War of the Clowns by Mia Couto -- Review

António Emílio Leite Couto, better known as Mia Couto is a Mozambican writer. The story “War of the Clowns” represents a wonderful piece of flash fiction. 

The author describes a fight between two clowns. It's clear that the clowns are a metaphor. One possible interpretation is that politicians are presented in the story as the clowns. As is usual in flash fiction, the central message becomes apparent when the reader reaches the end.

Here is the link to the text of the story:

http://www.massreview.org/sites/default/files/Couto%2C%20Mia.pdf

Silas The Good by H.E. Bates — Review

The short story “Silas The Good” by H.E. Bates told about a meeting of two people: uncle Silas and an unknown lady. It happened in the graveyard where uncle Silas worked.

There are two interpretations of the story. According to the first version, the main idea is the irony of the narrator in terms of a naive lady. The second interpretation is based on the importance of sincerity in communication between people.

Readers can decide what is the moral of the narration after reading this very short story.




Here is the link to the text of the story:
https://www.vma.is/static/files/enska/Bokmenntir/Short%20Stories/SilastheGood_Bates.pdf

Marriage Is a Private Affair by Chinua Achebe — Review

The short story “Marriage Is a Private Affair” by Chinua Achebe is about a moral dilemma that many people face. In this story, the attitudes of a father and his son toward marriage are very different.

The author displays his opinion about making the right choices in the title. Nevertheless, readers might have another opinion about the conflict. Parents often expect that their children don’t disobey them.



https://www.hamilton.k12.nj.us/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinst anceid=11700&dataid=404

A Visit of Charity by Eudora Welty -- Review

The plot of the story "A Visit of Charity" by Eudora Welty consists of only one scene: a teenage girl visits the Old Ladies' Home as an obligation for school duties. The dialog between her and two old ladies scares her but she easily forgets about it after she leaves the house.

Here is the link to the text of the story:

https://literaryfictions.com/fiction-1/a-visit-of-charity/

Where was Wych Street? By Stacy Aumonier — Review

The short story “Where was Wych Street?” by Stacy Aumonier belongs to the genre of social satire. The narrator exaggerates this feature of human nature to dispute objects which the reader can consider as non-essential.

The story also describes typical relationships in the local community: people discuss their neighbours, local infrastructure and so on.



This is the link to the text of the story:

https://shortstoriesshort.com/story/where-was-wych-street/

Come To Atlanta! by Masha Kurbatova — Review

The short story “Come To Atlanta!” by Masha Kurbatova tells a story of a relationship between a woman and a man who have no hope to find their true love. They are trying to pursue themselves because the current partner or the counterpart is not so bad acceptable as well.

One of them was invited to another “You should come to Atlanta,” knowing that it is not a real invitation. Another answered, “I don't know if I can. Work --”. That routine of life which is shown in the story has been experienced by many people. The story was chosen as a winning entry on the site blog.reedsy.com

Here is the link to the text of the story:
https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/contests/63/submissions/38383/

An Encounter by James Joyce -- Review

The short story "An Encounter" by James Joyce belongs to the famous collection of this prominent Irish writer - "Dubliners".

The narrator is a boy who tells a story about games which children used to play, books which they have to read in school and those they want to read and so on.

The central part of the story is a meeting which boys have during their journey. They encounter a strange man who talks about things that children can't understand. As often takes place in James Joyce’s stories, the story can have many different interpretations which are good for discussion.

James Joyce’s vantage point of everyday life in Ireland during his childhood would be interesting for readers who want to know more about Irish culture.

Here is the link to the text of the story:

https://bookscafe.net/read/joyce_james-an_encounter-258689.html#p1