I have always found that short stories offer readers more than just a quick feast of literature. When written right and read properly, short stories hold a likeness to fireworks that explode in front of us with captivating imagery, prose and characters. Reading a good one can uproot you from reality and allow you to transcend into troubled minds and alien settings or let you witness the world through the eyes of the writer and feel the anguish behind the pen.
Short story collections are condensed volumes, typically the length that can be enjoyed with a warm cup of tea and some light summer breeze. The intertextual aspect of short stories is just as beautiful and unique as the way the writers use words to bring light to dark scenes and cast shadows on the well-lit storylines. In short stories, nothing is impossible, similar to how you would read in a lengthy fiction novel.
However, when writing short tales, authors tend to string bits of reality into their made worlds or base characters on real life, which is why reading them provides a more real and raw experience. Whether the writer’s goal is to raise awareness about a real-world issue, string verses about the world’s hidden beauties or tragically portray the realities of people, you can have just as much of a literary experience as you would with an ordinary length novel. You can use this article as a guide to reading some impactful collection of short stories and introduce you to some of the best short stories you can read in 2022.
Five Favorite Short Story Collections You Can Enjoy in 2022
Five Favorite Short Story Collections You Can Enjoy in 2022
1. The Moons Of Jupiter by Alice Munro
Munro’s collection tells the tales of 12 ladies who are at a crossroads due to failed marriages or betrayed affections. The characters that make up these stories feel like real people. Their heartbreaks, pleasures, anxieties, romances, and awakenings can be felt deeply and plainly across these twelve unforgettable stories, laying bare the ordinary yet unavoidable anguish of human interaction.
2. Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami
Following the similar stream of the previously mentioned book, Murakami’s collection of modern short stories describes the lives of seven men who are deserted by their women for various reasons. The women are described by these men are poised and independent and the stories muse about how hard it is to understand women or how incomplete these men are without them in their lives. Each tale revolves around the idea of longing or loneliness, and Murakami tells them all in his distinctive and bewitching manner.
3. Morning Haiku by Sonia Sanchez
Sonia Sanchez’s collection of haiku beautiful expresses life’s blessings while lamenting the passing of renowned African American leaders from the fields of activism, music, literature, and arts. In her verses, she describes Max Roach as “exploding in the universe,” and the Philadelphia Murals as “blue hallelujahs,” She also pays tribute to civil rights fighters like Brother Damu, as well as Rosa Parks and Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. The haiku, which are often organised in lines of three or more, flow into one another in a beautiful stream of homage and commendation.
4. The Love Object by Edna O’Brien
This collection of unique short stories by Edna O’Brien beautifully portrays different kinds of love in different characters and storylines. These tales reveal love in all its different forms, including passionate love, first love, motherly love, and unrequited love. Aside from portraying love, this collection also describes how loneliness and alienation also appear alongside falling in love. Her collection spans five decades of genius and has earned her the title of being one of the most admired authors in Ireland.
5. A Carpet Of Violets and Clover by Jenny Zimmer
Finally, my short story and poetry collection “A Carpet of Violets and Clover” pays homage to sensitivity and soulfulness that can be felt tenfold after reading this collection. The collection employs a unique and tender way of stringing beautiful words to create stories that compete as well as complete life. Added bonus are the haikus, short stories, and personal essays. Each essay in the collection is based on my personal experiences, while many of the poems and haiku reflect my love for nature and allows the reader to appreciate its beauty. These heartfelt and diverse literary pieces capture a small essence of my self and soul that hold the power to make my readers smile, cry, laugh, and feel life as it should be felt.
Conclusion
Tzvetan Todorov once stated: “One will compare a novel with a long journey through many different locations, it assumes a peaceful return, and short stories with a trip up a hill whose purpose is to bring us a view from above.”
Tzvetan Todorov once stated: “One will compare a novel with a long journey through many different locations, it assumes a peaceful return, and short stories with a trip up a hill whose purpose is to bring us a view from above.”