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Top Ten Stories

The Guardian are posting a series of podcasts in the lead up to Christmas with different authors reading and discussing their favourite short stories. The first one is Philip Pullman reading Chekov's 'The Beauties':

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/series/short-stories-podcast

The Guardian also featured an article in the paper’s review section on the weekend about said favourite short stories, with my own preferences echoed by Jeanette Winterson and Colm Toibin. So I thought I’d post my own favourite top ten here. But just to say first, there’s been a lot written recently (particularly in an introduction to a certain Granta collection) along the lines of the-British-not-being-able-to-write-short-stories-as-well-as-the-Irish type of thing. Well, I have to say that some of the finest short story writers I’ve ever read are in fact, British.  I wonder is it  a rather jingoistic thing to group pieces of writing under 'national' umbrellas anyway? Probably not - though I imagine it helps if you don't take a pop at another nation. Anyway, with my eyebrow suitably lowered now, here's my list of my favourite short stories. They emanate from many different lands (!) and are in no particular order of preference, although number one is very much my number one.

1.    A Rose for Emily, William Faulkner
2.    The Killers, Ernest Hemingway
3.    The Jester of Astapova, Rose Tremain
4.    The Shared Patio, Miranda July
5.    The Comforts of Home, Flannery O’Connor
6.    Antarctica, Claire Keegan
7.    Muggins Here, David Mitchell
8.    Heaven Lies About Us, Eugene McCabe
9.    Bounty Hunter, Joyce Carol Oates
10.    The Limeroom, John Burnside

Reading this I realise I've missed out the gorgeous 'Larks' Eggs' by Desmond Hogan, so I have to include this. A joint 6th or 5th, I think.

Comments

  1. authorsoundsbetterthanwriterDecember 14, 2010 at 7:25 AM

    Thanks for this. I'll definitely go and check it out. I love the other Guardian literary podcast, where they invite authors in to discuss so this should be good as well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JAKI MCCARRICKDecember 14, 2010 at 8:59 AM

    Hey Chibundu, welcome and thanks for comment. I will definitely look out for the other podcast you mention here. And I absolutely love the title of your forthcoming book. I'll be looking out for it in my local bookshop next year. Wishing you the best of luck with it too.

    ReplyDelete

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