The Best American Short Stories 1983 – Complete!

This was a tough one. I just did not have the will to push through the reading of these stories.

Honestly, I thought that this was a bland collection.

Tyler in her introduction said that this anthology “would almost bounce; it would almost shout”.

I’d have to strongly disagree with that statement.

Favorites and their authors -

Carolyn Chute - “Ollie, Oh...”

Joseph Epstein - The Count and the Princess

John Updike - Deaths of Distant Friends

The anthology introduced me to Chute which was pleasant. I like to see a writer like her appear and I look forward to reading more by her in future collections.

The inclusion of Updike, and knowing that he is the editor for the next collection pushed me towards starting research on him and taking on an excitement similar to that of how I felt when dealing with Gardner.

Now with the numbers – I really don’t feel like spending a minute more with this year.

Time to read the book and to finish posts about the collection:

1 month 18 days

which is

6 weeks and 6 days

which

48 days

and this works out to:

1 story every 2.4 days.

Gender profile of authors:

11 Female – 9 Male

And finally, there were 8 stories from authors that had their story originally appear in the New Yorker.

I spent too much time with this book, and I will be happy to place it back up on my bookshelf.

Addresses of American and Canadian Magazines

I've never made a post dealing with this section of the anthology because I never really paid much attention to it.

Searching for something to give me hint as to who the previous owner was, I scoured this book with extra care in an attempt to pick up any clues.

I mentioned in one of the first posts that I felt that this book sat on a book shelf for an extended period of time and that particular shelf had to be facing the sun due to the discoloration of the book spine.

I wonder how this book found its way off that shelf where it sat for years and to a deal who then sold it to me.

So, as the picture above shows, the previous owner of this book made notations next to many magazines throughout the listings.

Were these magazines that manuscripts were sent to? Were they magazines that the owner subscribed to? It could be anything really.

But someone did take the time to make these marks, and I like to think that someone spent a good deal of time considering where to place those marks.

Firstborn – Larry Woiwode

Larry Woiwode - October 30, 1941

Another appearance by Mr. Woiwode.

Shit man...I didn’t need to read this story with a pregnant wife and my firstborn on the way.

I try not to draw connections between an invisible hand presenting these stories to me at certain times... because of times...well...like this.

I do not need to read about difficulties in pregnancy and the loss of a child during childbirth.

And, I do not need to read the above from an author that does it with such skill.

Damn, he’s good.

I mean, he had me really reading at a nice little clip.

I know that it is normal for couples to be nervous about their unborn child, and it seems that with all the advancements in technology, the parents are made even more nervous about the health of their child months before the baby is even born.

All sorts of test for various diseases that my mother, and M’s mother, never had to deal with... but it still does not take away from the fact that they worried about the baby growing inside of them.

I have thoughts that I am reading all of these stories in these collections and in magazines so that I will be prepared for the events that I am soon to face. Events that could be similar to what I am reading.

Will M have a difficult time during labor? Will our child be normal? Will the delivery be smooth?

I suppose that I am extra sensitive to these things just because at this time in my life I am in a position where these things are at least a possibility.

How would I have digested this story, if for example, I had read it 15 years ago in college?

I doubt that it would have had the same emotional impact that it does now.

Shit – I just can’t help but think that I am being prepared for something.

I hate this feeling.

Please...please...please let everything be OK.

Beebee – Diane Vreuls

Diane Vreuls - ? Professor at Oberlin College

It’s a strange thing how we sabotage ourselves. We would think that we have the best intentions for our future, but there is a strange compulsion in us at times to throw a stick into our spokes.

I can look back over my life and see a few decisions that I made where it is clear at the time that I was going to be doing some damage to my horizons. But – as the years passed things worked out.

There are things today even as I struggle with self-disciple when I sabotage my future – like getting through this edition of the BASS. This has been a tough one. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to finish reading the collection and opportunities to finish the postings but I just can’t get thought it.

People struggle with addictions and knowing wish that they could quite the vice that has them under control – a vice that could be harmful to them but they carry on with their actions and could quite possibly damage their health or future.

Problem is, the saying “don’t know what you’ve had ‘till it’s gone” doesn’t really apply because you know what you have and you know that it could be gone but you do nothing to prevent its loss.

Strange thing...us humans.