What 1953 short story by Isaac Singer tells the story of a simpleton bread-maker who is cheated by everyone his entire life but still retains his goodness?
"Gimpel the Fool ""Gimpel the Fool"" (1953) is a short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer, translated into English by Saul Bellow in 1953. It tells the story of Gimpel, a simple bread maker who is the butt of many of his town's jokes. It also gives its name to the collection first published in 1957. David Roskies has put forward the view that the story constitutes a modernist revision of a story by Nachman of Bratslav. The 1957 collection contains the following stories: Elka Elka, who is known as the town prostitute, marries Gimpel when he agrees to get the"
"do simple things, and must instead invent hugely complex and powerful machines to do them for him. The story follows Albert from elementary school (where he conceals his inability to do arithmetic by inventing the calculator) to adulthood, where his inventions have brought him fame and fortune, ushered in a worldwide golden age, and earned him the Eurema Prize. Even at the peak of his success, however, Albert is still plagued by impostor syndrome, and by his inability to function without his inventions. ""Dam"" won the 1973 Hugo Award for Best Short Story, tied with Frederik Pohl's ""The Meeting"". It"
"family, and always remembers the time she spent with Aaron in the haystack; she reminds him by simply bleating. Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories is a 1966 book of short stories written by Polish-American author Isaac Bashevis Singer. The stories were translated from Yiddish, which was Singer's language of choice for writing, by Singer and Elizabeth Shub. Maurice Sendak provided illustrations for the book. Among other recognition the book received, it was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal (i.e., a Newbery Honor Book) in 1967. It has been translated into many languages. The"
"Christmas Morning Christmas Morning is a comic but poignant short story by Ireland's Frank O'Connor, first published in The New Yorker in 1936. The narrator of the story is Larry Delaney, an Irish boy who appears regularly in O'Connor's stories, and serves as O'Connor's alter ego. Larry is a typical mischievous Irish boy who likes to skip school and runs with a rough crowd. Larry fears that, because of his misbehavior, Santa Claus won't be leaving him any presents for Christmas. His fears are stoked by his mother, who scolds him constantly and compares him unfavorably to his smarter, better-behaved"
"the boy is very lucky on this night. The narrator is probably the one who has killed all of the hitchhikers in the past. The question is why didn't he kill this one? The answer could possibly be that this boy was his son and he did not even know it. Time and Again (short story) ""Time and Again"" is a short story by American writer Breece D'J Pancake, first published in 1977. This American Gothic tale tells the story of an aging murderer, a farmer who feeds the bodies of his victims to his hogs. The short story appears"
"conviction. The Reencounter ""The Reencounter"" is a short story by American writer Isaac Bashevis Singer. The story takes place in New York City and deals with death and the idea of an afterlife. The story begins with Dr. Max Greitzer waking to the sound of his telephone. The voice on the other line tells him that a woman he'd dated previously, Liza Nestling, had died and that the funeral was to be held at eleven. It had been twelve years since the two had broken up. They had a thirteen-year love affair full of many misunderstandings and complications. After the"
"Pâté de Foie Gras (short story) Pâté de Foie Gras is a 1956 science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov, originally published by ""Astounding Science Fiction"". Like Asimov's ""The Endochronic Properties of Resublimated Thiotimoline"", ""Pâté de Foie Gras"" is a scientific spoof article. A Department of Agriculture employee tells of the discovery on a farm in Texas of a goose that lays golden eggs, and how US government and academic researchers try to solve the mystery of the goose. While its eggs are valuable as pure gold, learning how the bird produces the metal is more important. After"
"vanishes once the couple are reconciled. Khushwant Singh's short story ""The Mark of Vishnu"" (1950) adapts the situation of the fable to an Eastern background. A Brahmin priest, assured in the belief that a cobra has a godly nature and will never harm others if treated courteously, is nevertheless killed by the snake when trying to heal and feed it. Oscar Brown Jr. adapted the fable in the form of a poem he called ""The Snake"" and then in 1963 set it to music. The song was recorded in several popular versions in the 1960s and 1970s. The Farmer and"
"narrator had noted that the only way to destroy the pair's working bond would be to attempt ""to explain it to Rootes"". The story's conclusion clarifies the full meaning of this statement. The World Well Lost ""The World Well Lost"" is a science fiction short story by American writer Theodore Sturgeon, first published in the June 1953 issue of ""Universe"". It has been reprinted several times, for instance in Sturgeon's collections ""E Pluribus Unicorn"", ""Starshine"", and ""A Saucer of Loneliness"". The story takes its title from the subtitle of John Dryden's verse drama"" All for Love"". The tagline for the"
"man and boy experience a redemptive epiphany as they simultaneously recognize in the figurine a symbol of human suffering and the imputed mercy that comes from such suffering. The story ends with them leaving the city and, after getting off the train, standing at the station in a mild state of shock. Mr. Head experiences again this mysterious divine mercy, and Nelson says that he's glad he went ""but I'll never go back again!"" The Artificial Nigger ""The Artificial Nigger"" is a short story by Flannery O'Connor. It was published in 1955 in her short story collection ""A Good Man"
"This Transformation ""This Transformation"", also known as ""The Begging Monk"", () is a short story by Pu Songling collected in ""Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio"" (1740). The tale revolves around a monk who begs for nothing in particular and is treated like an outcast. It was first fully translated into English by John Minford in 2006, followed by Sidney L. Sondergard in 2008. A reclusive and shabby-looking monk skulks the streets of Jinan, reciting aloud sutras and begging for alms; however, he rejects everything people offer to him, be it food or water. Enquiries on the reason for such,"
"Billy Liar Billy Liar is a 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse, which was later adapted into a play, a film, a musical and a TV series. The work has inspired and featured in a number of popular songs. The semi-comical story is about William Fisher, a working-class 19-year-old living with his parents in the fictional town of Stradhoughton in Yorkshire. Bored by his job as a lowly clerk for an undertaker, Billy spends his time indulging in fantasies and dreams of life in the big city as a comedy writer. In 1960, the novel's author, Keith Waterhouse, co-wrote a three-act"
"and the sleigh. The master attains a spiritual/moral revelation, and Tolstoy once again repeats one of his famous themes: that the only true happiness in life is found by living for others. The master then lies on top of the peasant to keep him warm through the cold night. In the morning, peasants dig out the sleigh, which was only half a mile from town. They find Vasily Andreyevich and the horse dead but Nikita is still alive. Master and Man (short story) ""Master and Man"" () is a short story by Leo Tolstoy (1895). In this short story, a"
"golden feathers to grow back, but they never did; they grew back white, and the goose flew away, never to return again. The hero is the youngest of three brothers, given the nickname ""Simpleton"". His eldest brother is sent into the forest to chop wood (the Task), fortified with a rich cake and a bottle of wine. He meets a little gray man (the Disguised Helper) who begs a morsel to eat and a swallow of ale but is rebuffed. The eldest brother meets an accident and is taken home. The second brother meets a similar fate. Dummling, sent out"
"deception which may lay at its core link this story to ""The Dream Life of Balso Snell"", where the title character comes across countless artists and writers, who try to present themselves a certain way but may all be charlatans. The Imposter (short story) ""The Imposter"" is a short story written by Nathanael West in the early 1930s; it was not published in West's lifetime and first appeared in ""The New Yorker"" on June 2, 1997 and in the Library of America edition of West's collected work: ""Novels & Other Writings"". The story, told by a struggling writer and set"
"Technical Error ""Technical Error"" is a science fiction short story by Arthur C. Clarke. It was published in 1950 under the title ""The Reversed Man"" and appeared again in Clarke's collection of short stories ""Reach for Tomorrow"", in 1956. The first power plant to exploit superconductivity has been built, and worker Richard Nelson is ""laterally inverted"" following an accidental short-circuit in the facility. Nelson finds himself wearing his wedding ring on the wrong hand. Written texts appear mirror-inverted, and coins and his technical diary have been affected. Nelson begins to starve; normal food does not nourish him because most biological"
"a single doughnut. In the 1922 espionage thriller, ""The Secret Adversary"" by Agatha Christie, Tommy Beresford is held captive by a spy ring. Upon escaping, the first thing Tommy does is head to an A.B.C. teashop for sustenance. First of all, he must have a square meal. He had eaten nothing since midday yesterday. He turned into an A.B.C. shop and ordered eggs and bacon and coffee. Whilst he ate, he read a morning paper propped up in front of him. Once satiated, Tommy and his partners in detection go on to foil the plans of the conspirators. The ""Secret"
"The Reencounter ""The Reencounter"" is a short story by American writer Isaac Bashevis Singer. The story takes place in New York City and deals with death and the idea of an afterlife. The story begins with Dr. Max Greitzer waking to the sound of his telephone. The voice on the other line tells him that a woman he'd dated previously, Liza Nestling, had died and that the funeral was to be held at eleven. It had been twelve years since the two had broken up. They had a thirteen-year love affair full of many misunderstandings and complications. After the breakup,"
": MuseumStuff.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2011. The Mourners Bernard Malamud’s short story ""The Mourners” first appeared in ""Discovery"" in January 1955. The story was included in Malamud's first collection of short stories, ""The Magic Barrel"", published in 1958. Kessler used to be an egg candler, and is living alone in a cheap apartment located on the top floor of a decrepit tenement building on the East Side of New York City. He’d had a family but he outgrew them. Thirty years have passed and Kessler had made no attempt to see them. In turn, his family hadn’t seen"
"the personality of Milton. Upon finding an ideal match, he arranges to have Milton arrested for malfeasance, so that Joe can 'have the girl' for himself. True Love (short story) ""True Love"" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the February 1977 issue of ""American Way"" magazine and reprinted in the collections ""The Complete Robot"" (1982) and ""Robot Dreams"" (1986). In his autobiography ""In Joy Still Felt"", the author states that ""American Way"" had requested a Valentine's Day story from him for its February 1977 issue, and that he wrote the"
"eventually asks her to marry him, but his father forbids it. Alyosha agrees and ceases to discuss marriage with Utinija. For the first and only time in the story, Alyosha breaks his lighthearted, laughing demeanor and cries. Later during Lent, Alyosha falls while he clears snow from the roof. On the third day, he died quietly, having calmly accepted his impending death. ""He lay in wonderment, then stretched himself, and died."" Alyosha the Pot ""Alyosha the Pot"" ( [""Alyosha Gorshok""]) is a short story written by Leo Tolstoy (1905) about the life and death of a simple, uncomplaining worker. It"
"Cheater (short story) ""Cheater"" is a story by Orson Scott Card set in his Ender's Game universe. It tells the story of how ""Hot Soup"" Han Tzu got into Battle School. It appears in Card's Webzine ""InterGalactic Medicine Show"". ""Cheater"" is the story of Han Tzu as a child. Han Tzu was born in Nanyang, China and was a descendent of Yuan Shikai, a great Chinese general. From a very young age, Han Tzu's father would play with him every day. It was his wish that Han Tzu would become a great general and bring glory back to China. When"
"have believed possible"", before ""thinking"" him deep into the cornfield. Because Anthony's Aunt Amy carelessly complained about the heat earlier, the next day Anthony makes it snow, which ""killed off half the crops – but it was a ""good"" day"". Floyd C. Gale in 1961 called the story a ""super-duper topnotcher"". It's a Good Life ""It's a ""Good"" Life"" is a short story by American writer Jerome Bixby, written in 1953. In 1970, the Science Fiction Writers of America selected it for ""The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One"", as one of the 20 best short stories in science"
"his simple way of life, defeats the treacherous devil. Ivan eventually becomes the ruler of the country despite the lack of a standing army or currency. All of the citizens are welcome at Ivan's table, where workers are fed first and intellectuals (those without calluses on their hands) have to eat the leftovers. Ivan the Fool (story) ""Ivan the Fool"" (also known as ""Ivan the Fool and his Two Brothers"") is an 1886 short story (in fact, a literary fairy tale) by Leo Tolstoy, published in 1886. It describes the struggles of three brothers and a sister with the Old"
"creation, who narrates the story of a cabin dwelling family he secretly observes. Similarly, Roald Dahl's story ""The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar"" is about a rich bachelor who finds an essay written by someone who learnt to ""see"" playing cards from the reverse side. The full text of this essay is included in the story, and itself includes a lengthy sub-story told as a true experience by one of the essay's protagonists, Imhrat Khan. Chaucer's ""The Canterbury Tales"" and Boccacio's Decameron are also classic frame stories. In Chaucer's ""Canterbury Tales"", the characters tell tales suited to their personalities and"
"blackmail others. The cruelty of Little Peter as a child and adult despot (Adam in Worthing Saga), and his later redemption at old age are very similar to Peter Wiggin's, the Hegemon from Ender's Game. Worthing Inn ""Worthing Inn"" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It only appears in his short story collection ""The Worthing Saga"". Little Peter lives in the Worthing Inn with his immediate family and his uncle Elijah. While he was still a little boy he discovered that he could hear the thoughts of everyone around him except his uncle. Although he was unable to"
"the pane; nor the jobber who let the carriage; nor the groom who drove it; nor the butcher who provided the leg of mutton; nor the coals which roasted it; nor the cook who basted it; nor the servants who ate it: and this I am given to understand is not infrequently the way in which people live elegantly on nothing a year. It is also mentioned by Charles Dickens in his novel ""A Tale of Two Cities"", where Jerry Cruncher of Tellson's Bank moonlights as a body snatcher. The Italian Boy by Sarah Wise has an excellent historical account"
"molecular level, as she was unable to digest food afterwards. In Arthur C. Clarke's short story ""Technical Error"" (also titled ""The Reversed Man""), a technician working on a giant superconducting generator is accidentally ""inverted"" into his mirror image, right down to the coins in his pocket. When he is found to be starving despite an apparently-healthy diet, the culprit is determined to be the amino acids in his food, which are natural amino acids and opposite in chirality to those his body now requires. Isaac Asimov's short story ""Left to Right"" concerns an unknown ""change in parity"", and mentions biological"
"baker, a soldier, joins the bun bakers. Unlike all others they know, he befriends them, boasting of his virility with women. He ultimately seduces Tanya. Upon learning about this, the bakers surround Tanya and yell abuse at her. After regaining her composure, she rebukes them. Afterwards, Tanya never stops by at the bakery for morning biscuits again. Twenty-six Men and a Girl ""Twenty-six Men and a Girl"" (, ) is a short story written by the Russian writer Maxim Gorky in 1899, and is one of his most famous. ""Twenty-six Men and a Girl"" is a pioneering story of Social"
"the list until October 25, 1953. ""The Silver Chalice"" takes place in Israel and other parts of the Roman Empire shortly after the death of Jesus. A young man, Basil, is adopted by a rich man, but loses his fortune when his father dies and his uncle defrauds him, claiming he was purchased as a slave, and sells him. As a slave he survives by working as an artist and silversmith. He gains his freedom, becomes a Christian and is commissioned to create an outer covering for the cup Jesus drank from at The Last Supper. The plot of ""The"
"Time and Again (short story) ""Time and Again"" is a short story by American writer Breece D'J Pancake, first published in 1977. This American Gothic tale tells the story of an aging murderer, a farmer who feeds the bodies of his victims to his hogs. The short story appears in Pancake's only book, ""The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake"" (1983). It can also be found in the anthology ""American Gothic Tales"", edited by Joyce Carol Oates. The story opens with a nameless narrator who tells the gothic tale in first-person narrative. The narrator lets the reader know that he was"
"often quoted, it is a curious fact, and one on the whole redounding to the credit of humanity, that the line is never quoted in the sense in which Ulysses uses it. Makes the Whole World Kin ""Makes the Whole World Kin"" is a short story written by O. Henry (a pen name for William Sydney Porter), allegedly at Pete's Tavern on Irving Place in New York City. The story starts with a young thief walking through a neighbourhood, scouting for his next house. The thief is described as an ordinary man, with no extreme tendencies. Once he finds a"
"the end of the story, the surgeon is revealed to be a robot himself. Segregationist (short story) ""Segregationist"" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. The story was written in April 1967 and was first published in December in ""Abbottempo"", a magazine produced by Abbott Laboratories, then later included in the collections ""Nightfall and Other Stories"" (1969), ""The Complete Robot"" (1982) and ""Robot Visions"" (1990). The story depicts a future where robotic prosthetics for humans and artificially-created organic body-parts for robots (known as Metallos) are commonplace. Metallos have been granted equal status with 'normal' humans. A"