be reviled and shunned at all costs.
Yeah, seriously, at least one douche-bag blogger or literary journalist attempts to convince me of this every single month, and sometimes even on multiple occasions.
Of course, as we all know, the individuals who readily declare the death of the short story are also the assholes who have their heads buried so far up their rectums that they also regularly declare that other art forms such as the novel, or painting, or film-making, or whatever are dead and buried.
True, you don’t exactly make the big bucks if you’re a short story writer, (but let’s face facts, there was only about two decades in American literary history when a writer could make a living writing short stories exclusively, and most of the time you had to be writing for the so-called “slick” magazines such as Esquire, Playboy, Colliers, et cetera. Otherwise you were either giving your fiction away or getting paid a ½ cent a word. Sound familiar, people?) but I consider the form to be an extremely vital one, and very much alive and well. And with the relative financial and critical success of Donald Ray Pollock’s near flawless collection, Knockemstiff, publishers seem to be a little less reluctant to publish single-author collections. So, with this week’s STonSF, I thought I’d spotlight a few single-author collections you may have missed, that are very much worth your time and money.
Rust and Bone by Craig Davidson (published by WW Norton & Company, 2005)
I’ll be completely blunt with you, gang; if I was asked to name my five favorite contemporary writers, Davidson would be among them. Davidson’s debut novel, The Fighter, was my best novel pick for 2007, and in my humble in opinion, Davidson is geared to become one of the top stylists of his generation. I discovered Rust and Bone more or less by happy accident (as I have with most of the writers I truly enjoy) while browsing in my favorite used bookstore. I devoured the collection in one sitting and recently reread it after BSC Review’s own, the Nerd of Noir, reviewed the Fighter in one of his catching-up posts over at his blog. Davidson’s style is spare and gritty; each sentence is like taking a hard bodyshot to the ribs, leaving you dazed and breathless. My favorite of the eight stories that appear in Rust and Bone is “A Mean Utility,” which is the story of a marketing executive who spends his free time breeding pit bulls for the purpose of turning them into fighting dogs. It’s a great you get what deserve kind of story, and I can literally read and re-read the piece without ever getting tired of it. My one complaint with the collection, however, is that because of the overall tone of the stories, they tend to blend and bleed into one another a little too much. But overall, it’s a solid collection.
3 stars
Controlled Burn: Stories of Prison, Crime, and Men by Scott Wolven (published by Scriber Publishing, 2005)
What can I really say about Wolven’s debut collection that already hasn’t been said? I can honestly say I know more writers who decided to try their hand at crime fiction after reading one of Wolven’s stories in Thuglit or Controlled Burn. But in case you haven’t sampled Mr. Wolven’s work, I can best describe him as the anti-Updike, a writer who portrays New England as it is rarely described: hard-bitten and down on its luck, full of men and women who have to scramble day-to-day in order to survive. My favorite story of the collection is the opener, “Taciturnity.” It’s the story of an old woman who subtly takes revenge on the cop who busted her grandson on possession with intent charges. The story is quietly heart-breaking and sets the tone for the entire collection. I have read Controlled Burn 3 times now, and I have yet to tire of it and I doubt I ever will. Highly Recommended.
4 stars
In the Devil’s Territory by Kyle Minor (published by Dzanc Books, 2008)
If I had to describe the writing of Kyle Minor in one word, it would have to be Diverse with a capital D. Minor seems to be able to write on any subject and in any genre, and his debut collection is a fine example of his seemingly boundless imagination and his ability to crawl under the skin of his characters. My favorite story of the collection is the title novella, “In the Devil’s Territory,” which is a simple yet utterly complex story of the divergent paths of an East German elementary school teacher and an air conditioning repairman and his impressionable son. The story is powerfully written and highlights Minor’s amazing empathic abilities as a storyteller. While I did vastly enjoy the collection, I will say that most readers may find the collection to be a bit of a bumpy ride because of what I value most in Minor’s stories–that whole diversity thing. I’ll also say that if you’re sensitive in regards to religion and faith, In the Devil’s Territory might not be for you.
3 stars
Alrighty, guys, now I’d like to throw a question out there to the peanut gallery. (This includes you, BSC staffers, as well.) If you were to recommend a single-author short story collection, what would it be and why would you recommend it? Genre doesn’t matter with this one, guys, so just let it fly.
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SF/F has a lot of short fiction greats and great single author collections which we’ve talked about here over the years.
Jeffrey Ford and Brian Evenson are amassing the strongest bodies of work out there right now bar genre.
I’m slowly joining the cult of Evenson. His last novel, Last Days knocked my socks off. I’ve yet to read any of his short stories though.
Where I’m Calling From, Raymond Carver; Shiloh and Other Stories by Bobbie Ann Mason; The Maple Stories by John Updike; any collection by Andre Dubus, Antonya Nelson, Eleven Kinds of Lonelinss by Richard Yates. I could go on for days. These may not seem like crime fiction but they are all dark collections.
I’m going with Denis Johnson’s Jesus’ Son (1992). Johnson gets plenty of props for his novels, but I’m most impressed with his short fiction. As for Jesus’ Son, enough said here from Entertainment Weekly …
A work of spare beauty and almost religious intensity, this first collection of stories is nothing less than spectacular. Narrated by a recovering alcoholic prone to Valhallan delusions and set primarily in Iowa, it features drifters and dopeheads who have spent their lives on bar stools, ”guilty and frightened, because there was something wrong with us, and we didn’t know what it was.” Denis Johnson conjures a world of bong-water banality that periodically spills over into sublime hallucination. For all its anomie, Jesus’ Son closes on a note of genuine faith and promise. A
Patti, all of those are great collections (especially the Carver and Dubus–I’ll also throw Dennis Johnson into that mix–who are both big favorites of mine.) And to be honest with you, genre is mattering less and less to me these days. What I want is a quality story that will hold my attention, or in the best of circumstance, make me want to read it again and again. I haven’t read any of Yates stories, but his novels are gripping reads.
Andy– I think you and I were on the same wavelength with Johnson when we were posting. Jesus’ Son is an amazing read and he’s a true master of the craft. He’s been a BIG favorite of mine since I was a teenager. Great stuff.
Pastoralia by George Saunders. Some of the funniest stuff I’ve ever read in my life.
Another vote for Andre Dubus. I’m particularly fond of Dancing After Hours. His characters are ordinary folk simply trying to make sense.
What disappointed me about Minor’s book is it left out all but one of the Plots with Guns storys.
Night & Fear by Cornell Woolrich. He gets more attention for his novels since so many were made into films but I get more out of his shorts. (Rear Window was a short, by the way) Sad luck losers who dig themselves deeper into the mire. Men & women who crumble under their own greed and desires and are helpless to do anything about it. This is what I aspire to in all my work.
If you can find it Darkness at Dawn is a great collection too.
Callaway–Yet another former student of Carver’s (the man helped unleash quite a few great writer’s on the world) I love Civil War Land in Bad Decline and just about anything else he’s written.
Stan–Once again, Dubus is a big favorite, a true master.
Fanshawe–I was a little disappointed that Kyle’s PWG stuff wasn’t included (PWG is where I first read Kyle’s stories.) but I think In the Devil’s Territory was meant to spotlight his longer fiction.
Eric–I’ve always been a bigger fan of Woolrich’s short fiction as opposed to his novels. He’s the true father of noir in my opinion.
As organisers of the world’s oldest annual dedicated short story festival and curators of the form’s largest award we find the idea of the short story’s demise risable.
Three great books I’ll add Poachers by Tom Franklin and Born Bad by Andrew Vachss. And one great review Keith, keep me posted on these, you’re doing a one hell of a job.
Elephant by Mr. Carver is the one that comes to mind without thinking too hard. On Broadway by Runyon, Cruel Tales by Villiers de L’Isle-Adam, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes,Hot Water Music by Bukowski, Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories by Oscar. I’m sure there are loads more.
I really, really fancy the Kyle Minor book. I had never heard of the other writers before but sound pretty good. the collected Keith Rawson will be a hoot, I think. XXX of course
I think Ted Chiang is one of the first that comes to mind with his ‘Stories of Your Life and Others’.
I think J.G Ballard has very interesting body of work in short form. I thin even among current SF/F circles people like a Beagle or Swanwick probably don’t come up as often as they should
If we cheat little, I’m not sure nobody collected work is more fun than a Bill Watterson book, but maybe, just maybe, Ligotti gives him a run.
Mr. Cotter–Where as I will say that I respect your opinion (You are on the forefront of literary short fiction.) I will have to disagree with you. If anything, it’s my belief that that the form–as with most art forms–is simply evolving. Yes, more and more print journals are disappearing (which is a shame.) but the rise in short fiction markets on the internet is astounding. So once again, I’ll restate my opinion that I believe short fiction is very alive and thriving, too.
Frank–Hell yeah, Poachers is amazing (as is all of Mr. Franklin’s output) and I’m surprised you didn’t throw some Larry Brown and William Gay in there, too. I’m just starting to read Vachess, but one of the first books of his I read was Born Bad–those are some quick and brutal reads and a Hell of a lot of fun.
Paul–I think it’ll be awhile before I can put together a collection of my stories that I’m happy with, but thanks for the compliment. Like Patti’s picks, you’ve got some great ones in there. I love Hot Water Music, Bukowski is still a a big favorite of mine. And if I can make a suggestion to you, you should try out Hubert Selby’s Song of Silent Snow, great stuff.
Jay–I’m going to have to get you together with my friend Cameron Ashley. The man is an absolute devotee of Ballard’s, but rightfully so. And Swanwick doesn’t even remotely get the props he deserves for his short stuff. And you’re totally cheating by including Watterson in there!
Not crime fiction at all, but I highly recommend Charles Yu’s THIRD CLASS SUPERHERO.
Stacia–Third Class Super Hero has been on my Amazon wishlist for about six months now and from your recommendation, I think I’ll be pick it up with my next order (And once again, genre is mattering less and less to me, I just want a good story.)
Also, because no one’s mentioned her yet, has anyone read Amy Hempel? I think her collected stories should be required reading for most writer’s, especially short story writers.
I’ve several of Hempel’s books, I like her short style but she’s a flavor that not everyone will enjoy. Another is A.M. Homes, I’ve both of her books of shorts and all of her early work. Great writer. Dorothy Allison is another, she has a book of shorts and essays called Trash and while I’m at it throw Chuck Palahniuk’s book in there, Haunted.
Frank–Holmes is some fun, gritty stuff, and I’ll kind of agree with you about Hempel; she’s not for everyone (but what writer is?) but her mastery of word conservation is something to behold. I love how she can strip down a story until it’s nothing but bare bones. I’ve never read Dorothy Allison, so I’ll have check her out now.
And I have a real love hate relationship with Haunted. I think Palahniuk is great writer, but I wish he had just formated Haunted as a collection of short fiction as opposed to a loose novel
I agree 100% on Haunted. The shorts are great, cut out the connecting parts. Check out Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy, a novel, not shorts. She gives Larry Brown and William Gay a run for their money…
Looking at my collections the other day and I have to say that for a debut collection, Matthew Rossi’s ‘Things that Never Were’ is among the most entertaining I’ve read. I think it’s legitimately fun, and I’m not sure I’d describe many collections –even those I like–as that.
Recently, M. Rickert’s Map of Dreams was damn solid. I recently read a collection of stories by Howard, and you want to talk about the ability to transport you elsewhere instantly–that’s Howard. Two sentences and the temperature is rising and your in a jungle somewhere. I’m a big fan of the late John M. Ford in general, and his collections are definitely worth picking up.
I guess I’ll mention two elephants who I think are at their best as short form writers – Stephen King and Neil Gaiman. No less a giant, Ursula Le Guin is somebody who I think is still schooling people, and her short fiction is where much of her best later work is.
I love Rhys Hughes. The guy did Borges and didn’t embarrass himself, and Zoran Zivkovic never feels like he’s anywhere but he wants to be. Something harmonious about his work.
Dead Boys by Richard Lange. Along with Wolven’s Controlled Burn, it’s the best short story collection by a single author I’ve read in years. They are very similar in their noirish sensibilities, too.
Kelly Link “Magic for Beginners”
M John Harrison “Things That Never Happen”
Elizabeth Hand “Bibliomancy” (4 novellas rather than short stories)
all are GORGEOUSLY written. They move in the range between literary fantasy and weird/horror (literary in the sense that their focus is on relationships and/or psychological states) . Link and Harrison especially may not always be to everyone’s taste, but some of these stories are among the best I’ve read in any genre.