Ten Short Modern Novels

by Leo Hamalian (Editor)

Such masters of fiction as Conrad, Tolstoy, and Faulkner are represented in an anthology for literature courses.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

754 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book my mother used in college in the mid-60's In the mid-nineties, I read through these stories as a teenager and although I had long been a voracious reader, they had a profound effect on me and opened up a world of what fiction can be as a true art. Three of the ten works remain my favorite works as all time, the others with perhaps two exceptions are also powerful, often philosophical, pieces of literature.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

lazzarone: noun; beggar, scoundrel, rogue.

as·per·i·ty/əˈsperədē/
noun; harshness of tone or manner.

“It's queer how out of touch with truth women are. They live in a world of their own, and there had never been anything like it, and never can be. It is too beautiful altogether, and if they were to set it up it would go to pieces before the first sunset. Some confounded fact we men have been living contentedly with ever since the day of creation would start up and knock the whole thing over.” - Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness, 1899

This paragraph is a product of its time and the character speaking, to be sure. But it's fascinating to me that the whole thing is equally true if you reverse the genders and change one other word:

“It's queer how out of touch with truth men are. They live in a world of their own, and there had never been anything like it, and never can be. It is too rugged altogether, and if they were to set it up it would go to pieces before the first sunset. Some confounded fact we women have been living contentedly with ever since the day of creation would start up and knock the whole thing over.”

ten·e·brous ˈtenəbrəs/
adjective: dark; shadowy or obscure.

“And in the hush that had fallen suddenly upon the whole sorrowful land, the immense wilderness, the colossal body of the fecund and mysterious life seemed to look at her, pensive, as though it had been looking at the image of its own tenebrous and passionate soul.” - Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness.

This volume is a wonderful collection of short novels by authors from the US, Europe, and Russia. These stories give us writers at the top of their profession and the height of their skill and talent. Several, Tolstoy Conrad Faulkner, I intend to read more of. All of them I'm glad I had a chance to experience. Not only are they well told stories on their own, they all illustrate a wider context of the authors' lives and society around them. I especially loved that the editors give us an extended essay about the author and the story at the end of each piece instead of a couple of unsatisfactory paragraphs all lumped together in an introduction. This gives the reader a chance to read the story unbiased and form their own opinion and then fill in and expand that opinion with the details and context of the author's life and career. A pleasure to read.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with writing that was considered modern in 1970. That's why it's interesting.

[Andrea Conarro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ivan Ilyich, Colonel Kurtz, darkness everywhere but ever so well written.

[Nate Heller · Rating 5 out of 5]

just about every book in this collection is fantastic. I read it every couple years.

[Edgar W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have Read:
The Pastoral Symphony by Andre Gide
The Beast in the Jungle by Henry James

[Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection, but seriously lacking anything from women authors.