CERTIFIED NERD
being a certified nerd, i always find time to read no matter how busy i get. when there's lots of things to do, i turn to 15 to 30 minute reads. my favorites include a selection of short stories by the french author marcel ayme.
ayme wrote in a matter-of-fact tone about characters in weird situations; his stories are both strange and beautiful. there's one about a guy who acquires the ability to walk through walls. another story is about a man who has an intense thirst for wine, and starts believing that his father in law is a huge bottle of wine.
my particular favorite, the title of which escapes me at the moment is the one about a man who has a halo (yes, the kind angels have above their heads). his wife is embarrased by his halo - it seems to proclaim that he is blessed by god and she's not, not to mention that people stare at him. she demands that he get rid of it, but he can't. after several failed attempts, he figures that since his halo is a gift from god, if he sins, god would take back his gift. the man begins by committing venial sins, then moving on to more serious offenses. but no matter what he does, the halo stays on. towards the story's end, the man has become a poor lonely pimp. it ended with him standing in a dark alley, counting the days earnings by the light of his halo.
this story made the little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. and from the criteria prescribed by the different schools of literary theory, if a story can make the little hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, then it's a great story.
ayme wrote in a matter-of-fact tone about characters in weird situations; his stories are both strange and beautiful. there's one about a guy who acquires the ability to walk through walls. another story is about a man who has an intense thirst for wine, and starts believing that his father in law is a huge bottle of wine.
my particular favorite, the title of which escapes me at the moment is the one about a man who has a halo (yes, the kind angels have above their heads). his wife is embarrased by his halo - it seems to proclaim that he is blessed by god and she's not, not to mention that people stare at him. she demands that he get rid of it, but he can't. after several failed attempts, he figures that since his halo is a gift from god, if he sins, god would take back his gift. the man begins by committing venial sins, then moving on to more serious offenses. but no matter what he does, the halo stays on. towards the story's end, the man has become a poor lonely pimp. it ended with him standing in a dark alley, counting the days earnings by the light of his halo.
this story made the little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. and from the criteria prescribed by the different schools of literary theory, if a story can make the little hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, then it's a great story.
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