McSweeney's Issue 47

McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern #47

by Dave Eggers (Editor), Shirley Jackson (Contributor), Jason D. Polan (Contributor)

Issue 47 brings with it a gale of bracing fiction from writers new and old—two never-before-seen stories from “Lottery” author Shirley Jackson, a portrait of a celebrity interview gone terribly wrong from Thomas McGuane, dark reflections from Lynn Coady and Mona Simpson, an excerpt from Bill Cotter’s latest novel, new work from Bob Odenkirk, and much, much more.
From father-daughter surfing duels to sinister substitute teachers to a parlor drama called “Hitler Dinner Party” (thank you, Mr. Odenkirk), this one may well have it all. And its packaging, in ten separate booklets bedecked with one panoramic mega-illustration, ensures that you’ll always be able to carry at least part of it around.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

185 pages, Pamphlets in sleeve

First published February 11, 2014

About the author

Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is best known for his 2000 memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, which became a bestseller and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Eggers is also the founder of several notable literary and philanthropic ventures, including the literary journal Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, the literacy project 826 Valencia, and the human rights nonprofit Voice of Witness. Additionally, he founded ScholarMatch, a program that connects donors with students needing funds for college tuition. His writing has appeared in numerous prestigious publications, including The New Yorker, Esquire, and The New York Times Magazine.

Reviews

[Grant Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great issue of McSweeney's and the physical book itself is great with a nice leather bound shell filled with pamphlets. My favorite pieces in the collections were Shirley Jackson's 2 previously unpublished works along with a great little story by Bill Cotter called The Sea and the Glass.

[Robin Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Presentation is lovely - a slipcover with individually presented stories. I was not a huge fan of many of the stories - maybe just a little too bleak to read during the holidays. I did love the 2 Shirley Jackson stories and how they were presented in their original typewritten and edited format.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly the worst thing in this collection was by Odenkirk, which came as a sad blow to me in the realm of comedy writing. It was . . . not great.

[Gerard Van Elzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice design, a handsome slipcase with ten little booklets (or pamphlets) all by different authors. Makes for very smooth and fast reading. Best stories - to my mind - were
- Bill Cotter's 'The Sea and the Glass',
- Mona Simson's 'Steps'
and the absolute winner of this collection:
- Kawai Strong Washburn's 'What The Ocean Eats'.

[A-ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I'll start with some negative stuff. This issue was too short and for the price, I felt like I did not get my money's worth, especially since I live abroad and have to pay for shipping on top of the price. It was less than 200 pages, including the title pages on each of the ten stories. Two of the "stories" were glorified advertisements for recently released McSweeney's books (in previous issues, these teasers were often in bonus pamphlets, not a part of the journal itself). I love Bob Odenkirk, but I didn't find his writing in this collection to be funny at all; they didn't even get a chuckle from me.

Now, that aside, there was a lot of good writing in here. My favorites:

"The Lie" by Shirley Jackson about a woman returning to her home town to correct a past wrong.

"The Sea and the Glass" by Bill Cotter, a hilarious story about a childhood's pyromaniac phase.

"Steps" by Mona Simpson about a woman visiting her long lost step father.

"Fingerprints" by Justin Bigos, a surreal, swirling collection of anecdotes about a troubled father figure.

And my favorite, "Mr. Hope" by Lynn Coady, telling of a teacher/student relationship. This story had me hee-hawing in few points, even though it's not really a comedic story.

Also, Ben Greenman's letter was fantastic; it had so much narrative in such a short space. So, it was a good McSweeney's overall, I just hope the next is a bit longer.

[Timons Esaias · Rating 4 out of 5]

McSweeney's 47 is a slipcase with ten stapled pamphlets inside. One of the pamphlets is a Letters section, one has two typescripts of previously unprinted Shirley Jackson stories (which are one of the prizes); another contains various humor bits from a book of Bob Odenkirk's, another is eight flash fictions from Josephine Rowe. According to the Web site, the story "Fingerprints" is to appear in the 2015 edition of The Best American Short Stories.

The front covers of the booklets, if laid out side-by-side, produce a panoramic illustration.

It's all good work, though several of the authors settle for the incomplete ending of literary fiction, bringing the story to a crucial moment, but not choosing how it will "come out." (I don't mind that in a story, per se, I write them myself; but when you read five in a row you get the sense of being cheated.)

The Rowe shorts amused me, especially. The collection as a whole reminded me why I subscribe.

[Pia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a real "hit or miss" selection of stories. I found the unifying theme of unfinished business from traumatic childhood very compelling. Lynn Coady and Josephine Rowe's stories were terrific but Bob Odenkirk was a severe disappointment. I heard a little "whomp whomp" in my head every time I got to what was supposed to be a punchline that didn't make me laugh. The letters were amazing and the printing of Shirley Jackson's stories in their vintage typewriter format was great (though sadly I've never liked Jackson all that much). Not my favorite issue by a long shot, but some more than decent work in here-- especially Josephine Rowe and Lynn Coady.

[Heather Pagano · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Shirley Jackson stories were fantastic. Most of the other stories were consistently good, but not great. The theme of the issue was memories of childhood trauma, which didn't make for the most fun issue. Also the format of this issue with all the little pamphlets contained in a box wasn't great for me. I had to keep sorting through booklets to remember what I had and hadn't already read, and eventually started chucking the pamphlets in the recycle bin the moment I'd finished one. Maybe the pamphlets were some brilliant plot by the editors to make us think about what memories we keep and what memories we discard, but from a practical standpoint it was just annoying.

[Jim Lang · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always with McSweeney's, the aesthetics of the book are as important as the content. This selection of ten small booklets in a leather-covered slipcase is another beautiful addition to my collection.

There's some very good stuff inside here too. I liked the Shirley Jackson stories (I've never really read her - not even The Lottery), and the pieces by Kawai Strong Washburn, Justin Bigos, and Josephine Rowe the most. I've also learned that there is no point in reading Bob Odenkirk's new book - the guy is as unfunny on the page as he is annoying in Breaking Bad.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing here really spoke to me. The Justin Bigos story was good. The Bill Cotter selection was also pretty good. I also liked the letters, for me they were probably the best part. My overall impression, unfortunately, was that this collection as a whole was forgettable. Not worth the price of admission. Generally a high quality publication; don't judge them on this one. Can't all be home-runs. 2.5/5

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

an unfortunately slight volume from the mcsweeney's quarterly, with a double handful of individually bound stories/collections with connected artwork in a pretty slipcase. the stories largely revolve around the flaws and fixations of childhood, but few stand out and too large a fraction serve as teaser snippets from other mcsweeney's publications. the shirley jackson stories do not compel, and bob odenkirk was unfortunately unfunny, too.

[D'Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the stories in #47 were okay. The selections from Bob Odenkirk were pretty lame. His spoof Martin Luther King Jr. speech felt like something a white undergrad who didn't know much about MLK Jr. would be unjustifiably super proud to turn in to a creative writing class. But Lynn Coady's short story "Mr. Hope" was great. Definitely made me want to read more from her.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A particularly enjoyable selection of stories. Nice to have an Australian writer in there too. The pamphlets were slightly fiddle reading on the tram, but generally fun to read with and gave you a nice sense of progress through the issue.

[Brandon Forsyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of stories in this issue of the quarterly revolve around childhood memories, which I'm usually a sucker for. Standouts from Lynn Coady, Mona Simpson, and Shirley Jackson, whose work is reproduced from her typewritten originals. McSweeney's once again delivers the cool.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good Bill Cotter story.

[Jason Linden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice issue. Some really great stuff, especially the lost Shirley Jackson stories.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the stories were fresh and satisfying. The pamphlet format for each one turned out to be really convenient.

[Troy Ketch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely collection of stories. The magazine itself is a charming design. Well worth reading.

[Joe M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection this fall and loved the new Shirley Jackson stories!

[Ryan Roth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again an uneven collection. Several of the short stories here were excellent. Several were average. One was, well, not the best. The art work on the covers of each story were beautiful though.

[Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

liked the bill cotter story (the sea and the glass) and lynn coady story (mr hope), and the letters.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good selection, although seemed shorter overall. The format was cool though, which was the trade off I'm guessing. Strange to have such a theme of sexual abuse and/or fathers throughout too?

[Mills College Library]

Coll.