# Favorite Short Story **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 23, 2017, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970 "2017-07-23T22:34:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/41 "2017-07-24T17:05:01Z")
Agree with all the Fredric Brown fans…he kicks literary ass! No love yet for Harry Kuttner? “Mimsey Were the Borogroves” is not the best fantasy tale of the 20th century? ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/42 "2017-07-24T17:18:48Z")
Agreed on _‘The Game of Rat and Dragon’_, I am going to have to check these stories out 🙂 Two stories that made me want to sit up and cheer, _'Thor Meets Captain America_\* by David Brin and _‘Wings out of Shadow’_ by Fred Saberhagen. \*this one was in a collection of ‘What If’ stories about Nazi Germany winning the Second World War, I almost skipped it because of the silly title but I’m so glad I didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/43 "2017-07-24T17:40:03Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > “Silver Blaze” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (and a lot of other Sherlock Holmes stories) I was starting to be surprised at the lack of mystery stories in general, and Sherlock Holmes in particular. Maybe not great literature, but certainly “ones that you reread once in a while.” I’m convinced that this thread needs more Saki, and is incomplete without G. K. Chesterton, James Thurber, and Flannery O’Connor; but it’s tough singling out specific stories. I also like [“First Confession”](https://www2.bc.edu/john-g-boylan/files/first-confession.pdf) by Frank O’Connor (no relation, AFAIK). And there need to be some children’s stories mentioned in this thread too, like A. A. Milne’s “Winnie-the-Pooh” stories, Rudyard Kipling’s “Jungle Books” stories, Arnold Lobel’s “Frog and Toad” stories, and probably lots more I’m forgetting. ---
**Author:** ![Covfefe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Covfefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covfefe)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/44 "2017-07-24T18:19:54Z")
Portrait of a Girl in Glass by Tennessee Williams ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/45 "2017-07-24T18:33:32Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I was starting to be surprised at the lack of mystery stories in general, and Sherlock Holmes in particular. Maybe not great literature, but certainly “ones that you reread once in a while.” > > I’m convinced that this thread needs more Saki, and is incomplete without G. K. Chesterton, James Thurber, and Flannery O’Connor; but it’s tough singling out specific stories. I was going to include Chesterton’s “The Queer Feet,” but I thought my choices were already leaning a little heavily on mystery/crime. I could also throw in Stanley Ellin’s “The Specialty of the House.” ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/46 "2017-07-24T18:44:41Z")
[Inappropriate Behavior, by Pat Murphy.](http://escapepod.org/2014/01/25/ep432-inappropriate-behavior/) (Link contains full text as well as podcast audio.) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/47 "2017-07-24T19:15:32Z")
Tim O’Brien, “The Things They Carried” Cynthia Ozick, “The Shawl” Donald Barthelme, “The Babysitter” James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blue’s” J. D. Salinger, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/48 "2017-07-24T19:47:37Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Tim O’Brien, “The Things They Carried” > Cynthia Ozick, “The Shawl” > Donald Barthelme, “The Babysitter” > James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blue’s” > J. D. Salinger, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” That should be “Sunny’s Blues” of course. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/49 "2017-07-24T19:50:01Z")
Oh, hell. Didn’t mean to skip Samuel Beckett’s “Dante and the Lobster,” which PUSHES ALL MY NIHILIST BUTTONS, plus gives you a great recipe for a toasted cheese sandwich. AND THE PUNS. I quite enjoy the puns. [http://www.oocities.org/hotsprings/villa/7228/Dante\_and\_the\_Lobster.html](http://www.oocities.org/hotsprings/villa/7228/Dante_and_the_Lobster.html) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/50 "2017-07-24T21:16:55Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > That should be “Sunny’s Blues” of course. My mind is totally gone. “Sonny’s Blues.” ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/51 "2017-07-24T23:03:19Z")
“The Dead,” by James Joyce. One of the few pieces I can teach every year – sometimes more than once a year – and still feel like I notice something new every single time. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/52 "2017-07-25T02:11:29Z")
Very good 12 minute film based on Robert Aickman’s “The Cicerones.” Ending doesn’t match the story’s, but very good overall in catching the tone. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yZefDTNt2u4/hqdefault.jpg "The Cicerones (short film)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZefDTNt2u4) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/53 "2017-07-25T02:37:13Z")
> [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > “The Dead,” by James Joyce. One of the few pieces I can teach every year – sometimes more than once a year – and still feel like I notice something new every single time. Oh yeah. That’ll mess with your head, that story. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/54 "2017-07-25T04:50:37Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Oh yeah. That’ll mess with your head, that story. Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. Actually, _Dubliners_ is my favorite Joyce work. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/55 "2017-07-25T14:24:51Z")
My Top Five among the Sherlock Holmes short stories: “Silver Blaze” “The Red-Headed League” “The Speckled Band” “The Norwood Builder” “The Problem of Thor Bridge” ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/56 "2017-07-25T15:56:56Z")
**Borderland of Sol** and **Inconstant Moon** , by Larry Niven **A Christmas Memory** , by Truman Capote **The Body** , by Stephen King ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/57 "2017-07-25T16:07:37Z")
Robert Siverberg’s “The Man Who Never Forgot” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/58 "2017-07-25T17:01:24Z")
I don’t think anyone else has mentioned Niven’s “Inconstant Moon”, which to my mind is the greatest science fiction short story. Also Heinlein’s “By His Own Bootstraps”, which is the greatest time travel short story (yes, I put it ahead of “All You Zombies”, but only slightly). ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/59 "2017-07-25T19:01:30Z")
No Jorge Luis Borges? I’d nominate, well, everything in _Ficciones_, but in particular “The Lottery in Babylon”, “The South”, “The Garden of Forking Paths”, and “Death and the Compass”. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970/60 "2017-07-25T19:30:35Z")
Short stories are too short. Novels are too long. I prefer novellas. Any other Dopers agree? There are too many excellent detective short story / novellas to even start naming them. Otherwise the good short story that came to mind is more of an excellent shaggy-dog joke (though IIRC it’s been made into a movie :smack: ) — Cleveland in My Dreams by Lawrence Block. Having said that, I have enjoyed several shorts others mentioned … > [@Mahaloth](#): > > The Last Question by Isaac Asimov > Bartelby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville > The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry … all of these though I don’t remember Bartelby. :smack: > [@jaycat](#): > > Almost anything by Paul Bowles. … I read Sheltering Sky (didn’t see the movie) > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > One of my favorites: [The Devil and Daniel Webster](http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0602901h.html) by Stephen Vincent Benet. IIRC there were one or two Benets I enjoyed even more. > [@Evin](#): > > _An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge_, Ambrose Bierce Excellent. > [@jerez](#): > > “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, although it’s been a long time since I last read it. Yes, but almost novella length, no? My favorite novellas are Notes from Underground, Call of the Wild, Old Man and the Sea. Disclaimer: Most of my reading enjoyment of cited works was _long_ ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-short-story/791970.md?page=4)