The Literary Ghost: Great Contemporary Ghost Stories

by Larry Dark (Editor)

"It takes a certain amount of daring for a literary writer to employ a device as powerful and obvious as a ghost, and a great deal of talent and self-assurance to pull it off. The fact that these stories are so different from one another and that no two ghosts in them are alike is a testament to the power of the individual imagination to appropriate established myths without assuming the associated clichés." So writes Larry Dark in the introduction to this anthology of expertly crafted ghost stories by such luminaries as Donald Barthelme, Paul Bowles, A. S. Byatt, Robertson Davies, M. F. K. Fisher, John Gardner, Nadine Gordimer, Graham Greene, Patrick McGrath, R. K. Narayan, Tim O'Brien, V. S. Pritchett, Anne Sexton, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Fay Weldon.

"The Lost, Strayed, Stolen," M.F.K. Fisher
"The Portobello Road," Muriel Spark
"The Ghost Who Vanished by Degrees," Robertson Davies
"The Others," Joyce Carol Oates
"A Story of Don Juan," V.S. Pritchett
"Up North," Mavis Gallant
"The Warden," John Gardner
"The Death of Edward Lear," Donald Barthelme
"The Circular Valley," Paul Bowles
"The Third Voice," William Ferguson
"Marmilion," Patrick McGrath
"Spirit Seizures," Melissa Pritchard
"Revenant as Typewriter," Penelope Lively
"Ghostly Populations," Jack Matthews
"The Ghost Soldiers," Tim O'Brien
"Family," Lance Olsen
"Letter from a Dogfioghter's Aunt, Deceased," Padgett Powell
"The Ghost," Anne Sexton
"Angel, All Innocence," Fay Weldon
"Jack's Girl," Cynthia Kadohata
"The Next Room," A.S. Byatt
"Grass," Barry Yourgrau
"Eisenheim the Illusionist," Steven Millhauser
"Ghost and Flesh, Water and Dirt," William Goyen
"Letter from His Father," Nadine Gordimer
"Old Man of the Temple," R.K. Narayan
"A Little Place Off the Edgware Road," Graham Greene
"A Crown of Feathers," Isaac Bashevis Singer

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Horror, Ghosts, Paranormal

364 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[✦BookishlyRichie✦ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was incredibly fucking boring. I don't think I've ever read a boring ghost story in my liiiiiife. I understand that these tales were supposed to be in a literary tone hence the title but that doesn't mean they have to be dragged out, bare, and boring.

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mid-20th century short stories, a wide selection of styles, and a variety of story themes held my interest through the 2 'ho-hum' selections. Nice choice for a creepy-story-each-night Halloween countdown. Especially enjoyed Anne Sexton's story "The Ghost" and Tim O'Brien's "The Ghost Soldiers." Hat tip to Penelope Lively's "Revenant as Typewriter" and to McGrath's "Marmilion." The closing stories, by Graham Greene and Singer, provide a satisfying finish.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a huge fan of short stories and this book is a prime example. It is a collection of 28 stories by varied authors and of varied length. Some are one pagers and some run to about 30 pages long. Some are excellent and some are very dull. My favorites are medium length for the most part. There is the story of the ghost who tells her story of haunting her murderer, the ghost who needed to be tested for his doctor of philosophy degree in every subject because he forgot what he was studying for, the ghost that occupied a typewriter, and the ghost who brought the whole family for the haunting. This was an OK collection and I would say I liked more of the stories than I disliked. But ghost story brings to mind scary and there wasn't a goosepimple raised on any of these.

[Michael]

The only ghosts you'll find in this book are the spirits of those who died from boredom while reading it.

When I was in college, I took a few English classes (and I've taken quite a few more since then. At this point I have more credits in English, which I didn't major in, than I do in Psychology, which I did major in). One of the classes I had to take was called "The Short Story," and--being a passionate consumer (and failed writer) of short stories, I dove right in. The thing was...I only read fantasy, science fiction, and horror stories. I don't think I'd ever read an 'adult contemporary' story in my life before this class. It was horrible. I remember the first Raymond Carver story I ever read--something about a baker, and parents whose son died, and people eating cakes or something. It was fucking awful, not because the writing was bad, but because nothing happened. Nothing. There was another story called "Matterhorn" about a man who pretended to climb a mountain. Just...no.

I realize now, of course, that the quality of many, many of the stories I loved was a bit...humble compared to the writing skill of masters like John Cheever. With that said, I like a good tale that has a plot, some tension, some conflict, and some imagination thrown in there. I make no apologies: I love a good story! And most of the stories I read in that long ago class weren't very good at all, but they were literary.

"Literary" should be a synonym for boring. Nothing fucking happens. Literary walks the line between subtle and nonexistent. Part of why I chose, in the end, to not major in English was how incredibly snobby English majors were. I'm over here gushing about Robert E. Howard, and want to compare his work that of Charles R. Saunders! How did Poe influence Lovecraft? What's the difference between Tolkien and Donaldson? Have you ever paired Starship Troopers and The Forever War as a means of considering the generational differences between the WWII generation and the Vietnam generation? This is all my jam.

Now I admit, I had never heard of Shirley Jackson, so that was a good add. And "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner is good stuff, too. But overall, I am one of those Pulp Fiction Philistines who wants storie to be fun and not the equivalent of an NPR show that plays on Sundays at 3PM: b o r i n g.

So: this books sucks. I read half. No. I'd much, much, much rather read some M.R. James who is a tad...dry, but highly, highly atmospheric.

Fortunately I only paid $5 for this book. I'll return it to the Used Book Superstore and get back to The Screaming Skull: And Other Great American Ghost Stories!

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Не вся книга - только С. Миллхаусер - Иллюзионист Эйзенхайм, не могу найти его отдельно. Посмотрела фильм, стало интересно, что за книга, а это оказалась и не книга, а короткий рассказ. Выдержан в стиле журнала типа "НЛО", переработанный в сценарий фильма, рассказ стал горрраздо лучше.
Можно рекомендовать студентам для тренировки английского, но "для души" - не очень.

[Catsalive · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting, some amusing, some neither, a couple were very good. Not everyone is a great short story writer, literary or not. This is a good collection to be dipped into when time is short. I don't recommend trying to read it all at once because I think that's when it becomes a bit of a chore.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection of a variety of ghost stories. In some, the ghost is more implied than anything. I may have to follow-up and look for more stories or books by some of the authors.

[Mathea Mae · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the selections were very strong, others not so. A struggle to keep my attention.

[peg · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Halloween read!

[Lorna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gosh, some of these stories were amazing but......I just couldn't finish.
Not in the mood for ghosts I guess

[Frank McGirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these were a little too literary, meaning dull, but some other great stuff.

Ends with an Isaac Bashevis Singer story that is simply amazing.

[Jaseena AL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating : 3 stars

[Grainne Rhuad · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some genuinely striking stories in this collection and others that fell flat. But isn't that always the way of collections? Worth the pick-up at your local library.