The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Six Other Stories

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Full grown with a long, smoke-coloured beard, requiring the services of a cane and fonder of cigars than warm milk, Benjamin Button is a very curious baby indeed. And, as Benjamin becomes increasingly youthful with the passing years, his family wonders why he persists in the embarrassing folly of living in reverse. In this imaginative fable of ageing and the other stories collected here including The Cut-Glass Bowl in which an ill-meant gift haunts a family s misfortunes, The Four Fists where a man’s life shaped by a series of punches to his face, and the revelry, mobs and anguish of May Day F. Scott Fitzgerald displays his unmatched gift as a writer of short stories.

Genres: Classics, Short Stories, Fiction, American, Modern Classics, Fantasy, 20th Century

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1921

About the author

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, widely known simply as Scott Fitzgerald, was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age, a term he popularized in his short story collection Tales of the Jazz Age. During his lifetime, he published four novels, four story collections, and 164 short stories. Although he achieved temporary popular success and fortune in the 1920s, Fitzgerald received critical acclaim only after his death and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.
Born into a middle-class family in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Fitzgerald was raised primarily in New York state. He attended Princeton University where he befriended future literary critic Edmund Wilson. Owing to a failed romantic relationship with Chicago socialite Ginevra King, he dropped out in 1917 to join the United States Army during World War I. While stationed in Alabama, he met Zelda Sayre, a Southern debutante who belonged to Montgomery's exclusive country-club set. Although she initially rejected Fitzgerald's marriage proposal due to his lack of financial prospects, Zelda agreed to marry him after he published the commercially successful This Side of Paradise (1920). The novel became a cultural sensation and cemented his reputation as one of the eminent writers of the decade.
His second novel, The Beautiful and Damned (1922), propelled him further into the cultural elite. To maintain his affluent lifestyle, he wrote numerous stories for popular magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's Weekly, and Esquire. During this period, Fitzgerald frequented Europe, where he befriended modernist writers and artists of the "Lost Generation" expatriate community, including Ernest Hemingway. His third novel, The Great Gatsby (1925), received generally favorable reviews but was a commercial failure, selling fewer than 23,000 copies in its first year. Despite its lackluster debut, The Great Gatsby is now hailed by some literary critics as the "Great American Novel". Following the deterioration of his wife's mental health and her placement in a mental institute for schizophrenia, Fitzgerald completed his final novel, Tender Is the Night (1934).
Struggling financially because of the declining popularity of his works during the Great Depression, Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood, where he embarked upon an unsuccessful career as a screenwriter. While living in Hollywood, he cohabited with columnist Sheilah Graham, his final companion before his death. After a long struggle with alcoholism, he attained sobriety only to die of a heart attack in 1940, at 44. His friend Edmund Wilson edited and published an unfinished fifth novel, The Last Tycoon (1941), after Fitzgerald's death. In 1993, a new edition was published as The Love of the Last Tycoon, edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli.

Reviews

[Artemis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benjamin button was delightfully funny. The last two, ‘O Russet Witch!’ and Crazy Sunday were the most brilliant. The scene in the bookstore in ‘O Russet Witch!’ rivals the infamous shirt-throwing Gatsby scene, and Crazy Sunday has the best elements of the duplicitous yet sincere romantic entanglements of Gatsby and Tender is the Night. The Four Fists was also a wonderful story, with a premise similarly delightful to that of Benjamin Button. May Day was very reminiscent of This Side of Paradise.

[JoJo Kirkman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the stories, although I had a few problems with the first story - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. My big problem about it isthere was no mention of a mother throughout the whole book, except for one instance in the middle of the book where it mentioned 'Mr and Mrs Button. You'd think she'd at least be mentioned at the birth!.

[Cee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Love some of these, was a bit bored by others. Fitzgerald is a fantastic writer, and his display of life in the 1920 is fascinating.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating breakdown:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (28 pages) ~ 3🌟

Head and Shoulders (26 pages) ~ 2🌟

The Cut-Glass Bowl (21 pages) ~ 5🌟

The Four Fists (17 pages) ~ 5🌟

May Day (54 pages) ~ 1🌟

'O Russet Witch!' (32 pages) ~ 2🌟

Crazy Sunday (18 pages) ~ 2🌟

|Average ~ rounded up to 3🌟|

[Freddie Tuson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved em!

The curious case of Benjamin button - funny
Head and shoulders - bittersweet
The cut glass bowl - tragic and ominous
The four fists - clever
May Day - another sad one, visceral
O Russet witch - surreal
Crazy Sunday - glamorous

All in all made me feel like a bird flying through America in the 1920s, pausing for a moment here and there to watch people's lives go past

[Callum McLaughlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read The Great Gatsby back in my school days and now this collection of short stories, I think I'm going to humbly accept that F. Scott Fitzgerald just isn't really for me. I can see the literary merit in some respects, but his style just does nothing for me, unfortunately. In terms of positives, the real standout was definitely The Cut-Glass Bowl, a subtly sinister story about a woman's life haunted by the 'cursed' gift of a man she rejected in her youth. If I'd read it as a stand-alone, I'd have been much more impressed.

Almost all the other stories in here suffer from the problem of sounding considerably more interesting in concept than they are to actually read, however. A man ageing in reverse; a man's life defined by the times he was punched in the face; a man who sacrifices his academic career for the woman he loves, before resenting the fact she becomes the successful one: they sound great, I just find Fitzgerald's style too dry to ever actually feel gripped or fully engaged.

There's also racism in pretty much every story. Yes, to an extent we have to make allowances for things being 'of their time', but that doesn't stop me feeling angry and uncomfortable to read about Benjamin's father casually wishing his son was black so he could sell him as a slave and solve all his problems... The racist comments aren't made in ways to highlight racism; they're made because of the author's own clearly prejudiced thoughts, as though the reader should sympathise and agree. This was also a factor in me never being able to properly relate to or engage with the characters.

Anyway, I'm glad to have tried more of his work outwith an academic environment. At least now I can say definitively that I've given him a fair go and his style just isn't for me.

[Medina Babayeva · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a New Year present from a friend of mine, and I am thankful for it. Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is a so-called master of the American short story. The book had 7 stories in it, some of which were around 20 pages long. However, Fitzgerald somehow managed to make the reader fully dive into the plot and bond with the characters in a few pages. Nevertheless, this book also made me fathom that I don't enjoy classics as much as I enjoy contemporary fiction. The stories almost got me in a reading slump from time to time and got pretty boring. Even though they were short, unnecessary details were abundant. Below you may read my review of all 7 stories.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣 𝘽𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙣
A typical story plotline was definitely not followed here. It's the story of the entire lifetime of Benjamin Button who was born as an old man that gradually got younger. Benjamin isn’t just born physically old; he’s born with the affinities, tastes, and mentalities of an older man. As he got younger all of those changed as well as his appearance. Throughout the story, he constantly tried to identify who he truly was. The story teaches us that age has a lot more to do with identity than simply physical appearance.

𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨
Horace Tarbox is a genius teenager who graduated from Princeton as a philosophy major at the age of 17. He falls in love with an actress, 2 years older than himself and later marries her. In this story, Fitzerald highlights 3 main aspects:
by trying something new, one can discover something they are very good at,
sometimes it's better to leave things the way they are and realize that not everything is supposed to be perfect,
we never know what the future beholds for us, and our goals and beliefs can alter throughout our lives.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙪𝙩-𝙂𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝘽𝙤𝙬𝙡
This might be the story that I enjoyed the least of all. It is about a "cursed" bowl that somehow becomes the cause of all the major problems that one family faces throughout the years. In my opinion, the story was quite dull.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙁𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨
Samuel Meredith had been hit four times on his jaw throughout his lifetime. Every hit has taught him an important life lesson and consequently resulted in him changing. The knowledge gained from the “four fists” makes Meredith a great success, and now whenever he has to make an important decision he rubs his hand along his chin to feel the permanent lump left from the four blows. As Fitzgerald says at the end, "It’s so he can feel again the gorgeous clarity, the lightning sanity of those four fists."

𝙈𝙖𝙮 𝘿𝙖𝙮
Fitzgerald’s story takes place in New York City, where a violent episode occurred on May 1, 1919. The post-World War I story documents not only a historical occasion but also the fragmentation of the social structure. The characters include a cross-section of New Yorkers: wealthy socialites, socialist idealists, military men, waitresses, shop girls, a woman of lower-class origin desperate to improve her circumstances, and a struggling artist. This story was named one of the most influential ones. But, I would have found it more interesting if he would've spared us some details. Although I found the idea of "zooming in" the lives of several characters unique and interesting.

'𝙊 𝙍𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝!'
This story is about a pitiful young guy - Merlin - who falls in love from afar with a beautiful, wealthy, young, and vivacious girl with russet red hair - Caroline. A seemingly chance run-in with her has a profound impact on the rest of his life. Fitzgerald’s gloomy view of life makes it sound as if Merlin made all the wrong choices because he chose to resist the temptations represented by Caroline. Living a happy-go-lucky life with no inhibitions does not necessarily lead to a rich and happy life. The story was somewhat interesting to follow.

𝘾𝙧𝙖𝙯𝙮 𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙮
It is the story of a young screenwriter - Joel Coles - and his personal and professional difficulties in the complex Hollywood film industry. Intent on impressing the elite in his industry - Miles Calman, - Joel instead finds himself ensnared in the personal problems of a high-profile couple. This story is my favorite among all seven and the only one that I read in one sitting. I was disgusted by Miles who cheated on his wife and then proceeded to say that he would divorce her if she did the same, because "his pride could not take it". His attitude was an illustration of most males nowadays. Joel's insecurities were quite relatable since the character was based on Fitzgerald himself.

[Reyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

While F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) is best known for his portrayal of the US Jazz Age of the 1920s, some of the short stories collected in this 1922 bundle can be seen as a prelude to his heyday. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is probably the best known today, thanks to its 2008 film adaptation starring Brad Pitt. Director David Fincher drastically dramatised the novella, as Fitzgerald’s original story is more restrained. Truth be told, I found the original version quite funny, but not particularly sublime. If his aim was to capture the essence of human relationships, I think Fitzgerald missed the mark.

None of the other short stories really moved me. I enjoyed Head and Shoulders, which tells the story of a young prodigy and his vaudeville actress partner who end up swapping roles. Some of the others, like The Cut-Glass Bowl and O Russet Witch!, actually reminded me of John Cheever’s work ( A Vision of the World ), as they focus on ordinary family life building towards an inevitable explosion. Cheever is more outspoken, however.

In addition, I appreciated Fitzgerald’s attempt to incorporate contemporary events, such as the 1919 May Day riots. After reading this collection, I’m looking forward to rereading The Great Gatsby , which was published exactly a century ago.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This selection of seven short stories, which includes pieces published in 1920 and 1922, plus one from 1932, was issued to coincide with the title story's appearance as an Oscar-nominated film. Written in the interwar period often termed the Jazz Age, their abiding scent is bittersweet, an adjective frequently applied to Fitzgerald's work (though I have to confess this is my first ever taste of it). Despite in most cases their being almost a hundred years old the whiff of nostalgia is often overwhelmed by the smells of busy streets, the tang of disappointed relationships and the stench of hypocrisy (which is an everlasting odour).

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (1922), despite being the item designed to hook the modern reader, is to me the weakest of the stories. It is a one-trick show, an extended tale on how it would be if an individual could live their life backwards. Fitzgerald obviously had fun not only planning out the timeline for this regressive existence but also playing up the reactions of others -- appalled reactions, petty resentments, stubborn prejudices and insistence on rejecting the evidence of their senses. At a superficial level it is a comedy of manners (ultimately tinged with the inevitable melancholy) as Benjamin intermittently becomes a nine day's wonder until the public's interest wanes or memories fade. As a fantasy though, let alone a wouldbe philosophical statement, it is a metaphor shot with plot holes and extended beyond its proper elasticity.

Head and Shoulders (1920) is another tale where the structure largely determines the narrative instead of the narrative growing organically. Horace Tarbox and Marcia Meadow are two proverbial opposites who attract each other, he a scholarly nerd and she an actress in musicals. As time goes on, however, they somehow reverse roles, with him becoming an entertainer and her a celebrated writer. I wish however we could have seen it as much from her point of view as his -- the story ends with him wishing the two had never met. However, the tale is amusing enough, if unlikely, and despite its direction becoming as obvious as the nose on your face I found myself intrigued by how Fitzgerald would carry it off.

The next story from 1920, The Cut-Glass Bowl, is altogether different, a tragedy seemingly brought about by a self-fulfilling prophecy when actually it is human weakness that is to blame. The object in question was a gift accompanied by this portentous speech: "Evylyn, I'm going to give a present that's as hard as you are and as beautiful and as empty and as easy to see through." This cursed holy grail of a piece signals a trajectory that leads through betrayal, misjudgement, injury and bereavement all the way to death. A powerful tale, then, spiralling towards its shocking conclusion. Another of the 1920 offerings, The Four Fists, is its fairer twin, in which four punches to Samuel Meredith's face provide the precise stimuli to give him in his otherwise privileged existence valuable life lessons which no money could buy.

May Day takes us back to 1922, and is the longest item in this collection. At first sight a series of vignettes set against the 1919 May riots in Cleveland, Ohio, we soon discover that the lives of individuals from these vignettes intersect. They are bound together by the enigmatic character of Gordon Sterrett, a veteran of the First World War down on his luck and looking to former Yale associates to help him out. In the canyons of the city mobs roam, looking for socialist and Jewish scapegoats to assuage their discontent, alternating with New Haven graduates celebrating the first of May with a Yale Gamma Psi dance. Fitzgerald explores the interactions of  young men and women from different backgrounds, with different passions and different agendas, and his scrutiny is penetrating and, at the end, a pessimistic one.

Kilmarnok [sic] bookstore in St Paul, Minnesota was apparently the model for the Moonlight Quill Bookshop in Fitzgerald's 'O Russet Witch'. Although a St Paul's native he chose to relocate it to New York,  and describes it as “a very romantic little place, considered radical and admitted dark ... truly a mellow bookshop.” In this rather Gothick sanctum we are introduced to Merlin Grainger, whose hopeful but ultimately pathetic story is paraded before our eyes. Entranced by Alicia Dare, the exotic russet witch of the title (whom he thinks of as Caroline) he instead settles for the more mundane Olive Masters. Over the decades brief encounters with 'Caroline' make him wonder what kind of life he could have led. Do we feel sorry for him? Do we wonder what we would have done instead? If we too had resisted temptation would we be happier now or more embittered?

Crazy Sunday (1932) is the last and latest of the short stories in this collection. It is a world-weary reflection on the madness of Hollywood, realistic in many ways, and yet has a similar morality-tale feel to it that many of the other tales in this selection exhibit. Joe Coles is a screenwriter whose career we follow in a series of vignettes all taking place on a Sunday. Miles Calman is the great movie director -- gifted, successful, idiosyncratic, unpredictable -- whom Coles has much to do with professionally. Last in the triangle is Stella, Miles' wife, with whom Coles is much drawn to. But, as the title suggests, things don't proceed normally.

I found these stories captivating for their onward narratives, their strong distinctive characters and their evocation of a period now long gone but with aspects many of which still remain with us -- films, bookshops, teeming cities, provincial life -- the sweet shock of recognition. But how soon things can turn sour, or else putrefy slowly as lives turn to regret, confusion and bitterness.

https://wp.me/s2oNj1-button

[Holly]

Reading Rush book 8

I still can't get over how beautiful Fitzgerald's writing is...

[Twineaquarius · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Hãy để tôi kể cho các bạn nghe về những người giàu có tột bậc. Họ khác biệt so với bạn và tôi. Họ biết sở hữu và tận hưởng từ sớm, và điều đó đã cho họ đôi điều, khiến họ biết mềm dẻo ở những nơi chúng ta tỏ ra ngang bướng, và biết hoài nghi khi chúng ta tin tưởng, theo cách rất khó hiểu, trừ khi bạn được sinh ra trong sự giàu sang.”

#Chuyện_kỳ_dị_về_Benjamin #FscottFitzgerald #endofyear #y2022 #trả_review_cho_em_tôi

Tôi đọc xong cuốn này khá lâu, sau khi được em tặng. Nhưng cái tính lười cộng thêm lăn tăn việc nên viết như nào, sẽ viết thế nào về một cuốn sách mà mình quen với người dịch, viết công tâm đến mức nào. Nhưng cuối cùng tôi nghĩ, với vai trò là độc giả tôi cần thực hiện đúng thứ châm ngôn tôi đặt ra khi đọc sách: trung thực với cảm nhận, sẵn sàng khen chê và không vì chút quan hệ nào mà đưa những lời không đúng với suy nghĩ của mình. Vì thế, tôi dành bài viết này vào ngày cuối cùng của năm, để ít nhất chúng ta sẽ để lại toàn bộ những gì không hay và bắt đầu trang mới dễ dàng hơn.

NỘI DUNG CHUYỆN KỲ DỊ VỀ BENJAMIN
Đây là tuyển tập 07 truyện ngắn của F.S.Fitzgerald, trong đó Chuyện kỳ dị về Benjamin đã rất nổi tiếng được dựng thành phim. Thông thường nhắc đến FS Fitzgerald người ta thường nhớ đến Gatsby vĩ đại, nhưng nếu đọc tuyển tập truyện ngắn mà Phúc Minh xuất bản, chúng ta sẽ thấy Fitzgerald có nhiều thứ hơn những gì chỉ được biết đến. 07 truyện ngắn với các hoàn cảnh, nhân vật và câu chuyện khác nhau nhưng tựu chung lại đều là cảm giác về sự lạc lõng của những con người mà nhận thức của họ so với thời đại mà họ đang sống không nằm trên cùng một đường ray. Giống như những tác giả của Nhật Bản, việc sống trong thời kỳ biến động tạo thành nguồn động lực được Fitzegald thể hiện qua các nhân vật của ông, những người luôn băn khoăn giữa cái mới – cái cũ, hoài niệm quá khứ, nuối tiếc những điều đang dần mất đi, dù chấp nhận sự thay đổi nhưng tâm tư không thể dễ dàng yêu thương những điều mới “CŨ thì KỸ mà MỚI thì dễ MẺ”

7 truyện ngắn được mở đầu bằng CHUYỆN KỲ DỊ VỀ BENJAMIN, đây là tác phẩm nổi tiếng và được dựng thành phim The Curious Case of Benjamin Button với sự tham gia của Brad Pitt. Mặc dù phim giữ nguyên nội dung chính về Benjamin – cậu bé với chu trình sinh học ngược với bình thường – sinh ra là một ông già và chết đi là một đứa trẻ sơ sinh. Nhưng câu chuyện gốc của Fitzegald có nhiều điểm mà khi đưa vào phim hoàn toàn khác. Đọc truyện ta có thể cảm nhận rõ được ý tưởng truyền đạt của tác giả về sự lạc lõng với thời đại khi đặt bản thể con người vào một chu trình sinh học ngược đời: “Khi bạn mang tâm hồn và hình thái của một ông lão 60 tuổi nhưng cuộc đời lại bắt bạn chơi đồ hàng, ngậm ti giả”. Và xung quanh không ai chịu lắng nghe – thấu hiểu điều cần thiết cho bạn, đặt quy chuẩn của bản thân – cái mà mình nghĩ là tốt – bắt người khác thực hành theo. Nếu như phim tập trung khai thác chuyện tình cảm giữa Benjamin và Daisy thì truyện lại khác, tình yêu của Benjamin – Daisy như thứ gia vị tô đậm cho thứ tình cảm không đặt đúng chỗ, Daisy yêu 1 Benjamin già dặn ban đầu nhưng Benjamin lại càng ngày càng trẻ ra, lão hóa ngược và chàng không còn tìm kiếm được ở nàng Daisy những điều chàng mong muốn khi chàng ở hình hài già cỗi. Có thể thấy, trong truyện tình cảm lứa đôi được dùng để nhấn mạnh sự trái ngược giữa mới – cũ.

Tóc chớm vai là câu chuyện khiến tôi khó quên nhất, bởi nhân vật xoay quanh 2 cô gái của 2 tư tưởng hoàn toàn trái ngược nhau. Marjorie – “sở hữu gương mặt như trong cổ tích và giọng nói ma mị, dễ gây mê đắm”, nữ hoàng của các buổi tiệc và Bernice “chẳng dễ ưa chút nào” trong các buổi tiệc. Nếu Marjorie hiện đại bao nhiêu, thu hút các chàng trai bởi vẻ tự tin của một cô gái tươi mới thì Bernice lại giữ nguyên sự bảo thủ của các cô gái ở giai đoạn trước, cô xinh đẹp nhưng e thẹn, thiếu sự tinh quái và những câu chuyện thú vị bởi tư duy “nam nữ thụ thụ bất thân”. Nhưng khao khát trong Bernice luôn “tự vấn hàng trăm lần về lý do mình không bao giờ được ai chú ý khi ra khỏi nhà”, sự đổi mới của các cô gái thu hút được nhiều chàng trai được cô cho là “tính cách tùy tiện đầy khôn khéo ở các cô gái đó”. Cô hòa hợp vơi tư tưởng của các bà các mẹ thời trước rằng “Thời nay thật chẳng còn phong thái lịch thiệp”. Nhưng khát khao hòa mình với thời đại khiến cô lựa chọn phương pháp thay đổi – theo cách thức hòa tan vào nó. Cô đạt được cho mình vinh quang bất chợt – nhưng lại dễ lụi tàn bởi câu chuyện chỉ được cô dựng nên làm phông nền – chứ không xuất phát từ mong muốn thay đổi của chính cô. Tin tưởng vào người chị họ tinh ranh Marjorie khiến cô bị xoay như chong chóng, từ câu chuyện để đánh bóng bản thân mà cuối cùng cô đành thực hiện thật. Và sự thay đổi không đến từ mong muốn thực sự khiến cô trả giá, điều này đúng cả với Marjorie. Người ta dễ thấy sự độc ác của phụ nữ trong câu chuyện Tóc chớm vai. Nhưng tôi nghĩ đấy là điều mà những cô gái trẻ dễ gặp phải, đặc biệt khi phải tồn tại giữa nhiều luồng sóng thay đổi. Tôi không nghĩ đúng – sai giữa Marjorie và Bernice, cái tôi thấy là cả hai đều “bơi” giữa sự mới – cũ, giữa duy trì những quan niệm về giới đẹp và tạo ra những giá trị mới cho họ.

Tương tự như thế, các truyện ngắn khác trong tuyển tập đều thể hiện mâu thuẫn của một nhân vật không theo kịp sự thay đổi của thời đại với một nhân vật yêu thích những cái mới. CUNG BĂNG là câu chuyện của Sally – cô gái với cái cằm 19 tuổi – có sở thích kỳ lạ với nghĩa trang, “nơi này khiến một số người sầu não, nhưng em lại thích nơi này”. Cô gái ấy tìm đến những mộ chí để “họ - ngày xa xưa ấy, em vẫn cố hiểu, đã sống trong em”. Tình yêu của Sally và Harry đưa cô đến vùng đất mới, nhưng cô không thể chịu đựng được sự thay đổi. Một người tìm được nguồn vui nơi quá khứ tồn tại trên những bia mộ bỗng lạc lõng giữa cung băng mới mẻ. ĐỜI NẶNG HAI VAI lại ngược lại, chàng trai hoạc Thạc sĩ Khoa học xã hôi Horace Tarbox bỗng chốc rơi vào lưới tình với Marcua Meadow – “người thực hiện một điệu vũ nổi tiếng khiến người ta run lên vì cảm động ở cảnh cuối”. Đây là một câu chuyện khá thú vị khi sự thay đổi của xã hội tại thời điểm đó lại khiến 2 con người trái ngược yêu nhau, rồi cuối cùng họ trở thành chính nhau để duy trì hạnh phúc và gia đình họ đã bất chấp những mâu thuẫn của nhau mà gây dựng nên. Tôi nghĩ ở góc độ nào đó nó là một Happy ending và trái ngược với CHUYỆN KỲ DỊ CỦA BENJAMIN – tình yêu đã vượt qua rào cản của mâu thuẫn. Những câu chuyện khác, bạn có thể đọc và nhâm nhi cùng tách trà để tận hưởng niềm vui của lạc lõng, cái thú vị của những người khác biệt trong khi xã hội đang vặn mình thay đổi từng ngày.

VỀ HÌNH THỨC
Chuyện kỳ dị về Benjamin được thiết kế đẹp, bìa nhũ, màu cam, độ bóng vừa đủ. Cách thiết kế bìa gập cũng khá mới mẻ với sách ở Việt Nam. Một cuốn sách kinh điển nhưng không phải với giá trên trời, theo mình nghĩ đây là hướng đi tốt của Phúc Minh và hướng đến việc đưa sách văn học kinh điển đến với nhiều người đọc hơn.

Về bản dịch của em, phải nói nhân duyên khiến mình quen – được nói chuyên với dịch giả. Tuổi đời – tuổi nghề của em, ngay cả định hướng để LÀM NGHỀ cũng mới được em quyết định. Nghề nào cũng thế, sẽ có những khó khăn để mình quyết định bám theo. Bản dịch đưa ra, em gặp nhiều chê bai. Bản thân tôi đọc cũng phải công nhận, ngoài việc có lỗi dịch không chính xác, ngôn ngữ của em còn chưa linh động – đôi khi còn khô khan, nhất là khi dịch tác phẩm cũng nói khá nhiều về chủ đề tình cảm đôi lứa khiến dễ thấy em chưa trải qua quá nhiều mối tình. Nhưng ở góc độ khác, tôi nghĩ việc quá khắt khe, chê bai bản dịch thái quá là không nên, nhất là nếu biết em cũng trăn trở như nào với bản dịch – và tôi nghĩ cũng là lần đầu em xác định mình theo nghề dịch. Tôi nghĩ tác phẩm sau của em sẽ hay hơn, sẽ ít bị chê hơn (dĩ nhiên, chỉ không làm mới không sai nên đừng lo ngại nhiều quá về việc bị chê – người không bị chê đôi khi chỉ vì không ai muốn dính vào keke). Tôi đã gửi em danh sách những điều ở sách mà tôi lăn tăn, tôi không phải người biết hay giỏi ngoại ngữ, nhưng ở vai trò độc giả, yên tâm – tôi sẽ luôn đánh giá khách quan với những gì, không ngại thẳng thắn với em để hy vọng tác phẩm dịch sau của em sẽ tốt hơn tác phẩm trước.

KẾT
Dù sao, Chuyện kỳ dị về Benjamin của FS Fitzgerald là hướng đi mới của kinh điển để tiếp cận các độc giả, không chỉ hướng đến đối tượng chơi sách – sưu tầm sách mà hướng đến rộng rãi những người muốn đọc nhiều tác phẩm hay. Tôi nghĩ dù bản dịch còn chưa hoàn thiện lắm, nhưng không có nghĩa là không ổn hay nên quẳng đi, hoặc phí tiền mua. Đây vẫn là cuốn sách ổn từ bìa đến nội dung, từ hình thức đến cái mà tác giả muốn truyền tải đến đều kết hợp với nhau ăn khớp. Và vì thế, giá trị của sách so sánh với giá tiền cần bỏ ra để sở hữu nó, thời gian để đọc nó thì không lý gì bạn không cho Chuyện kỳ dị về Benjamin vào giỏ hàng. Một sáng lành lạch, làm tách trà đắng nóng, nhâm nhi miếng mứt ngọt thanh, đọc một mẩu truyện về những con người đang tìm lối đi giữa xã hội thay đổi cũng cho ta thêm chút cảm tưởng được đắm chìm về quá khứ, để thấy dù thời đại nào – luôn tồn tại những mâu thuẫn đó, và rằng “Cuộc đời kìm giữ con người và buộc họ phải thực hiện những cú nhào lộn mạo hiểm.”

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

banger after banger after banger

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not the exact edition I had but mine doesn't seem to exist in book form. Or I just can't find it. I was surprised by the simplicity of the Benjamin Button story. It was somewhere around 50 pages, although that's a guess, and it was basically just "he's born, he got younger, he died" with a few life experiences thrown in. There really wasn't much to it. The other stories were also semi-interesting.

[Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Odd.

[Narmeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such exquisite writing. The best of its kind.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Then there came a faraway, booming voice like a low, clear bell. It came from the center of the bowl and down the great sides to the ground and then bounced toward her eagerly. 'You see I am fate,' it shouted, 'and stronger than your puny plans; and I am how-things-turn-out and I am different from your little dreams, and I am the flight of time and the end of beauty and unfulfilled desire; all the accidents and imperceptions and the little minutes that shape the crucial hours are mine. I am the exception that proves no rules, the limits of your control, the condiment in the dish of life.”

I read this with my younger brother, who always has a fresh and insightful perspective on what we read together. He gifted me this collection for my birthday this year and, true to his gift-giving skills, it was an excellent choice. Gorgeous short stories, perhaps some of the best I have read. Fitzgerald lets the horror of a situation creep up on you and then often lets his heavy silence towards the end drive home the weight of the story. Only one of these was somewhat lighter than the others, The Four Fists, whereas the others were devastatingly beautiful. He doesn't need grandstanding or vulgarity, though he occasionally likes to deal a gutpunch when you least expect it.

I especially loved The Cut-Glass Bowl and the overall symbolism of the bowl. I flew through that one, helped by the drama of drunken husbands, testy lovers and devastating loss. Powerful story with a rather mysterious ending. This read may even rival my love for The Great Gatsby!

[books.bintulu · Rating 3 out of 5]

May 2024: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Six Other Stories

And that makes 7 short stories and I only managed to finish 4. I think not bad eh?

1. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
2. Heads and Shoulders
3. The Cut Glass Bowl: a bowl that brought misfortune in her life
4. The Four Fists

While I enjoy reading about Benjamin Button, my question is 'Where is Benjamin's mother? Story 3 & 4 touches on cheating wives. The Four Fists I find it amusing.

Note: My first attempt to read F. Scott Fitzgerald but it's time to return to the library. May or may not come back to this, depends.

[Byron · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Head and Shoulders: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Cut-Glass Bowl: ⭐️⭐️
The Four Fists: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
May Day: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
'O Russet Witch!': ⭐️⭐️
Crazy Sunday: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Rob Damon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange story told with wit. Worth the read as it was only short.

[Andrew Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing very fond of short story collections :)

[Richard Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title story is the most famous one here and, as far as I know, the only one made into a movie, but it is also the worst story of the book. It is a creature of the gimmicky idea of a person born old who ages into infancy. The need to serve the gimmick drives the story to the exclusion of the wonderful characters and deep psychology of most of Fitzgerald's writing. But the rest of the stories of this collection make up for the weakness of the title story in spades. In the other stories we find romance, love lost and found and lost again, life lived to insane levels of extravagance and drink and people brought low to the edge of ruin and beyond. And then there is Fitzgerald's wonderful, lucid prose, which is beautifully expressive and moves along with the energy of the Charleston.

Fitzgerald's male characters always ring true for me, and though they may be two generations my senior, I have little trouble relating to their joys, their challenges and their failings. His female characters are much more wooden. They are pushed to the background and are marched forward to the front only as objects of desire or loathing, but always as objects.

The place of alcohol in Fitzgerald's stories is fascinating to me. More than one of his characters is destroyed by it, but it is always present, sometimes as an escape, sometimes a social lubricant, sometimes just a prop as necessary as clothes and food.

For anyone who gets discouraged by Benjamin Button, I encourage you to forge ahead to the rest of the stories.

[Anisha Kumari · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful collection. A must read for all those who wish to write in future. He is a craftsman of words and his stories are a masterclass in the art of writing. The stories reflect raw human emotions and despite having been written in a bygone era are relatable to this day.

[Inderjit Sanghera · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of short stories; charming, wise and beautifully characterised, yet there is a sadness behind them which I cannot explain, almost a Chekhovian sadness, perhaps it is because most of the stories I read are love stories (of a sort) and present a wistfully romanticised picture of love-whether it be the 'infant prodigy' philosophy student, Horace falling in love with the dancing girl Marcia, or the whimsical tale of Merlin Grainger, book store clerk and his obsession with the ebullient but cruel Caroline as his passes his old age meandering into a mediocrity which would only be punctuated by Caroline's intermittent appearances in his life and of course the pathetic life of Benjamin Button. Yet the books are also very funny and also, strangely enough, a lot more positive and happy and I remember them, still I am unable to shake off the feeling of sadness which seems to emanate from them.

But still, all of the stories I read were truly wonderful, Fitzgerald was a masterful short story teller, one of the best and it is a shame that his short stories are not held in a higher regard.

[Eno RoJo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Admito que esperaba que The Curious Case of Benjamin Button fuera algo similar a la película, pero no lo fue: más que una historia, lo sentí como si fuera una crítica social, especialmente porque le reclamaban a Benjamin que se "comportara"(haciendo referencia a que dejara de hacerse joven) y que siguiera las costumbres de la sociedad, además de que se hacen referencias constantemente hacia la opinión social

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the title story was good (and I liked the movie adaptation), the best one I think is "Babylon Revisited," a semi-autobiographical piece. The others were alright, but not as impressive, except for their adding to a portrait of the times. Although people remember him best for his novels, especially Gatsby, he made most of his money and reputation while he was alive on his short stories.

[D.A. Cairns · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories themselves didn't quite do it for me, but the writing? Oh, the writing. When I reviewed The Great Gatsby, I commented on Fitzgerald's ability to stop me reading on because of the need to re read and marvel at a brilliantly constructed sentence or an extraordinary descriptive phrase. Again, whilst reading this collection of stories, I was struck by the artistry.

All the stories are essentially tragedies with traces of dark humour, featuring deeply flawed characters who act selfishly. I'd seen the film version of Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt, many years ago without realising it was based on Fitzgerald's story. So I was familiar with the very odd tale. Being pure fantasy, it stands out from the other stories.

As I said, although I didn't especially enjoy any of the stories or feel for any of the characters, the stories are worth reading simply because of the quality of the writing.

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fitz Flick'z

The Cut-Glass Bowl:
I randomly picked "The Cut Glass Bowl" and wow, F. Scott is just such a genius.

In as little as 25 pages he managed to demonstrate the greed and gluttony of the '20s and its contrast of the depression and World War and vividly throw them together to a tumultuous ending.
He uses a cutting glass bowl as the centrepiece for the story - following the objects key moments in a family; whilst using the families life, and the glass bowl, to mirror the fate of people during the time; and the contrast of their own gluttony playing a role in causing it.

The letter of news of her son in the war being in the bowl, and the bowl and the family ultimately ending at the same time, is an analogy of how the war brought about the end of that roaring 20's lifestyle. Really well done, and obviously some beautiful quotes in there too!

[book.to.frame · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories. Benjamin Button was the first one and all I have to say is, THE MOVIE IS BETTER!

Spoilers:

How does a woman give birth to a GROWN man?! In the book, Ben is born an old man with a long white beard. He can read, write, talk, think logically. It’s ridiculous. Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you’re literate. You still have to learn these things.

Then the other stories are just as weird. So, they fit right in with this one but they get 2 stars. Now I see why it took so long for Fitzgerald to get success.

Side note: I found it very interesting that in the early 1900’s boys weren’t allowed to wear ‘long pants’ until they were 16 years of age.

[Asherah Foxlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️1/2
I really wanted to like this because I was drawn to the writing style and perhaps it was due to the time I was reading these - I would start a story and pick up up a week later, which was maybe why I found it difficult to connect with most of the characters. The stories were interesting in theory but for the most part on the dull side until my interest was piqued and then it returned to just wanting to move onto the next story.

I adored the book shop scene in O Russet Witch and the Glass Cut Bowl was also fantastic but in May Day I got very lost and couldn’t help thinking that a lot of stories would work better (at least for me) if they were longer and gave me more time to care for the characters making, the tedious dialogue seem more worthwhile. I’m sure in the future I will give one of his novels a try.

(Extra bonus points for casually name dropping every prestigious college in the US ever)

[Phee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this quite a bit. Some of the stories were much better than others. My two favourites being The Four Fists and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
The others were a little difficult to get into at by the time they held my interest they were over.
It was in enjoyable however and I look forward to reading the rest of Fitzgerald's novels.
I will say that I think his stories are definitely influenced by his personal life. Those that are familiar with his life story will probably make the same conclusions.