I don’t know why short stories don’t get more love. I’ll sometimes see publishers or agents say they won’t sell, or people don’t want them, but it seems like in this era of micro attention spans, maybe it is time for a resurgence.
I’ve loved short stories for as long as I can remember, which goes back to at least junior high, maybe earlier when I was introduced to O. Henry and Edgar Allan Poe and carried through to many current favorites such as Ron Rash, Flannery O’Connor, Raymond Carver, and many others. For Book #6 in this series, though, I went to the KING and the writer who inspired my ENG 322 Fiction Writing students to suggest this idea of a book club for the summer: Ernest Hemingway. The book is The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. I’m using the Finca Vigia Edition, which is arguably the most complete, but his works are collected in many places, and some stories are easily accessible on various websites.
You could make the case that Poe invented or at the very least pioneered the short story with his notion of a tale that could be read and enjoyed (and was complete) in one sitting. Don’t worry, we’ll get to Poe later, but this one is about Hemingway’s greatness.
I taught an entire class one semester on Hemingway, and I use his work in almost every single class I teach at Barton College. “Hills Like White Elephants” is the one I go to the most for many reasons. The story was originally published in 1927 — yes, 99 years ago — in the literary magazine, transition. It is mostly a conversation between a man and a woman, seemingly sparse in the Hemingway style, but tells so much with what’s not revealed and what is. Since I try to avoid spoilers, I won’t reveal the topic, but I’ll say it’s controversial, and so much so for the time that it is never overtly stated. The symbolism and breadcrumbs are sprinkled throughout — for example, most people know of “white elephant” Christmas parties, but many don’t realize that “white elephant” has another meaning, an unexpected gift. This is a fun one to discuss, and I always tell my classes not to Google the full meaning before reading because they will ruin the fun of getting there, and most of them take my advice. It’s often the best discussion of the semester.
Inside of all these stories are several that include a recurring character, Nick Adams. Many people — myself included — will argue that “Big Two-Hearted River,” which comes in two parts, may be Hemingway’s finest work. It’s hard to say — I think it’s kind of like trying to pick a favorite child. Don’t miss “In Another Country.” “The Killers” is another Adams story (1927) that no doubt influenced crime thrillers and the film noir era. I had a student pick “Indian Camp” for her reading journal, which made me extremely proud. When I asked her about it, she took a deep breath and said, “Whew.” That’s a 1924 story and one of many that seems to make it clear that Hemingway was Nick Adams.
“Cat in the Rain” is a great story where simple word choice reveals so much about the characters and the story in a very short space. One of my favorite bands is The Turnpike Troubadours and they have an album of the same name, which is a callback to the story. “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” and “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” are among my favorites. “Soldier’s Home” was about PTSD decades before the term existed. “The Battler” is about sports gambling. There is simply a lot to love, and often, outside of some slang, there are very few markers to date the stories.
Hemingway, like every other human, had his flaws, and many were serious. He was not faithful to his wives and often treated his friends poorly. He was surrounded by suicide much of his life, and eventually exited this world the same way. But, as I tell my students, if we only studied angels, we wouldn’t have very many things to read and talk about.
In full disclosure, I am a huge Hemingway fan, and that has grown over time. I like his novels, but love the short stories, and I don’t think anyone has done it better over such a volume of work. Most still seem relevant a century after they were written. These stories are great for those who feel like they can’t read “something long.” There’s always more than meets the eye, and most give something extra on every re-read.
You can get some great insights on Hemingway by reading Papa Hemingway by A. E. Hotchner, and I’m getting ready to read his biography by Carlos Baker, so I’ll report back on that. I reserve the right to cover the novels and A Moveable Feast in another post.
Discussion questions/thinking thoughts: What makes a work timeless? What does so much dialogue do for a story? What does it mean to say a writing style is “sparse”?
Writing Prompt: Start a story based on one of your oldest childhood memories, but then take that and make it into a fictional piece.
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