The Playboy Book of Short Stories

by Alice K. Turner (Editor)

From the inception of Playboy in 1953, the magazine made it clear that publishing fiction of the highest quality would be an essential part of its philosophy. This superlative gathering of stories offers persuasive proof of how well the magazine has lived up to that intent. It was a daunting task to select the very best short story from each of Playboy's forty years - with a special bonus from 1971, when tales by Nobel Prize-winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez, at his most magically sensuous, and Vladimir Nabokov, at his most wickedly witty, both irresistibly demanded to be included. The result is an enthralling array that well may amaze even the most ardent Playboy fans, not to mention those unfamiliar with the stellar quality of the magazine and the rich variety of literary genius that has graced its pages. Marquez is but one of the Nobel Prize winners offered here. There is Isaac Bashevis Singer's marvelous story of Holocaust survivors in Miami, and Nadine Gordimer's probing questions of life and death in South Africa. Such names as Joyce Carol Oates, James Jones, Jack Kerouac, James Thurber, Nelson Algren, Bernard Malamud, Shirley Jackson, Philip Roth, James Baldwin, John Cheever, John Updike, Irwin Shaw, Joseph Heller, and Norman Mailer make this collection not only a feast of fiction to be relished but a virtual history of the best American writing of the second half of the twentieth century. And from beyond our borders come such writers as Jorge Luis Borges playing a provocative mind game as only he can; Sean O'Faolain with a tale of seduction Irish-style; Bharati Mukherjee offering an erotic adventure in Latin America; and the rising new master of Japanese fiction Haruki Murakami putting a surreal slant on love and marriage. Here, too, of course, are the writers who established themselves as Playboy stars before going on to win still wider acclaim, among them Bruce Jay Friedman, Herbert Gold, and Charles Beaumont. Add to this illustrious listing nerve-twister

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

609 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Ludmilla]

Bendeki baskı Çiviyazıları'ndan çıkmış ve 386 sayfa. İçindeki öyküler:

Borges - Öteki
James Baldwin - Çocuk Adam
Roald Dahl - Güzel bir Oğul
Kerouac - İyiliksever Sarışın
Marquez - Boğulmuşların En Yakışıklısı
Bradbury - Havanın Durgun Olduğu Bir Mevsimde
Roth - Bana Göre Bir Aktörün Yaşamı
Irwin Shaw - Her Şeyin Bilge ve Adil Olduğu Yer
Updike - Ölüyorum Mısır, Ölüyorum
Oates - Saul Bird Diyor ki: Anlat! İlet! Özgür Bırak!
Paul Theroux- Beyaz Yalanlar
Norman Mailer - Büyücü Davası
K. LeGuin - Havayı Özgürleştirmek

En iyi bulduklarımı koyu renkle işaretledim. Genel olarak keyifli bir okuma. .Ve Baldwin'in öyküsü okuduğum en ürpertici ve etkileyici öykülerden biri.

[Catarina Stella]

Obviously not all are 5 stars. They are a cool breeze for when I’m drying up like a lizard in the sun. And it’s useful for discovering new authors

[Ta]

Bardzo ciekawy przegląd.

Ale tłumaczenia pozostawiają sporo do życzenia - szczególnie ujął mnie tytuł "Just like the girl" przełożony na polski jako "Polub tę dziewczynkę".

[J. Joan]

I read MOST of the short stories, but not all. It was an interesting collection, one from each year over the 40 years since Playboy started publishing original works, featuring famous authors like Roald Dahl, Nabokov, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, etc. Some were blatantly about sexual experiences, but most were just interesting short stories capturing intense moments in time. It's an interesting read, and teaches a lot about history too, as you read what's acceptable or not for Playboy reading through the years.

[Drew Weatherton]

I listened to this for the Michael Crichton short story, which was good. I was pleased to find several other interesting short stories as well, including an extra chapter to Catch 22 that the author originally intended to include in that book.

[John Devlin]

Many highly memorable stories written with the razor edge of Playboy for its testerone filled readers.

[Ademption]

The five stars are based squarely on Bernard Malamud's "Naked Nude," John Updike's "I am dying, Egypt, dying", and Charles Beaumont's "Black Country." The rest of the book was a solid four stars.

[Josh Shelton]

Lots of big names and a wide range of styles. Hints of the sexism you'd expect from the times... plus a little extra- no big surprise considering the nature of the publication. Sadly, no pictures.

[Hyo Jung]

Brilliant short stories! It still works for creators.

[Leah]

Didn't really care for these stories, even though this was highly recommended to me.

[Coelo12]

wunderful!!!