The best short stories of 1920, and the yearbook of the American short story
General
The best short stories of 1920, and the yearbook of the American short story
American fiction -- 20th century; Short stories -- 20th century -- Bibliography; Short stories -- 20th century -- Indexes; Short stories, American
#Hungry Hearts#, by _Anzia Yezierska_ (Houghton Mifflin Company). When I
reprinted "Fat of the Land" last year I stated that it seemed to me
perhaps the finest imaginative contribution to the short story made by
an American artist last year. My opinion is confirmed by Miss
Yezierska's first collection of stories, and particularly by "Hunger,"
"The Miracle," and "My Own People." I know of no other American writer
who is driven by such inevitable compulsion to express her ideal of what
America might be, and it serves to underscore the truth that the chief
idealistic contribution to American life comes no longer from the anæmic
Anglo-Saxon puritan, but from the younger elements of our mixed racial
culture. Such a flaming passion of mingled indignation and love for
America embodies a message which other races must heed, and proves that
there is a spiritual America being born out of suffering and oppression
which is destined to rule before very long.
II. #English and Irish Authors#
#Windmills: A Book of Fables#, by _Gilbert Cannan_ (B. W. Huebsch, Inc.).
This is the first American edition of a book published in London in
1915. Conceived as a new "Candide," it is a bitter satire on war and
international politics. While it ostensibly consists of four short
stories, they have a unity of action which is sketched rather than fully
set forth. In fact, the volume is really a notebook for a larger work.
Set beside the satire of Voltaire, Mr. Cannan's master, it is seen to
fail because of its lack of kindly irony. In fact, it is a little
overdone.
#The Eve of Pascua#, by "_Richard Dehan_" (George H. Doran Company). Two
years ago I had occasion to call attention to the quite unstressed
romanticism of Mrs. Graves' "Under the Hermes." The present volume is of
much less significance, and I only mention it because of the title
story, which is an adequately rendered picture of contemporary Spanish
life, much less overdrawn than the other stories.
#Poems and Prose#, of _Ernest Dowson_ (Boni and Liveright). Five of the
nine short stories by Ernest Dowson are included in this admirable
reprint, but it omits the better stories which appeared in The Savoy,
and in a later edition I suggest that the poems be printed in a volume
by themselves with Mr. Symons' memoir, and all the stories in another
volume which should include among others "The Dying of Francis Donne"
and "Countess Marie of The Angels."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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