Odds and Ends
Just the discussion that got started at the Moo Diaries, I was reminded of all the short stories I have read in school. I really do not know of any short story books.
Let me correct that, I do know several different authors who have written short stories
Jeffery Archer and RK Narayan but I will save another blog post for them.
But I do not of any books which compile the stories I read at school. We used to have a
this supplementary text books (sometimes titled Read for pleasure!) which gave a good peek into the world of meaningful fiction.
After all its important to talk about those stories which influenced me as a child.
So here is a post dedicated them, few authors I can recall, few I cannot, but all stories that stay imprinted in my memory forever.
I think we had several short ones by O' Henry in our textbook. The one I remember most clearly was The Last Leaf (also cause we did a play based on the story as a part of our English class). Its a simple, touching story which reminds me yet again how life and death is so very often just a matter of belief, faith!
Then there was this about a sniper (my memory fails here as I cannot remember if it was prose or poem) who lies in wait for his enemy. He has to kill to live.... only to find the man he killed is his own brother separated from him by the civil war !!
There were a few by Saki ( H.H.Munro). The one I remember was a ghost story, which fasicnated me so much that I had read it
off my brother's textbook way before when he was reading it in his class. For someone who is has always been scared of dark and ghosts it was a quite horrifying!
Then we had a piece from the play by George Bernard Shaw, the lesson was titled 'Dont call out or Ill Shoot' except that wasn't the plays name. A few or my classmates performed the whole play putting it into more context . Online search tells me the play was titled Arms and the Man. Its a simple tale of love and concealed identities.
The google search also reminds me that I read Pygmalion which of course was made into a Broadway play and then a movie ( My Fair lady. Again a classic.
(to be continued as and when I remember more)
Let me correct that, I do know several different authors who have written short stories
Jeffery Archer and RK Narayan but I will save another blog post for them.
But I do not of any books which compile the stories I read at school. We used to have a
this supplementary text books (sometimes titled Read for pleasure!) which gave a good peek into the world of meaningful fiction.
After all its important to talk about those stories which influenced me as a child.
So here is a post dedicated them, few authors I can recall, few I cannot, but all stories that stay imprinted in my memory forever.
I think we had several short ones by O' Henry in our textbook. The one I remember most clearly was The Last Leaf (also cause we did a play based on the story as a part of our English class). Its a simple, touching story which reminds me yet again how life and death is so very often just a matter of belief, faith!
Then there was this about a sniper (my memory fails here as I cannot remember if it was prose or poem) who lies in wait for his enemy. He has to kill to live.... only to find the man he killed is his own brother separated from him by the civil war !!
There were a few by Saki ( H.H.Munro). The one I remember was a ghost story, which fasicnated me so much that I had read it
off my brother's textbook way before when he was reading it in his class. For someone who is has always been scared of dark and ghosts it was a quite horrifying!
Then we had a piece from the play by George Bernard Shaw, the lesson was titled 'Dont call out or Ill Shoot' except that wasn't the plays name. A few or my classmates performed the whole play putting it into more context . Online search tells me the play was titled Arms and the Man. Its a simple tale of love and concealed identities.
The google search also reminds me that I read Pygmalion which of course was made into a Broadway play and then a movie ( My Fair lady. Again a classic.
(to be continued as and when I remember more)
posted by ligne at 11:18 PM
8 Comments:
I loved the sniper story (for pretty much the same reasons I am hooked to movies which have snipers in them!) - it was a prose. How about the Gunga Ram story which was highly rediculous (first lesson in class XI)? One of my friends (Shanku) drew a picture of Gunga Ram (with his sricharanam et al) to answer a deep question posed for our quarterly exam and of course, he was rediculed for an entire year by our dear teacher!
Arre I cannot recall the Gunga Ram story now but am sure that picture must have amused your teacher a lot:) The one lesson I will remember for life is Kutchu and his glasses.
This entry takes me back . . .
I don't remember Gunga Ram but I do remember Shooting an Elephant (Orwell), the last act of the Importance of Being Earnest (Wilde) and Nehru's speech (I must have been a nerd).
I also recall reading a story in 10th grade about a man on a boat or someone stranded on an island (yes, that's vague). I also vaguely remember the Tribute . . .
It is amazing how the stories you read when you are little can colour your mind forever (without you even remembering them clearly).
@bdeshini: I have to check out those stories you talk about now :) Also, thanks for the reminder on Orwell how could I forget 1984!
I have seen the movie version of Importance of Being Earnest.. quite funny actually !
Indeed, the stories left an indelible imprint. Is the story 'tribute' about two brothers...one in village and the other in a city?
And is the story by Saki...titled 'face less man' or something like that where the chief protagonist is a school principal and goes through a woody patch to confirm the villagers belief of a faceless man(ghost!) there.
Ligne: must remember kutchu and his glasses: would be useful for you at times...so it seems! :))
@AT ya the one by Saki is hte faceless man one. As far as Kutchu and his glasses goes,..:)
'Arms and the man' is a great play. Had a chance to see it live a few weeks back. Brought back memories from school.
@lenscrafter: We had to perform plays as a part of english class in school. And my classmates did a good job with Arms and the man. Unfortunately I know longer remember what the story was, only that I enjoyed it then :)
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