Short Stories

More than the novel, I am in love with short stories.  A novel torments me.  When I start a really good book, I have to finish it without ever letting go.  But then some novels cannot be finished in one sitting and there lies my problem. 

When I started reading GG Marquez’ One Hundred Years of Solitude, I was so consumed with the book that it invaded almost every minute of my waking life.  I was a fool to start reading it on a Tuesday.  It kept me awake at night, and rendered me totally unproductive in the office.  I would surreptitiously read a page or two while in my workstation, take extended toilet breaks and double my lunch time.  I was living inside the book most of the time, almost as if I was one of its characters.

A good short story on the other hand is just right as the day’s dessert.  Although there are days when I would indulge and read more than I should; especially when I’m having a bad day. They provide a means of escape, if only for an hour or two.

What really triggered this entry was a memory of one of the best Filipino short stories I’ve read– Dead Stars by Paz Marquez Benitez.  I think that story invented the term bittersweet.  I tried to google the story and got more than I expected.  A site of the Philippine’s Best Short Stories.  Imagine my glee!


Check out Dead Stars in that site, I know I will (again and again).