Selected Modern Hindi Short Stories An Overview Introduction What is a ‘short story’? Does the modifying tag ‘short’ indicate its length or size, or does the appellative signify some other quality? Obviously a physical measure of any literary work cannot be defined in terms of any particular length or size . When we write a short story we know that it doesn’t have its boundary lines drawn like a straitjacket Petrarchan sonnet. A short story can be of only two pages or even twenty pages. ‘Short’ therefore is not a modifier here in its usual sense of size or length. At best, it is a neutral modifier of the traditional and free form of a ‘story’ loosely meant to distinguish it from its arch rival novel which again is totally free from any such limitation of length. And because the central element of the ‘story’ is integrally common to both, the modifier ‘short’ is surely a distinctive definer. It only means that ‘short’ is a general distinguishing term which only ...
‘Nothing to Fear From the Poet but the Truth’ THREE POEMS Ted Joans [1928-2003, American poet of Beat Generation] I poem my life to poetry . . . ALL Dear poem . . . I write you because you are the truth and nothing but the truth dear poem pure poem our poem. THE TRUTH If you should see a man walking down a crowded street talking aloud to himself don’t run in the opposite direction but run toward him for he is a POET! You have NOTHING to fear from the poet but the TRUTH JAZZ ANATOMY my head is a trumpet my heart is a drum both arms are pianos both legs are bass viols my stomach the trombone both lungs are flutes both ears are clarinets my penis is a violin my chest is a guitar vibes are my ribs cymbals are my eyes my mouth is the score and my soul is where the music lies Ted Joans (1928–2003), a B...