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by Dave Eggers, پژمان طهرانیان (انتخاب و برگردان)

The book is a collection of short stories by Eggers. It is part of a larger group of small paperback books published by Penguin titled "Pocket Penguin". Short Short Stories is 65th in the series.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Contemporary, American, The United States Of America, Humor

48 pages

First published January 1, 2005

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

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

شاید اگر قرار بود داستان کوتاه بنویسم به این سبک و سیاق می‌شد.

[Roya · Rating 1 out of 5]

چرند و پرند =))))

[Rebecca]

I read 22 out of 55 pages. These flash fiction stories appeared in the Guardian in 2004. Of the first 10 stories, a few were amusing (a man’s current earworm spells the demise of his relationship; guessing how water feels to fish; a flight attendant has fun with his routines) but the rest were slight or gratuitously sexual, and the style is repetitive throughout.

[Negar Khalili · Rating 2 out of 5]

چن تایی از داستان هاش خوب بودن...

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting concept (1-3 page/paragraph stories) and some of them are really good. My favorite is "What the Water Feels Like to the Fishes". Eggers does a good job isolating some of the stranger moments of human interaction, but some of the stories, particularly where he goes of randomly about the war and Bush, seem just like a blog entry and don't have much literary value. Still, a fun short little book, with some stories that benefit from re-reading.

[Callum Morris-Horne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5.

Though the narrative style is a bit repetitive, these very short stories (about 1-2 pages each) are wacky, moreish and, most importantly, consistently enjoyable. From anti-Republican fairytales, to squids aspiring to accountancy, to budding nudists trying to keep their heating costs down by velcroing cats to their laps, each snack-sized tale bears Eggers’ trademark wit.

[Juliët Nieuwenhuijse · Rating 4 out of 5]

These we re indeed very short short stories. Some we re really funny. The further into the book you get the more political and philosophical they get tho. Not in a bad way. In a sarcastic way. I liked it. Feels like a we re all dying deal with it :) kinda book

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though not every story, as a whole this book is more bitter tasting than Eggers' other flash fiction collections (What the Water Feels Like to the Fishes and Jokes Told in Heaven About Babies, the latter under the pseudonym Lucy Thomas). Whether targeting the Bush administration, the voting public, irritating plane passengers or writing that lacks subtlety, Eggers' own writing here lacks subtlety in its snarky condemnations. This ho-ho humor isn't the type I find fulfilling. Often humor is in the details of writing, but here the details try way too hard to be quirky. It would likely seem funnier if read aloud, which would highlight how recognizably mundane some of these moments are.

There is some overlap with stories from WtWFLttF, but not too many. Like WtWFLttF, dialogue is rare. Also, these stories are mostly comprised of inner-thoughts rather than forward action. (This is my observation, not a criticism.) Together it reads like a daily writing exercise, characters the author neither wanted to explore further nor abandon completely. Some read more like outlines of a story/character to be expanded upon later. In WtWFLttF, Lydia Davis is referenced as an inspiration, which applies here as well.

My favorite story was "The Heat and Eduardo, Part I" (even if the simplicity of Part I is overtaken by the bizarre interlude and the overly quirky details of Part II), followed by "This Certain Song" and "On Making Someone a Good Man By Calling Him a Good Man." I really enjoyed the idea of the first story, "You Know How to Spell Elijah," but wish the story weren't given such a fussy narrator and that the father's suggestion weren't unbelievably dumb.


---

"she knew so many things--like just when and how softly to touch the area behind his ears while he was driving" (8, "The Weird Wife")

"Surely most of the best accounting schools, for example the University of Illinois, were not accustomed to admitting giant squids to their programs." (31, "Of Gretchen and de Gaulle")

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like so many times with these microfiction efforts, the result is uneven. Some of the short short stories are fun, clever or deep (or all of that at the same time). But sometimes they are just silly or predictable. Also, as you read more, the impact you get from this quick trips is lessened. I read the book in one seat, and I found some of the stories repetitive or redudant, but maybe that effect is not so clear if you just read one and let it sink in, and read the next one the next day. Who knows. But still, Eggers prose is always lively and elegant, and when he is good, he can go deep very quickly, leaving you wonder how he did so much with only four or five sentences. In short: some stories are briliant and worth the book, but some seem an exercise in self indulgence.

[Pouya_s · Rating 2 out of 5]

۱۲ داستان کوتاه از نویسنده ی آمریکایی دیو اگرز ( ۱۹۷۰ ) ، که گزیده ای است از داستان های کوتاه او برای گاردین لندن طی سال‌های ۲۰۰۴ و ۲۰۰۵ میلادی به چاپ رسیده است

نسبت به کتاب دیگر مترجم در همین سبک ( داستانهای مینیاتوری مارگارت اتود از همین نشر بهتر بود

اکثر داستان ها پایان باز داشتند یا در فضای ذهنی و شرح موقعیت شخصیت اصلی داستان بودند ، از داستان های ؛

_ و زن از خودش می پرسد آدم ها چطور توانسته اند

_آنهاد یاد گرفتند جیغ بکشند

و گذشته از این یک بار

خوشم آمد

[Zeinab ☁️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

عاقبت میفهمی که چرا بوکسور ها ،که آنطور به جان همدیگر می افتند،باز هم میتوانند دست هایشان را بگذارند روی شانه های رقیبشان.باز هم میتوانند همدیگر را در آغوش بکشند...
مانند عاشقانِ خسته ای که شکرِ لحظه ای صلح و آرامش را به جا می آورند...

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eigenlijk verdient dit boek 4 sterren, want is het schrijven van ultrakorte verhalen van 2 pagina's niet veel moeilijker dan een roman, waarin je tientallen of honderden pagina's hebt voor plot- en karakterontwikkeling? Maar toch bekruipt me het gevoel dat de snacksize juweeltjes van Eggers niet lang beklijven. De verhaaltjes lijken ook de overgang te markeren van de Eggers waar ik van hield, die van AHBWOSG, How We Are Hungry en You Shall Know Our Velocity - de energieke, gekke, virtuoze Eggers, naar de hedendaagse Eggers die meer traditionele tearjerkers schrijft als Zeitoun, What is the wat en het distopische The Circle. Want in zijn verhaaltjes duikt regelmatig kritiek op de Bush-administratie op. Het mooist zijn dan ook de verhaaltjes waarin hij 'onzin' schrijft, zoals over de reuzeninktvis die zo graag accountant wil worden. Of de man die uitrekent hoe hoog zijn energierekening wordt als hij de hele dag behaaglijk naakt door zijn huis wil lopen.

Het toont het talent van een schrijver die er mijns inziens voor kiest dat talent niet meer, of niet meer ten volle, te benutten en daardoor stemt dit boekje me vooral ook weemoedig. Lees allen het vroege werk van Eggers!

[Eretrece · Rating 2 out of 5]

I quite liked the first few stories. It is really impressive how few words Eggers needs to transport readers into a completely different setting. The stories are also the perfect length for reading on the toilet! After a while, they started seeming formulaic, though, and there were some stylistic idiosyncrasies that started getting on my nerves. The collection also contains a few stories with very overt political messages that Republicans are unlikely to enjoy.

[René · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bite sized short stories. I really liked this book, although it's not nearly as clever as it thinks it is.

[Briar Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

So unbelievably funny

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Side-splitting funny!

[Student · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pocketful of inventive delights.

[Alan Fricker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shit short stories more like

[Carole Wai Hai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short read, feels like David Sedaris which I love.

[Ostap · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eggers at his best, funny, touching and inventive.

[Tom Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically a pamphlet of punchlines, some are really good, others are just good. Interesting as a bit of a lesson in economy, how little you can actually say and still get away with ! Wasn’t *that* keen on the takedowns of the #Bush administration, but it didn’t seem like Eggers was either, I think he’d rather make us laugh ? Still, works as a nifty little writerly joke book

[Barbara Van Ransbeeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het verhaal 'The heat and Eduardo' is zo geniaal!

[Coenraad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine a large box of chocolates (yes, I'm thinking of Forrest Gump). Or, if mixing genres and oeuvres are not too dangerous, a mega bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. That will allow you to imagine the joy and repeated surprises locked up in Dave Eggers' microprose. It is well-nigh impossible to choose a favourite - it will most probably be the one you read most recently. One shoudn't - as I have - devour these 24 texts in one day: they should be savoured and mulled over. Yet the story glutton will crave more and forge ahead. Yes, some nuanced flavours are repeated: the questions about the narrative situation answered right then and there; the complaints about the
Bush administration (which sometimes takes over a story completely). Some texts awaken my translator self; others want to inspire me to imitate (i.e., to flatter). I can interrupt narratives with diatribes about Jacob Zuma until the cows come home. But it will be a dull imitation of an original, witty, finely honed talent. Read - but slowly, like a connoisseur.

Dave Eggers so kortkortverhale verras, vermaak, boul uit, en versadig feitlik deurgaans. Dis moeilik om 'n gunsteling uit te sonder, howel die prosagedig 'True story - 1986 - Midwest - USA - Tuesday' opvallend besonders is. Eggers word geloof vir die vernuwing wat hy in die genre teweeggebring het. Mag hy ook ter plaatse inspireer!

[Gemma Hedge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Dave Egger's writing style. Some stories are better than others, as you would expect, but defiantly worth reading, especially if you are fan of his.

[Josephine · Rating 3 out of 5]

SHORT SHORT STORIES er (surprise, surprise) en samling noveller - eller korte historier på Egger'sk.

DAVE EGGERS er en mine yndlingsforfatter. For Dave Eggers eksperimenterer og holder sig ikke kun til det, der virkede sidst. Måske, man kan kalde ham for en innovativ forfatter.
(fx. Hans debut var et memoir - og hans seneste roman var kun skrevet i dialoger).

Denne samling noveller bærer præg af at være eksperimenterende. Af at være produktet af en idé. Af at prøve noget af. Og det fungerer både rigtig godt og så mindre godt.

De rigtig gode noveller er interessante, fuldendte og forunderlige. Og selvom det er en blandet fornøjelse at læse denne samling, så er historierne "On Making Someone a Good Man" og "The Heat and Eduardo, Part 1." det hele værd. De historier er Dave Eggers, når han er allerbedst.

SHORT SHORT STORIES er en fin introduktion til Dave Eggers' forfatterskab, men jeg vil alligevel anbefale, at man starter med debutten "A Heartbraking Work of Staggering Genius". Den er mesterlig.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

On any other day this might have gotten three stars, but no, it deserves four. Really enjoyable.
I think this only sat on my shelf for so long because it's so small. It hid in between the much fatter a heartbreaking work of staggering genius and the much taller you shall know our velocity

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love almost anything written by Dave Eggers, and this little book was no exception. Compared to his novels, this 2-hour group of very short stories seemed to be more risk-taking, as if he was writing for a smaller and more accepting audience. Some stories seemed unfinished and some were brilliant, like flickering moments from life that form a story or in some cases only a gesture of one. Added up, the stories made for a really pleasant -- albeit short -- read.

[Natasha den Dekker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun. Lots of fun in a slim volume. I like how he takes normal everyday occurances and weaves them into short stories. I read this in about 40 minutes but they are fun. Not aspiring to anything but rather being perfect because they are so normal. I would recommned this for a bus or train journey.:) My favourite story is the man sat at the airport getting sucked into listening to a girl and her parents trying to complete a crossword in Teen Magazine. So perfectly observed.

[Jihan Bok · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good little representation of Eggers' skill when it comes to flash fiction. Though some of the stories in this ensemble were easily passed over, others, such as 'you know how to spell Elijah' and 'what the water feels like to the fishes' or 'the definition of reg' were brilliant, punchy, and hilarious, even sobering. That they managed to be so in five hundred words or less is testament to the way Eggers manipulates words and feeds emotion.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little Penguin UK edition of Eggers kept a slightly upturned sardonic smile on my face as I read it on the L train in torn tight jeans and converse....
It's hipster food I'll admit, but I just gobble it on up.

(it's hard to find- I got this from the Penguin boxed set that we have at the office)