Classic Short Literature
Published July 21, 2004
I have a short attention span. (Don't I have a bill to pay?)
I really do. (Did I set my alarm clock for tomorrow?)
And that's why I like short stories. (Okay...I guess I'll concentrate on this...for a minute or two...)
I own many Sci-Fi paperback anthologies of short stories. I also own every short story collection Stephen King has ever written.
But, when it comes to classic, time-tested stuff, nothing beats good ol' O. Henry.
I've said this before, but if you can manage to read The Gift Of The Magi without choking up, I do not believe you are a member of the human species.
Other classics include: The Ransom Of Red Chief, The Ransom Of Mack, After Twenty Years, and A Cosmopolite in a Cafe.
If you have yet to explore the varied world of O. Henry, I encourage you to do so now by purchasing one of the collections offered below.
To quote the late, great Sam Kinison, though in a completely different context: "You'll thank me later!"
RJ Elliott is a graduate student studying Criminal Justice at the University Of Central Florida. His likes include nature, sports, and pierced blondes. He dislikes daytime television, left-wing dictators, and lead-tainted Chinese imports. He is ambivalent about Angelina Jolie.
- Classic Short Literature
- Published: July 21, 2004
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- Section: Books
- Filed Under: Books: Crime, Books: Entertainment, Books: Literature and Fiction, Books: Original Fiction
- Writer: RJ Elliott
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The last time I was in New York City on a business trip, I was having supper at Pete's Tavern near Gramercy Park with the some other people. There are signs all over the place about how O. Henry drank himself to death there.
One of the fellows says, "who's O. Henry", and I listed off some stories, including "Gift of the Magi", then I pointed to the plaque which said he wrote that story in the booth we were sitting in.
RIP, Jim Carruthers.
Just re-read "The Gift Of The Magi." Got all emotional again, as I always do when I read it.
Sigh...
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Short attention span, eh? Have you tried Borges?