The State of the Short Story

Share this: Lorin Stein, editor of The Paris Review, says that if you think short stories are dead, you aren’t paying close enough attention.

“At first glance, there is a simple explanation for why short stories fell off our radar.Once upon a time, stories were a fixture not merely of so-called literary magazines, but of popular interest publications, too. An author could support himself or herself with short fiction, and many – Thurber, Lardner, to say nothing of O. Henry – did just that. But popular entertainments are vulnerable to technological change. Along came the radio serial, the movies, and TV. As readership softened, the big magazines saw that it was easier to attract advertisers by publishing fashion tips — in general, by featuring products – than by giving up pages to fiction…

…There is a time for multi-tasking and a time for losing yourself. The short story offers something else: a chance to pay close attention — and have that attention rewarded because, for once, every little plot twist, every sentence, counts.…