Flash Fiction: 72 Very Short Stories [Paperback]

Tom Hazuka (Editor), Denise Thomas (Editor), James Thomas (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 17, 1992

"These stories are not merely flashes in the pan; there's pay dirt here!" —DeWitt Henry, editor of Ploughshares

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this collection of 72 previously published stories--none longer than 750 words--Raymond Carver, Luisa Valenzuela, Margaret Atwood and John Updike mingle with talented lesser knowns to form a marvelously varied bouquet. Bruce Holland Rogers describes a man who pours his unrequited love into a poem comparing his beloved's thunderously exhilarating effect on him to ``the Burlington Northern southbound out of Fort Collins.'' In Julia Alvarez's tale, set during the Cuban missile crisis, a young immigrant girl panics when she spots deadly fallout--until she learns it is snow, each flake unique, like a person. A man looking at an old photo of his parents sees not the second of promise captured on paper but the tragic consequences 20 years in the future, in Paul Lisicky's work. And Allan Gurganus's narrator shows that ``despite persistent rumors to the contrary, my grandfather did not die driving a Toyota across his pond'' in an attempt to prove the excellence of this car, for which he had conceived a bizarre passion. Savor this collection one minute at a time. James Thomas and Denise Thomas edit The Best of the West series; Hazuka is fiction editor of Quarterly West .

Copyright 1992 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“In just a little more time than it will take you to read this paragraph you can sample any one of the seventy-two very short stories in this anthology of brilliant miniatures. Some of the selections have already become so-called 'modern classics,' while many others deserve to become much more widely known. You can space out your reading of these epiphanic delicacies over a week or even months. Dear Browser, I have to confess, I gobbled them up in a day!” (Alan Cheuse, National Public Radio )

“Flash Fiction is fun. I loved the variety and surprise of these stories. They should spark great dinner conversation, class discussion, and perhaps inspire some marathon writers to sprint and see what happens.” (Jerome Stern, author of Making Shapely Fiction )

“Flash Fiction is purely and simply a delight. Lots of stars are mustered here, but best of all for my money are the newer names and voices that speak well to and for the future.” (George Garrett, Henry Hoyns Professor of Creative Writing, University of Virginia )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; First Edition edition (July 17, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393308839
• ISBN-13: 978-0393308839
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #201,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST OF SHORT SHORT ANTHOLOGIES April 4, 2002

By Rick Hogrefe

Format:Paperback

I was introduced to the genre of short shorts in graduate school and have used them in my classes and enjoyed them at home ever since. The Sudden Fiction anthologies are very good, but this is by far my favorite. My students are sometimes frustrated by the postmodern nature of the short short--they want answers. But after a while, they too are caught up in the excitement that these stories create. Stories such as "I Get Smart," "Snow" and "The One Sitting There" make this purchase more than worth the money.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Short Stories for Intelligent Readers January 9, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I've had a copy of this book for years. It's dog-eared, and it's traveled with me when I've gone on trips. The book contains many stories, of varying styles and topics, from many different authors. Because of the brevity of the stories, they take on an odd character, somewhere between stories and poetry, though they are all in prose form. Some, like the beautiful first story "Brilliant Silence," describes the events of many years within two small pages. Others, such as "Gold Coast," captures a small but significant moment in people's lives. There are even some that tell about someone's life through a list. Many of the stories are unusual, and because they are so short, they can be used to fill small moments (such as when waiting for a bus,) or you can take thw whole book, choosing stories to read on a lazy afternoon. I've found myself picking up the book over and over again, and when I've lent it to friends, they've always found at least a few stories that they've enjoyed.For anyone, especially those who are buy but are searching for stories that are touching, funny, realistic, whimsical . . . well, whatever the taste, really, I strongly recommend this book. Also, because of the varied styles, I might even recommend this to student who are studying writing or literature.Happy Reading. :)

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than 55 words or less, better than micro fiction ... November 14, 2000

By M. J. Smith VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The stories in flash fiction read as though their diminutive size came naturally; these are stories that were printed without regard to their size but have been reprinted because of their size. Unfortunately, many of the stories would be more satisfying within a mix of story sizes ... the stories are simply shorter than one's mind switches between stories. The anthology is a standard mix of stories that have strong appeal, are technically fine but "don't speak to me", and those you wonder why they were printed. Personal favorites:

The Corporal by Carolyn Forche, I first read as a prose poem. This story speaks strongly to the mentality behind repressive governments - a theme strong in much of Forche's work.

Girl by Jamaica Kincaid is a story that shows the creativity of Kincaid (best illustrated by At the Bottom of the River) that speaks in an unusual way to the relationship between a girl and her mother ... and her mother's expectations.

Bread by Margaret Atwood may not exactly be a narrative but again it is a strong piece regarding social justice in a variety of forms.

Subtotals by Gregory Burnham is an interesting evaluation of life by enumeration - a clever idea well executed that left me less than satisfied.

The Haircut by Mary Morris is a story in which non-verbal communication in an intimate relationship is well used; still I found the story only interesting.

Spencer Holst's Brilliant Silence is a brilliant story of dancing bears deserted by their owner but still dancing.

Richard Shelton's The Stones is another brilliant story built on a premise of stones having life of a sort.

Adrienne Clasky's From the Floodlands explores a setting so wet that one can drown in the air, that the sky and the sea merge as the horozin fails to delinate the line between them.

Other tales may catch your attention; there is sufficient variety that nearly everyone should fine some stories to their liking.