A Literary Cornucopia

"It became obvious that this was special occasion and that she had planned a surprise." "Birthday party" is a brief, observational story about a married couple in a restaurant where the wife attempts a public birthday surprise for her husband. Katharine Brush's short stories have been compared, in their lack of sentiment and their sharpness, with those of F. Scott Fitzgerald, her  more famous cont...

"I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and, to her great surprise, gave her eighty rubles. She murmured her little "merci" several times and went out. I looked after her and thought: "How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!" ("A Nincompoop)" Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) was a Russian playwright and master of the modern short story, known for his laconic precision in probing the hidden motiv...

Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000) was an influential 20th-century poet and the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1950. Her short story "Home," later incorporated into her novel Maud Martha , centers around a family's anxiety and eventual relief as they await the outcome of a bank loan application.

With the third week of kindergarten Charles was an institution in our family; the baby was being a Charles when she cried all afternoon; Laurie did a Charles when he filled his wagon full of mud and pulled it through the kitchen; even my husband, when he caught his elbow in the telephone cord and pulled the telephone and a bowl of flowers off the table, said, after the first minute, “Looks like Ch...

Once upon a time, in a far country, there lived a King whose daughter was the prettiest princess in the world. Her eyes were like the cornflower, her hair was sweeter than the hyacinth, and her throat made the swan look dusty.  And so begins James Thurber's unusual fairy tale. The stories of the journalist-cartoonist are deceptively simple and charming in style yet unflinchingly clear-sighted in t...

His face was the face of a student, thin and ascetic, but his eyes had the cold gleam of the fanatic. "The Sniper" is a powerful and concise short story by the Irish writer Liam O'Flaherty, first published in 1923. It's set in Dublin during the Irish Civil War (1922-1923), a conflict that pitted Irish citizens against each other over the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Liam O’Flaherty (1896–1984) was an Irish...

A spirited discussion springs up between a young girl who insists that women have outgrown the jumping-on-a-chair-at-the-sight-of-a-mouse era and a colonel who says that they haven’t. “A woman’s unfailing reaction in any crisis,” the colonel says, “is to scream. And while a man may feel like it, he has that ounce more of nerve control than a woman has. And that last ounce is what counts.” There ha...

Leo Rosten (April 11, 1908- Feb. 19, 1997) was a Polish-born American author and social scientist best known for his popular books on Yiddish and for his comic novels featuring the immigrant night-school student Hyman Kaplan. He wrote "The Path Through the Cemetery" under the pen name of Leonard Q, Ross. In the story, the lieutenants' challenge sets into motion Iván's attempt to master his fear.

"Oh dear, no," said the old man. "It would be no good charging that sort of price for a love potion, for example. Young people who need a love potion very seldom have five thousand dollars. Otherwise they would not need a love potion." John Collier (1901-1980) was a British-born author and screenwriter, primarily known for his darkly humorous and often macabre short stories. &q...

Bertrand Russell was a British philosopher, logician, and social reformer, known as a founder of analytic philosophy and a Nobel Prize winner. His early life was marked by tragedy, losing his parents, sister, and grandfather by age six, after which his grandmother cared for him and his brother. In the essay "How to Grow Old," Russell gives the reader advice on growing old (but it's really more on...

"No ... no .. ." Jacques said softly. "None of us knew. Only one knew--a friend of his named Joseph ... It was a secret, I think, just between those two." The author of "A Secret for Two," Quentin James Reynolds, was an American journalist and World War II war correspondent. As an associate editor at Collier's Weekly from 1933 to 1945, Reynolds averaged 20 articles a year. He also published 25 boo...

Uncle Basil had heard all the words they called him because he wasn't as deaf as he made out. He knew he was a mangy, stingy, penny-pinching screw, scrimp, scraper, pinchfist, hoarder, and curmudgeon (just to start with). There were other words, less gentle, he'd also heard himself called. He didn't mind. What galled him was the oft repeated warning, "You can't take it with yo...

Isaac Asimov was a prolific writer, contributing significantly to science fiction and popular science literature. He wrote or edited about 500 books, including the renowned Foundation and robot series. His story "Nightfall" (1941) is considered one of the greatest science fiction short stories. Asimov's work on the Three Laws of Robotics greatly influenced the portrayal of robots in...

He was wild and lost to the world as he painted, his only thought was to complete a perfect likeness of his beautiful young wife to be captured for eternity.  "The Oval Portrait" was one of Poe's briefest stories in the genres of mystery and the macabre. Link to podcast episode 4: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4WaBJLJ4oLCkq2mFot8jEv https://aliterarycornucopia.wordpress.com/2025/0...

Ernest Hemingway was an influential American novelist and short-story writer, born on July 21, 1899, in Cicero, Illinois, and died on July 2, 1961, in Ketchum, Idaho. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954, recognized for his impactful prose style and adventurous life. Hemingway's writing is noted for its intense masculinity and concise, lucid prose, which significantly influenced 2...

Toni Morrison was a celebrated American writer known for her exploration of the Black experience, particularly the Black female experience. She became the first Black female writer to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature (1993). The short story “Sweetness” was originally published in The New Yorker in February 2015. It became the opening chapter of her novel God Help the Child . The story is nar...

Oscar Wilde's' plays were mostly directed at adult audiences. They displayed his wit. However, this controversial Irish writer also wrote charming stories for children. "The Selfish Giant" was part of his short story collection The Happy Prince and Other Tales. ALC Blog: https://aliterarycornucopia.wordpress.com/home/about-a-literary-cornucopia-podcast/

William Faulkner’s works, many set in a fictional county, reflect the complexities and contradictions of the South. His influence extends to countless writers, and his themes remain relevant in contemporary discussions of history and culture. Faulkner is celebrated as a pioneer of modernist fiction and a chronicler of the American South. "A Rose for Emily" is a Southern Gothic short story that tel...

"Of all who give gifts, these two were the most wise. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are the most wise. Everywhere they are the wise ones. They are the magi." The Gift of the Magi (O. Henry) What are our true feelings when we exchange gifts with the ones we love?

“The name Thomas Hardy has meant surefire gloom and doom for a century. No one has ever gone to Thomas Hardy for light reading. What a surprise then, to discover this almost frivolous adventure of a juvenile detective among so much adversity and pessimism. ‘The Thieves Who Couldn’t Help Sneezing’ is startling proof that man cannot live on misery alone. Not even Thomas Hardy. “ ( Murder for Christm...

Leo Tolstoy was a Russian author, a master of realistic fiction and one of the world’s greatest novelists. Most readers will agree with the assessment of the 19th-century British poet and critic Matthew Arnold that a novel by Tolstoy is not a work of art but a piece of life; the Russian author Isaak Babel commented that, if the world could write by itself, it would write like Tolstoy. This episode...

“Two Kinds” was published in 1989 as part of Amy Tan’s book The Joy Luck Club .  The story is narrated by a Chinese-American woman, named Jing-mei, who is looking back on her upbringing in the United States.   A closer look at the story reveals that ‘Two Kinds’ is about the relationship between parents and their children, and what motivates a ‘pushy parent’ to encourage their child into working ha...

American poet, memoirist, and actress Maya Angelou wrote several volumes of autobiography that explore the themes of economic, racial, and sexual oppression. She is perhaps best known for her autobiographical work "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" (1969). The book garnered critical acclaim and a National Book Award nomination. It is the first of Angelou’s six autobiographies and is widely taught i...

Langston Hughes was a central figure in the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement that celebrated African American cultural expressions. His work spanned various genres, including poetry, plays, novels, and newspaper columns, focusing on the African American experience. The episode includes a reading of his short story, “Thank You, Ma'am.” Comments or recommendations may be addressed through the...

Although often labeled a science fiction writer, Ray Bradbury himself noted that much of his work was fantasy, horror, or mystery, with "Fahrenheit 451" being his only true science fiction book.  His work remains highly relevant in today's world due to its exploration of themes such as censorship, the suppression of dissenting ideas, and the impact of technology on society.