Get Shorty
As an avid reader of books myself, I take a keen interest in knowing what my friends or the others around me are reading. Recently, I have observed that more and more people are opting to read books containing short stories. Personally, I love reading short stories and I find them easier to relate to than some other books which I have read in the past. The best part about some of these books is that the stories do not need to have a definite start or end. They are enjoyed best when read without any rising expectations and most of the times; they do prove to provoke more interest than other books. I often find myself thinking when someone like Jhumpa Lahiri would release her next book of short stories.
[Jhumpa Lahiri: The Interpreter of Maladies, Unaccustomed Earth]
Chinmayi Bali, whose short story recently got published in Grey Oak Publication’s Down The Road says, “Today, our lives are so fast-paced that taking time out to read a full-length novel is nothing short of luxury.” She believes that people like reading short stories more because these stories are easier to identify with. Chinmayi is just one among the many people who feel this way. Personally, short-story writers like Sudha Murthy especially make it very easy for the reader to find a common thread with her stories. What makes them even more interesting is that all of them are real-life incidents.
[Sudha Murthy: Wise and Otherwise, The Old Man and his God]
Kunal Dhabalia, an active blogger who has been published in two short-story books, Urban Shots and Down The Road, feels that short stories are a success as they don’t leave the reader hanging. A reader can choose to finish a story from start to end in a period of 20 minutes or so. This is true with most amateur readers who are not used to reading books beyond a particular stretch of time. Maybe this is also the reason why lesser-known writers like Lavanya Sankaran have become more popular with their books of short stories.
[Lavanya Sankaran: The Red Carpet – Bangalore Stories]
Naman Saraiya, the Editor of The Tossed Salad and a published short-story writer (Urban Shots, Down The Road) thinks that initially, short stories did not come across as very viable in India. However, he feels that after the success of Urban Shots, publishing something like Down The Road is like adding the cherry on the cake since the stories are all special in their own way.
[Grey Oak Publications: Urban Shots, Down The Road]
Abhijit Bhaduri, celebrated writer of Married But Available and Mediocre But Arrogant has also written short stories in spite of his own books topping most bestseller charts. He believes that we all like to read a story where we can discover a piece of ourselves. Most short stories bring that familiar feeling along. Whether it be tales set in college campuses or in any households, imagining these stories does not prove to be difficult.
Short stories are obviously easier to write compared to full-length novels. Most writers experiment with the same before they write a whole novel themselves. (Maybe this is why someone like Nandita Puri had the strength to pull off something as ridiculous as Nine On Nine!)
However, the next time you go to a bookstore, try to read something that promises offer something new. A book of Pakistani or Afghani short stories could transport you to a land that you probably will never know but will easily be able to imagine. Try the various Indian authors who have forayed into writing short stories… for this genre has just become larger than it ever was.
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About the Author: Lipi Mehta
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