The books pictured are just a few of the short-story books I have. Amongst the others are Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories (surprisingly accessible) and a Doctor Who collection that was published to mark 50 years of the great man (pre-Jodie Whittaker). Fair to say, I think, I have varied taste.
At the moment, I'm reading Bryant & May: England's Finest by Christopher Fowler. The stories are great and the writing is amazing, of course, but I think his full-length novels featuring these two characters are better. (He'll be crying all the way to the bank.) On the other hand, Property by Lionel Shriver is every bit as good as her novels. Closer to home, my writing pal Louise Jensen, well-known for her terrific psychological thrillers and about to break into the romance market under her nom de plume Amelia Henley, has just had a short story accepted by My Weekly magazine.
Do you think an author's short stories can be an indication of that person's style as a writer of novels, and vice versa, or are they such different media as to necessitate separate appraisal?
That's such a hard question to answer. In a short story you don't get to see the full array of the author's skills. There just isn't enough room. But I think you can still get a sense the author's style.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to comment. It's good to know someone reads this stuff.
DeleteAs a writer, I find short stories & novels completely different beasts. I find it very difficult to switch between the too. A short story tends to be a moment in time without the luxury of developing depth. I admire those who can successfully write both!
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, I don't know whether lock down is affecting people's reading preferences but sales of my short stories have gone up over the last 6 weeks - still far from bestseller status though!
That's great news, Sally. Perhaps people are turning to reading for solace, but can't quite stomach anything too long or taxing.
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