Short Stories of note

I think the majority of people--at least those who can afford to do so--like to watch certain movies more than once. This is why DVDs sell so well, for repeat viewings. I'm no different, though we don't own very many DVDs.

I never reread novels, as life is short, and there are so many out there I want to read before I draw my last breath. I do sometimes reread short stories I enjoyed. Here are some I have experienced and enjoyed more than once:

1) Allison Amend's "The People You Know Best" in her collection Things that Pass for Love.

2) Shalom Auslander's "Bobo the Self-Hating Chimp," "Somebody Up There Likes You," and "God is a Big Happy Chicken," in his book Beware of God. When I taught Hebrew school at a Reform Synagogue a few years ago, I even had my students read "God is a Big Happy Chicken" --a slightly bowdlerized version of it (minus the cussing and sexual reference) to illustrate the point that there's beauty in the traditions even if the students found parts of the Torah spurious and objectionable.

3) Franz Kafka's "The Bucket Rider".

4) Agnon's "That Tzaddiq's Etrog," "To Father's House," and "At the Outset of the Day." Best read in the original Hebrew to see his unparalleled use of language. I only have one of these in the Hebrew at present, so I know what I'm buying the next time I visit Steimatzky's.

5) Etgar Keret's אף אחד לא מבין את הקוואנטים in צנורות, translated into English as "Quanta" in The Girl on the Fridge. Keret's story על ערכו התזונתי של החלום (translated as "On the Nutritional Value of Dreams") is my absolute favourite short story. Keret is even more superbly and surreally imaginative than Kafka and Agnon.

6) Miranda July's "This Person" in Nobody Belongs Here More Than You.

7) Ingeborg Bachmann's "Undine Goes." I've blathered about this story before. I think it would make a supreme oratorio for a single soprano, and I hope someday a composer more skilled than myself will match its poetic eloquence with rich musical accompaniment.

8)Borges' "Library of Babel," "The Secret Miracle," and "Averroes' Search." His stories are for those who love history, literature, and the history of knowledge.

9) Jonathan Lethem's "Access Fantasy."

I've recently encountered a few remarkable short stories in Best British Short Stories 2011. I especially enjoyed "Love Silk Food" by Leone Ross and "So Much Time in a Life" by Heather Leach. I look forward to reading more of their work.

Call for Stories: Bride of the Golem: An Anthology of Humorous Jewish Horror

I will be editing the book "Bride of the Golem: An Anthology of Humorous Jewish Horror" and am seeking stories to include in it.

The stories can employ a new Jewish twist on a mainstream horror theme (e.g. a tale about a Hassidic vampire mohel or about the Lubbavitchers reanimating Rebbe Schneerson). Or they can reinterpret horrific elements in classical Jewish folklore like the Golem or dybbuk. Or they can venture into entirely new territory.

Stories of this genre that I like: Etgar Keret's "Quanta", Shulamit Hareven's "The Emissary", Shalom Auslander's "Prophet's Dilemma" and Nathan Englander's "Reb Kringle," to name just a few.

Requirements are the following:
1) The story should be humorous.
2) The content of the story should have some connection to Jewish culture deeper than the names of the main characters. Subtle references to Talmud, the prayerbook, Midrash are very welcome, though not required. You don't have to be Jewish to submit, but it helps if you have some prior knowledge of Jewish traditions.
3) It is preferrably unpublished, though I will consider reprints in some cases if the reprint rights are easily negotiated. I will also consider translations of stories from other languages if the rights are easily secured.
4) The length can vary from 500 words to 10,000.
5) The story should be well-written. I shouldn't have to say this.
6) The story should be forwarded to me via e-mail: gus.ginsburg40@gmail.com with the words "Bride of the Golem Submission" in the subject line. Word docs are fine, but not docx format. I prefer doublespaced, 12 point in a readable font. The document should be paginated with your name and title at the bottom of each page. The first page or cover page should include your contact information. You can include a brief bio (up to 250 words) in the body of your submission e-mail.
7) Simultaneous submissions are fine. Let me know immediately if the story is accepted elsewhere.

Here's how the process will work:
I am looking for 10-12 publishable stories by new and upcoming authors, and I will see that you are paid $500 for your story, though it may take some time for you to receive your payment as I have to get an agent and publisher on board with this project. I will also solicit 2-4 stories by better-known authors in order to make this volume a bestseller at Jewish book fairs.