Featured Stories

The Address

The Address: Short story by Marga MincoMajor themes of this story by Marga Minco are trust, betrayal, connection, and letting go. A young Jewish woman, the only member of her family to survive World War 2, visits a ‘friend’ of her mother’s with whom she had entrusted family valuables for safekeeping during the war. Her purpose is to ‘see, touch and remember’ the items, and perhaps to reclaim some to decorate her small rented room. The woman initially rebuffs her, and when she later returns and is admitted by the woman’s daughter, she sees her family’s prize possessions displayed and in daily use around the house.

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Dahong Palay

Dahong Palay: Short story by Arturo B. RotorThe Filipino term dahong palay has several meanings: a rice leaf, a single edged sword and, as in this story by Arturo B. Rotor, a deadly viper. A young man is the butt of constant jokes about his timid nature and slight build. An attempt to prove himself at a community rice-pounding gathering leads to further ridicule. Later, when bitten by a dahong palay to save his prospective girlfriend, he proves that resourcefulness, strength and courage aren’t dependent upon how well-built you are. Themes: community, body image, bullying, young love, courage.

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Lost Forests

Lost Forests: Quick Read by Johannes V. JensenOn the surface, major themes of this story by Johannes Jensen are exploitation of man (slavery) and nature (deforestation). However, there is also a deeper theme… “progress” and the need to adapt or perish. When a primitive slave is freed after years of toil, he learns that not only has the idyllic lifestyle he yearned for in his home forests disappeared, but there is no place for him in the outside world. He returns to his former master, accepts the occasional whipping “to keep him meek and respectful”, and raises a family of like-minded slaves. Other themes include longing, acceptance.

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The Happiest I’ve Been

The Happiest I've Been: Short story by John UpdikeThis acclaimed story from John Updike concludes with the protagonist attributing his overwhelming happiness to driving a powerful car through the stunning Pennsylvania countryside, blessed irresponsibility, a waiting girl who would marry him, and twice being trusted enough for someone to fall asleep beside him. The second-year university student is on the cusp of manhood. Observing the party he had been going to all his life the previous night taught the shy loner that he, along with his friends, have out-grown childhood and need to move on with their lives. Themes: solitude, nostalgia, transition (from childhood to adulthood), looking ahead.

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The Wedding Dance

The Wedding Dance: Short story by Amador DaguioThe major themes of this touching story by Amador Daguio are tradition, love and courage. Set in pre-colonial Philippines, a villager follows custom and remarries when his wife fails to conceive. Despite their pledges of love, neither challenges this unwritten law. Whether the theme of “courage” has positive or negative connotations for the protagonist depends on the reader’s interpretation as to why she walks away from her husband’s second wedding dance. Is this because she lacks the courage to confront the tribal elders, or because she finds the courage to “let go” and sacrifice her happiness for her husband’s honor?

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The Bound Man

The Bound Man: Short story by Ilse AichingerThis Kafkaesque story by Ilse Aichinger opens with a man waking up to find himself bleeding and bound from head to toe. The ropes are loose enough to allow some movement, but cannot be untied. With difficulty, he manages to stand and “walk” to a nearby village where a circus owner hires him as a performer. He not only becomes famous, but insists on wearing the same bonds night and day for the whole season. In an ambiguous conclusion, an act of compassion ends his career. Themes include insecurity, turning adversity into opportunity, freedom vs. restriction, loneliness, self-discovery, compassion.

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The Queen of Spades

The Queen of Spades: Short story by Alexander PushkinThis entertaining, quite witty story from Alexander Pushkin shows how greed can overcome our better judgement when presented with a seemingly easy way to make money. A young soldier spends hours watching his fellow officers gamble at cards. He never joins in because he can’t afford to risk his small savings. When he learns that an old socialite knows a secret strategy that always wins at faro, he devises a heartless plan to learn it. He begins to gamble using her information, winning and doubling the bet each time. Unfortunately for him, the old socialite has the last laugh.

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Wise Folks

Wise Folks: German folktale from the Brothers GrimmIn this folktale (aka The Clever People), a cruel farmer is angry with his wife because she was cheated out of two cows. He promises not beat her for it if can find someone more foolish. He soon finds one: a widow who is worried about how well her dead husband is doing in Heaven. The farmer makes up for losing his cows by cheating the widow out of a bag of money and stealing a horse from her son. At the end of the story, he seems to think that it is OK to cheat foolish people.

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