|
|
Books > Fiction > Special features > Short stories
PRAYER TALES is a collection of twelve straight-to-the-heart short
stories. The settings, characters and adventures differ radically,
but prayer plays an essential role in each. There are plenty of
twists, turns and surprises just ahead---because not all prayer is
equal --- so the outcomes will vary greatly Let the expeditions
begin as we... Share the perplexing trials of an exotic young man,
Observe the worshipers of a misshapen rock, Sit in on a bizarre
executive placement interview, Join the desperate attempt to flee a
dying planet, Sit down to a business luncheon at the Country Club,
Cheer for our team in the NCAA football championship, Discover the
fate of an ailing pornographer, Sit at a blocked railroad crossing
with two frustrated trashmen, Go fishin' with a boy and his special
little sister, Learn the life and death decision of a grieving
widow, Take a once-in-eternity chance on winning The Prize, and
Visit an older couple with grass too long to cut. As you navigate
PRAYER TALES, I hope you'll be stirred to pray. As you pray, I hope
you'll receive answers long sought. As you receive, I hope you'll
welcome the One whose heart uniquely fits your own-the One who
hears and answers all your prayers.
Looking up, he saw something whitish behind the shrine. The
daylight was fading, and the shoemaker peered at the thing without
being able to make out what it was. "There was no white stone here
before. Can it be an ox? It's not like an ox. It has a head like a
man, but it's too white; and what could a man be doing there?" He
came closer, so that it was clearly visible. To his surprise it
really was a man, alive or dead, sitting naked, leaning motionless
against the shrine. Terror seized the shoemaker, and he thought,
"Some one has killed him, stripped him, and left him there. If I
meddle I shall surely get into trouble." Also includes "Three
Questions," "The Coffee House of Surat," and "How Much Land Does a
Man Need?"
The theme uniting the characters in these stories is ambition--not
in terms of extravagant goals, but the simple and basic wants for
their lives and those close to them. These elementary concerns deal
with love, death, fidelity, fleeting time, the desire to comprehend
their journey, a reassessment of their lives, and others of more
modest dimensions but no lesser importance. Sometimes they want the
nominally impossible, as in the harrowing Elsa, and at others the
most mundane, as in the lighter Kickbacks. Sometimes, as in The
Pharmacist, there is the shock of learning of the dichotomies that
reside within those with whom we share our everyday lives. These
stories illustrate the ways in which the characters are thwarted,
often the instruments of their own defeats, how they try to
compensate for these failures, and how in so doing they learn
things about themselves that they might otherwise not get to
know--or want to. Although, as in all stories, the intentions are
ultimately serious, often traced through veils of loneliness, the
interweaving of humor is not precluded.
America''s Rite is a compilation of stories bonded around one
central figure, with the end result being a cross between Arabian
Nights and Aesop''s Fables. However, unlike the linear logic used
in Arabic literature, this book uses the circular logic of Western
literature to form its moral conclusions. How closely America''s
Rite actually comes to hitting the mark will be determined by each
reader. In literary terms, America''s Rite is a fiction novel,
which uses parables as the foundation for hypothetical solutions to
problems inherent in American Society. In actuality, America''s
Rite is a blend of real facts, with factious scenarios and
characters, intended to stimulate discussions toward resolving
internal problems plaguing modern American Society. The concept of
this book was stated very nicely by the Nigerian author who wrote,
"Writers don''t give prescriptions; they give headaches."
America''s Rite portrays: a) the fact America is not a homogeneous
society, but a society of many parts in constant conflict, and b)
how constant manipulations and revisionist history by the
Politically Correct have played no small part in America''s slide
towards chaos and mediocrity. Parental discretion should be applied
to the reading of America''s Rite. This book uses graphic sex as
reader stimulus, and it is the intent of America''s Rite to sell
the concept of correcting the problems in American Society to as
many Americans as humanly possible. It is unfortunate the use of
graphic sex in America''s Rite will limit the availability,
provocation, and political discussion from the developing minds of
American youth -- because American youth will eventually need to
deal with the problems discussed inthis book.
From Green Tea: The evil spirits associated with man are, indeed
from the hells, but when with man they are not then in hell, but
are taken out thence. The place where they then are, is in the
midst between heaven and hell, and is called the world of spirits
-- when the evil spirits who are with man, are in that world, they
are not in any infernal torment, but in every thought and affection
of man, and so, in all that the man himself enjoys. But when they
are remitted into their hell, they return to their former state...
If evil spirits could perceive that they were associated with man,
and yet that they were spirits separate from him, and if they could
flow in into the things of his body, they would attempt by a
thousand means to destroy him; for they hate man with a deadly
hatred... Knowing, therefore, that I was a man in the body, they
were continually striving to destroy me, not as to the body only,
but especially as to the soul; for to destroy any man or spirit is
the very delight of the life of all who are in hell; but I have
been continually protected by the Lord. spirits, unless he be in
the good of faith... Nothing is more carefully guarded from the
knowledge of associate spirits than their being thus conjoint with
a man, for if they knew it they would speak to him, with the
intention to destroy him... Also included in this volume are Mr.
Justice Harbottle, Madam Crowl's Ghost, and The Dead Sexton.
Harold MacGrath (1871-1932) was a bestselling American novelist,
short story writer, and screenwriter.
The story displays an integral part of the cultural heritage of
human societies and, like a mirror reflects the values of a nation
as well. Furthermore, through research in stories, we can realize
the cultural relations of the people. According to Prof. Dr. Ulrich
Marzolph, Iran, from the earliest times, as a vital connecting link
between the ancient Indian culture and, Mediterranean valuable
cultures, was known to the science's world and, universally
recognized and appreciated in academic communities. Iran is an
excellent source of the story, telling literature. Mawlana Jalal
ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (30 September 1207 - 17 December 1273) depicts
in his valuable work, Mathnawi, from the beginning of the first
volume to the end of the sixth volume, throughout creates stories
and allegories. Although Rumi believes that story is like a bowl
and, the meaning of the story is like grains in that. The Mathnawi
has many short stories and, except the apparent meaning, they also
contain secret and hidden meanings.
Translation of Chana Blankshteyn's stories depicting the tumultuous
interwar years in Europe. Fear and Other Stories is a translation
from Yiddish to English of the collected stories of Chana
Blankshteyn (1860?-1939), a woman who may be almost entirely
forgotten now but was widely admired during her long and productive
life. The mere existence of these stories is itself a remarkable
feat as the collection was published in July 1939, just before the
Nazis invaded Poland and two weeks before Blankshteyn's death.
Anita Norich's introduction argues that antisemitism is palpable,
as is the threat of war and its aftermath. What could it have felt
like to live under these conditions? How might a woman who was a
feminist, a Jew, and an activist understand the recent past of war
and revolution through which she had lived and also confront the
horror that was beginning to unfold? The nine stories in this
volume take place primarily in Vilna, as well as various parts of
Europe. As if presaging what was to come, World War I and Russian
civil wars are the backdrops to these stories, as Jews and non-Jews
find themselves under German occupation or caught up in the
revolutionary fervor that promised them much and took away almost
everything. The young women in Blankshteyn's stories insist on
their independence, on equality with their lovers, and on
meaningful work. Like the men in the stories, they study, work, and
yearn for love. The situations in which these characters find
themselves may be unfamiliar to a contemporary reader, but their
reactions to the turmoil, the frighteningly changing times, and the
desire for love and self-expression are deeply resonant with
today's audience. The history may be specific, but the emotions are
universal. Blankshteyn's stories are both a view of the final gasp
of Eastern European Jewish culture and a compelling modern
perspective on the broader world. Students and scholars of history
and culture, women's literature, and translation studies will
wonder how they've gone this long without reading Blankshteyn's
work.
"Pueden haber tocado tu cuerpo, pero no dejes que toquen tu
alma..." Existen recuerdos, amigos, cosas, hermanos que aparecen en
algun momento de nuestra vida y de la misma manera se van sin dar
un recuento... Y si regresan, me sentiria expuesto, vulnerable.
Porque les di un pedazo de mi vida, uno muy intimo, y me
desgarraron, e igual se marcharon y eso les da un control sobre mi
que no sabia que tendrian... Eres culpable de ser la victima? Cual
es tu crimen detras del exito? Que desgracia esconde esa sonrisa?
Que ocultas de los ojos de todo el mundo? "Invasion a la
privacidad," cinco historias, cinco viajes a la belleza que
engalana lo peor de la humanidad... el hombre mismo
The book you are about to read is a story about four men and a
woman. They terrorist people every where they go, they rape, kill,
and rob. The men are Harold the English Man, he is a tall thin
blond man he was very good with explosives. Then there is Anton a
dirty little Mexican that most likely did not know what soap and
water was all about. Sammy, well, he was the strong man with arms
like tree trunks he could snap a man's spine like a twig. Ah
Phillip a lady's man, love them, and then kill them.
|
|