Flash fiction International
Reviewed by Ray Zimmerman
I
usually compare the novel to a mammal, be it wild as a tiger or tame as a cow;
the short story to a bird or a fish; the microstory to an insect (iridescent in
the best cases). - Louisa
Valenzuela
Luisa Valenuzeula’s statement has a
certain charm as she compares the very short fiction form, now known as flash
fiction, to iridescent insects, but I prefer to liken them to gems, lustrous
with beauty and hard as the truths they reveal. The editors of Flash Fiction International selected
eighty-six of the best of the best stories in this form. The editors included
stories from locations as diverse as The United States, Iraq, Bangladesh,
Argentina and Zimbabwe.
A review of all eighty-six stories is not
possible, but a sampling serves to illustrate the diversity of voices in this
collection drawn from world wide sources:
In “The Waterfall,” Alberto Chimal of
Mexico describes a ritual which combines christening and baptism, in which the
drops of consecrated water are likened to the souls of the dead, each hoping
that his (or her) name will be preserved, that their name will be the one given
to the young child. Will the selected
name be Guglielmo, Terencio, Jason, Emil, or some other
In “Prisoner of War,” by Mune Fadhill of
Iraq, a man returns home after eighteen years in an Iranian prison to see his
now deceased wife’s likeness in the face of a grown daughter. He withdraws into
his own world of repairing technology. He is changed and the world around him is
changed.
In “Eating Bone” by Shabian Nadiya of
Bangladesh describes a wife threated with divorce after ten years of a
childless marriage. She asserts herself in a surprising way. Meanwhile, Natalie
Diaz of the United States portrays a legless veteran who takes to his
wheelchair and cruises the dancefloor of “The Injun Who Could,” intoxicated
female tourists.
Although many of the stories are new
works by contemporary writers, some very short classics have made their way
into this collection. “The Young Widow,” by the Roman author Petronius joins “Appointment
in Samarra” (W. Sommerset Maugham) and “An Imperial Message” (Franz Kaufka).
These brief narratives range from one to
three pages, and each is a complete story in itself. This collection is as bright
as a star field on a dark winter night.
