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Haircut and Other Stories
by
Ring Lardner
Ring Lardner first burst upon the literary scene with his greatest popular success, "You Know Me Al." A sportswriter by trade, Lardner had a superb ear for regional peculiarities in speech and was loved for his sense of humor. Funny, sarcastic, sometimes bitter but always ironic, Lardner understood Americans-- their desires, their dreams, and their disappointment...more
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
September 11th 1991
by Collier Books
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"Haircut" is the story of a horrible small town where everyone deserves to die. The young doctor is a decent man but the girl who loves him is ridiculed and humiliated by the town louts -- which is pretty much everyone. So the "nice" doctor decides to get even and -- well, I won't spoil it, but it's pretty grim.
Nostalgia causes people to remember Lardner as "an American original" but really his talent was fairly modest. And he didn't like people very mu...more
Nostalgia causes people to remember Lardner as "an American original" but really his talent was fairly modest. And he didn't like people very mu...more
I only read Haircut.
The title Haircut and Other Stories gets it right: this book has the excellent short story "Haircut" and then some other shit. "Haircut" nicely balances text and subtext, argot and tone to be one of the better early 20th century short story I've read. The other stories often stay one-dimensional and despite their brief lengths feel a bit too long.
Lardner largely goes under appreciated. Both Faulkner and Hemingway cite him as a major influence and in this collection it is easy to see why. There's a great amount of wit in these stories but also a generous helping of compassion. He writes about blue collar folks with great heart and his ear for dialogue was second to none.
Most of the time I think "what a beautiful, varied world we live in." And then I read this book and I think "Straight up? Fuck EVERY OTHER COUNTRY EXCEPT AMERICA."
I really think that. Ring Lardner is a very patriotic experience for me.
I really think that. Ring Lardner is a very patriotic experience for me.
Totally captivating collection of stories - funny and delightfully simple. Lardner is truly the master of writing the spoken word.
- 1 star for too many stories about baseball :P
- 1 star for too many stories about baseball :P
My first foray into Lardner, and won't be my last. Devoured in record time. More proof that quality and readability aren't necessarily opposites.
Required reading for fans of the short story. Lardner is amazing, his skill with tone, and dialogue,his perfect characterization. Great stories.
I'm a sucker for short stories; especially from pre-1950. Very Steinbeck-esque.
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