The Book of the Grotesque by Sherwood Anderson
The Book of the Grotesque by Sherwood Anderson was published in 1919 as part of his collection of stories titled Winesburg, Ohio.
Short Stories
Free short stories by the all time great short story writers
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The Sphinx Without a Secret by Oscar Wilde
The Sphinx Without a Secret by Oscar Wilde was first published in the newspaper The World in May 1887. In love with a mysterious woman, Lord Murchison one day follows her in order to learn her secrets. But when, after the lady’s death, her secret is revealed, Murchison is left to ponder its meaning
Portrait of a Lady by T. S. Eliot
Portrait of a Lady by T. S. Eliot was first published in Others: A Magazine of the New Verse Sep 1915. It later appeared in his 1917 collection of poems, Prufrock and Other Observations. The poem’s title is widely seen to be derived from the novel of the same name by Henry James
The Big Trip Up Yonder by Kurt Vonnegut
The Big Trip Up Yonder by Kurt Vonnegut was written in 1953 and first published in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine in January 1954. A revised version bearing the title “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” appeared in Vonnegut’s collection of short stories, Canary in a Cat House.
A Joke by Anton Chekhov
A Joke by Anton Chekhov was published in 1886. A young man recounts a wintertime romance during which he announces his love to his young lover – but only when they are tobogganing down a steep slope.
Diary of a Madman by Nikolai Gogol
Diary of a Madman by Nikolai Gogol is considered to be one of Gogol’s greatest short stories. The tale centers on the life of a minor civil servant during the era of Nicholas I. The story shows the descent of the protagonist, Poprishchin, into madness.
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe was first published in 1845. The poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a mysterious visit by a talking raven.
Out of Season by Ernest Hemingway
Out of Season by Ernest Hemingway is taken from Three Stories and Ten Poems collection of short stories and poems by Ernest Hemingway. It was privately published in 1923 in a run of 300 copies by Robert McAlmon’s “Contact Publishing” in Paris.
The Kiss by Kate Chopin
The Kiss by Kate Chopin is a short story about a woman scheming to marry a wealthy man. Written in 1894 is appears in The Awakening and Selected Short Stories.
The Body-Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Body-Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson was originally published in 1884 in the Pall Mall Gazette. It’s the tale of two medical students who obtain bodies for dissection for an anatomy professor.