* The Collected Stories by Katherine Mansfield
* Self-Help, by Lorrie Moore
So we have at least another 43 we should be reviewing, it seems.
The Millions also has a fascinating interview with short short story writer Barry Yourgrau whose book "Keitai Stories," a collection of flash stories, was released for cell phones by a prominent Japanese publishing house, before making the transition to print.
The Millions: You've been writing short stories for cell phones in Japan. When did you start? How did you come up with the idea?
BY: Got the idea when visiting In Tokyo for the first time in 2002, I saw kids surfing the Internet on cell phones (keitai). I thought my stories, which are generally very short, would be just right for cell-phone reading. Especially if I made 'em even briefer. (Which is an interesting exercise: as Woody Allen says somewhere, a general note to improve any comic writing is, Make It Shorter.)
Seems to be an excellent strategy - 100,000 readers accessed the stories online. What a great thing for the short - and short short - story!
1 comment:
This is a great post, thanks, Tania. I'm in touch with a TV producer who's currently wooing the Beeb with a view to i-pod serials, and he's already joined the dots to flash fic, so this story will boost his case brilliantly. If Japan's doing it, it must be The Future!
Also, fascinating to read that list of top short story collections. I'm glad Katherine Mansfield made it. I may have a (male) reviewer for the John Cheever collection if I can work my charms. Would you be interested?
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