Best Short Story You've Ever Read ??

[guroo270]

For sale: baby shoes. Never worn.

[Bronco]

"Logging and Pimping and 'Your pal, Jim'"
"USFS 1919: The Ranger, the Cook, and a Hole in the Sky"

Both by Norman Maclean

[Bromontana]

The Sun Also Rises

[spindrift]

I teach Joyce's Eveline every year. I think its achingly beautiful, the kids think its just dang depressing.

By nature, I'm a sci fi kinda guy. Lots of my favorites have already been mentioned. But Evaline is perhaps my favorite short story ever.

Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away I was responsible for a chunk of a certain startup. When I had a candidate who was hesitant to accept, or sometimes even really pursue, a job offer due to the perceived risk of going to a startup (and taking a big pay cut to boot), I'd send them a copy of Dubliners with Evaline bookmarked - and suggest they read it and give me a yell afterward if they were so inclined. It was a test.

I still recommend Evaline it to folks looking at big decisions and shrinking from risk. You should suggest that your students reread it regularly. IMO it is one of the greats in the English language - right up there with poetry of the class of Prufrock, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Ozymandias, etc... All in a few short pages. The more years I put behind me, the more profound its impact is.

[mall walker]

A few by Borges:

The Circular Ruins
The Library of Babel
The Witness

[mall walker]

Also: HP Lovecraft "The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath"

Richard Matheson "I Am Legend" (not like the movie)

Both are sci fi

[jmerrey]

+1 to "The Old Man and the Sea" and "Night"

Does "Walden" by Thoreau count? I've probably read that thing a dozen times.

Also "The Idiot" by Dostoyevsky.

[mall walker]

Also "The Idiot" by Dostoyevsky.

"Short" it is not by any standard but that is a fantastic book.

[jmerrey]

"Short" it is not by any standard but that is a fantastic book.

touche

[Meadow Skipper]

The Sun Also Rises

Short story?

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

Hemingway, although choosing one would be tough. Francis Macomber or The Capital of the World if I had to choose.

A close second would be Batard by Jack London. Maybe not as subtle or deep as others but I still love it. Plus it's London so there's a dog and dogs are awesome.

[Art Shirk]

I am in to war and dark stuff sometimes so I like chickamagua and occurrence at owl creek by Ambrose beirce. He's been dead over 100 years so all his stuff is on Wikipedia

Killer. I didnt know he did anything besides the Devil's Dictionary which I dig.

[Art Shirk]

Short story?

To be fair, you can get through most of his stuff in a sitting if you are committed and have alcohol handy. To Have and Have Not took me two happy hours in Mexico last time. May as well add that one to the list as a great quick read.

I'm reading Armageddon in Retrospect right now and there is some great stuff in there. Rekindled some interest after I saw SH 5 at a local playhouse a few weeks ago. Well done except too many wangs.

[Flyoverland Captive]

By nature, I'm a sci fi kinda guy. Lots of my favorites have already been mentioned. But Evaline is perhaps my favorite short story ever.

Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away I was responsible for a chunk of a certain startup. When I had a candidate who was hesitant to accept, or sometimes even really pursue, a job offer due to the perceived risk of going to a startup (and taking a big pay cut to boot), I'd send them a copy of Dubliners with Evaline bookmarked - and suggest they read it and give me a yell afterward if they were so inclined. It was a test.

I still recommend Evaline it to folks looking at big decisions and shrinking from risk. You should suggest that your students reread it regularly. IMO it is one of the greats in the English language - right up there with poetry of the class of Prufrock, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Ozymandias, etc... All in a few short pages. The more years I put behind me, the more profound its impact is.

Hadn't read that before; thanks. Just read it online; good stuff.

[LightRanger]

I always dug London's To Build A Fire.

[dookeyXXX]

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson comes to mind as a genuine headcracker when I read it in junior high.

[dookeyXXX]

"The Night They Missed The Horror Show" by Joe R. Lansdale is crazy, if you like Modern Southern Gothic Horror.

[yeahman]

"A Father's Story," by Andre Dubus.

https://fictionwritersreview.com/sho...y-andre-dubus/

BTW speaking of Jack London, I recently listened to the audiobook recording of "The Sea Wolf." Not a short story, more a short novel, but highly recommended. The reader blew me away. Frickin great story too. London was something else.

[dookeyXXX]

"The Night They Missed The Horror Show" by Joe R. Lansdale is crazy, if you like Modern Southern Gothic Horror.

Found it archived online (warning: it's pretty fucked up):

http://www.revolutionsf.com/fiction/horrorshow/01.html

[schindlerpiste]

The Sun Also Rises

Dude, this is a novel (My favorite novel), but The Snows of Kilimanjaro is my favorite short story, which is also by Hemingway

Otherwise, The Dead - Joyce
The Tell Tale Heart - Poe
The Gift Of The Magi - Henry

[Flyoverland Captive]

“I have no mouth, and I must scream” - Harlan Ellison

[dookeyXXX]

“I have no mouth, and I must scream” - Harlan Ellison

That's a solid one.

Although I have to admit that I have always been partial to "Along The Scenic Route" and "Repent, Harlequin!, Said The Ticktockman"...

[Flyoverland Captive]

Can’t go wrong with Ellison. Or Bradbury.

[Obstruction]

If you like listening to fiction The New Yorker fiction podcast offers a nice collection of short stories (mostly) that have appeared in the New Yorker chosen by and read by the authors of other fiction. They then discuss the stories with New Yorker fiction editor Deborah Triesman.

The stories are not from the current edition of the New Yorker, some were written as long as 60 years ago. A new one is uploaded each month. Oh, and it’s free, no subscription necessary.

You can listen on the New Yorker website or by downloading the app. I like the app because I can listen in the car or whilst mowing the lawn.

Recent offerings include:

https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/fi...-john-lheureux
https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/fi...dorothy-parker
https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/fi...ds-don-delillo

[dookeyXXX]

Ron Carlson is an excellent short story scribe.

His collection, AT THE JIM BRIDGER, is teeming with solid short stories.