In Brief 1st (first) edition Text Only

by Mary Paumier Jones

From Harriet Doerr's recollection of a halcyon time to Josephine Jacobsen's reverie on memory, In Brief offers vivid glimpses into the ways experience can be shaped in language that is fresh and inventive. The seventy-three authors here include the known - John McPhee, Cynthia Ozick, James Salter - as well as remarkable new writers. Essays (all under 2000 words) range from Frank McCourt's search for his father in the pubs of Limerick to William Maxwell's thoughts about growing old; from Charles Baxter's early experience of reading to Brady Udall's confession as a liar. In each piece, imagination becomes a way to explore reality. The real world we are fortunate enough to live in is revealed as endlessly rich and deep.

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction, Memoir, Anthologies, Writing, Short Stories

Paperback

First published June 1, 1999

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

“In Brief: Short Takes on the Personal” is a collection of short nonfiction essays. All of the text’s essays are under 2000 words, most of them well under. The book contains 72 pieces in all, ranging from the simply brilliant to the quite awful.
The power in this book are the examples of writing that demonstrate universal human truths that some of the authors manage to fit into these concise pieces. “Asparagus” and “Existing Things” are two such excellent works in this collection. Another joy of this book are the unexpected pieces that pop out at you. “Considering the Lilies” is an interesting essay on clothing and it comes out of nowhere and sticks with you. I love writing that does that.
Of course, there are more than a few misses in this text, and more than a few essays that are so meandering I did not see the point. “The McKenzie River” and “How to Tell One Bird from the Next” are two such excruciating belaboring pieces. In addition, they follow one another in the book. However, the benefit of short pieces, you soon move past them.
Special mention goes to the essay “January 13” by Rick Bass. It is less than a page long, and it is one of the best pieces in the text. Overall “In Brief: Short Takes on the Personal” is an okay collection, best used as call of nature reading for which it seems especially designed.
I am sure you will find something in it of value.

[Ben Siems · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of several books I've read lately that focuses on the modern phenomenon of extreme brevity in literature. It truly is continually fascinating to experience how much a skilled author can convey in very, very few words.

That being said, this being a collection of very personal creative nonfiction, I found it not quite as dynamic or compelling as similar collections of fiction, such as Flash Fiction.

Still, if not a great read, without question, a good one, and a very good choice to have along while traveling or in any other context where reading time is likely to be plentiful but sporadic.

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book traveling around on my shelves for over a decade (my notes say that I picked it up at the Newton dump when taking the recycling down for my old fabrication job). It took me this long to figure out how to read it.
I like to give short stories their proper due- to read one in a sitting, and let it sit for a bit before reading the next. These stories, though are SO short- between one and four pages, they take no more than a few minutes to read, and yet each still deserves the proper time to think about it. I finally got it.
This book is the best bathroom reading I have ever had. It's improved my days for several months, one or two stories a day. I will go back to reading dumb comics in the bathroom, now that I've finished it, but I will miss the brief moments of beauty that this book imparted on my day.
As always with an anthology, some stories grabbed me more than others, but the average is pretty high, here.

[Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

“There was a fad in the 90's of very short fictional pieces. This is a collection. Some are quite good. Only a few are terrible.

One of the best is John McPhee's "Swimming with Canoes". It weaves together adventure, suspense, childhood recollection that is both nostalgic and frightening, and a clear description of an ancient technology, all on a few pages. I remember reading his book "The Birch Bark Canoe" 20 or 30 years ago. I don't know if the short piece here was excerpted from that book or not.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal essays by well known and not so well known authors. Great book to have in your car or bag to read in waiting rooms or when you are stuck in traffic or on hold.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing collections of short essays. I would recommend this to anyone interested in writing nonfiction and memoir.

[Holli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another collection of depressing creative nonfiction essays. At least these are super short.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

I got the impression stories were written in by mostly older people, ranging from amateur to illuminating.

I highlighted a line from each story, and that waa fun ✉️✍️

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standouts:

*****
Nearing 90 - William Maxwell

Long ago, a neighbor in the country looking at our flower garden, said, "Children and roses reflect their care." This is true of the very old as well.

*****
Dealing with the Discovery of Death Inside an Embassy in October of 1973, in Santiago de Chile - Ariel Dorfman

*****
Swimming with Canoes - John McPhee

*****
Stuck with Strangers - Castle Freeman, Jr.

What was served? I'm not sure, but I suspect that these unhurried rural negotiations of suggestion and advice, assertion and doubt, amount to a kind of ceremony affirming a principle that many people—including, I’m afraid, me—prefer to neglect: Nobody does anything alone. Even those people who think they do—those people especially—need help, get help, take help gratefully, but never quite on their own terms. When your helpers arrive, they give what they have, in their own way, in their own time. Your part is to receive, to accept, and to learn, so that when you come to the same ceremony in the opposite role, you’ll know what offering to bring.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of the Short-Short story. There are many beautiful pieces of work in this anthology that illustrate what very few well-chosen words it takes to show movement in a story. This book is a wonderful expression of how a collection of multiple authors can follow a connected thread as the book unfolds. One idea clearly leads to the next, from story to story. While the author's of the stories should be commended for their work, the editorial decisions concerning order and framing of stories stood out.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is some interesting work in this collection, but my beef with it is the same as my problem with Kitchen's earlier collection, IN SHORT -- most of these are excerpts, not complete works, so there's no sense of a story arc, or even a completion of thought. These short takes are a nice way to find new writers, then go and seek out their work in its full expression.

[Tara A · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I focus on one hemlock twig, green needles half-penetrating the snow puff upon it. I breathe from my hara, exhailing my breath into the universe. I will know forever this twig. Of all the twigs in the forest, this has been seen."

[Hannah Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. But the last piece, "Artifacts of Memory," pushed me towards 4. Many pieces were so-so, and I'm still not sure if I'm going to chuck this in the give-away pile. Along with "Artifacts of Memory," "Man of Letters" is also a must read.

[Michael Brantley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The idea of "flash nonfiction" is really cool, and the variety and writing here is a real showcase. Would be very easy to read again and be surprised all over. If you even remotely like creative nonfiction, this is a must have.

[Rachel Pollock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for a class i'm taking this summer in my MFA program, lots and lots of short-form essays, some brilliant, some decent, some crappy. An inspiring overview of short form constructions.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Over 70 very short stories of life as seen through the eyes of imaginative people, this was a decent read. The stories were varied whether they were a hit or a miss, but overall pretty entertaining.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings on this collection of very short personal essays. I like creative non-fiction and I like short pieces, so perhaps my expectations of this collection were too high. Although the stories (pieces? whatever) are grouped somewhat thematically, I tried jumping around to spice it up. Some stories struck true, but after reading a handful at a time, they fell flat.

Essentially, this might be a great bedside - or coffee-table -or breakfast nook, etc, book, that is picked up occasionally for just a snippet. My attention and understanding was too helter-skelter to try to read it in longer spells within a library loan period.

Will try again.