65: "Transients in Arcadia" by O. Henry

Today’s episode is: A fantastic short story about love and lust by Guy de Maupassant, the french master of short fiction. This is an odd, enjoyable little story, worthy of a few minutes of your day. Learn more: http://listen.morningshort.com Discuss: http://reddit.com/r/morningshort More Context: This is typical Maupassant. It deals with an out-of-the-ordinary event in the very ordinary lives of his characters, narrated in the first-person. The narrator is plain-spoken and simple but the other characters are profound and complicated. Story Genres: American fiction, Modern humor, Satire, Moralism Famous stories by Guy De Maupassant: "The Necklace" "Boule de suif" (Bowl of Soup) "Useless beauty" And many others. -----What is Morning Short? ------- Morning Short is a podcast and daily newsletter featuring amazing, curated short stories, handpicked for you. Our stories are like little audiobooks, and feature everything from romance, to sci-fi thrillers, to drama, and even detective/crime fiction. We sometimes even welcome special guests to our story, like Sherlock Holmes, everyone's favorite sleuth (or at least ours). Other popular genres are fantasy, comedy, satire, and tragedy. We even read some  narrative poetry sometimes! (Some say we're a bit like Audible for short stories) -----Why listen to Morning Short audiobooks? ------- Most of our readers just want a great story, every day or every week. They love the mystery aspect of it too, not knowing what story/genre/author will come next. Many readers use our service to improve their writing skills. We don't offer writing tips, but we feature a wide variety of legendary authors from around the world. Reading good literature is one of the best ways to improve your own writing skill. Others listen to us to improve their English. We're not an English-language course, but our stories are helpful for grasping idioms and english writing styles. They’re meant to entertain you while you commute or work out, help you improve your reading and writing skills, and generally just make you happier. Enjoy our amazing fiction!If you like the short audiobook format, let us know!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s episode is: a Friday replay of a wonderful story on success and morality by Herman Melville. This first aired early last year. Melville is best-known for his sea tale "Moby Dick", so it's apt that this short story takes place on a smaller body of water. Learn more: http://listen.morningshort.com - Discuss: http://reddit.com/r/morningshort More Context: Melville's character-building dialogue is expert here, as is his suspense-building. Some of the language is a bit racially charged, but bear in mind that this was more normal when this story was written, in the 1850s. Story Genres: American fiction, Dialogue, suspense, drama, humor, Satire, Moralism. Famous books by Mr. Melville "Moby Dick" "Bartleby, the Scrivener" And many others. -----What is Morning Short? ------- Morning Short is a podcast and daily newsletter featuring amazing, curated short stories, handpicked for you. Our stories are like little audiobooks, and feature everything from romance, to sci-fi thrillers, to drama, and even detective/crime fiction. We sometimes even welcome special guests to our story, like Sherlock Holmes, everyone's favorite sleuth (or at least ours). Other popular genres are fantasy, comedy, satire, and tragedy. We even read some  narrative poetry sometimes! (Some say we're a bit like Audible for short stories) -----Why listen to Morning Short audiobooks? ------- Most of our readers just want a great story, every day or every week. They love the mystery aspect of it too, not knowing what story/genre/author will come next. Many readers use our service to improve their writing skills. We don't offer writing tips, but we feature a wide variety of legendary authors from around the world. Reading good literature is one of the best ways to improve your own writing skill. Others listen to us to improve their English. We're not an English-language course, but our stories are helpful for grasping idioms and english writing styles. They’re meant to entertain you while you commute or work out, help you improve your reading and writing skills, and generally just make you happier. Enjoy our amazing fiction!If you like the short audiobook format, let us know!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s episode is: A story by George Ade, a classic American humorist. Ade was a born-and-bred Midwesterner, working from a home in Chicago, Illinois, and his humor (including in this story) often draws from his life, and his hometown. Learn more: http://listen.morningshort.com - Discuss: http://reddit.com/r/morningshort More Context: This story is a cheeky take on the storytelling "rule of threes", adapted to the common man. It also shows how clearly Ade was influenced by the satirical style of his hero, Mark Twain. Ade was one of the first writers to become a millionare through writing. Story Genres: American fiction, Modern humor, Satire, Moralism Famous books by Mr. Ade: Ade's Fables Fables in Slang Knocking the neighbors And many others. -----What is Morning Short? ------- Morning Short is a podcast and daily newsletter featuring amazing, curated short stories, handpicked for you. Our stories are like little audiobooks, and feature everything from romance, to sci-fi thrillers, to drama, and even detective/crime fiction. We sometimes even welcome special guests to our story, like Sherlock Holmes, everyone's favorite sleuth (or at least ours). Other popular genres are fantasy, comedy, satire, and tragedy. We even read some  narrative poetry sometimes! (Some say we're a bit like Audible for short stories) -----Why listen to Morning Short audiobooks? ------- Most of our readers just want a great story, every day or every week. They love the mystery aspect of it too, not knowing what story/genre/author will come next. Many readers use our service to improve their writing skills. We don't offer writing tips, but we feature a wide variety of legendary authors from around the world. Reading good literature is one of the best ways to improve your own writing skill. Others listen to us to improve their English. We're not an English-language course, but our stories are helpful for grasping idioms and english writing styles. They’re meant to entertain you while you commute or work out, help you improve your reading and writing skills, and generally just make you happier. Enjoy our amazing fiction!If you like the short audiobook format, let us know!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Morning Short is back, with a third season of amazing curated short stories! Today’s episode is: A story written by the Russian writer Maxim Gorky, who created the socialist-realism literatary style. Learn more: http://listen.morningshort.com - Discuss: http://reddit.com/r/morningshort More Context: This particular story is gritty, but sweet. The characters (Theresa, the student) are imperfect and complex, but good at heart. There's a real humanity to them, which is why we selected it. Story Genres: Fiction, Literature, Russian, Soviet, Socialist Realism, Drama Famous books by this author: The Mother Children of the Sun My Childhood And many others. -----What is Morning Short? ------- Morning Short is a podcast and daily newsletter featuring amazing, curated short stories, handpicked for you. Our stories are like little audiobooks, and feature everything from romance, to sci-fi thrillers, to drama, and even detective/crime fiction. We sometimes even welcome special guests to our story, like Sherlock Holmes, everyone's favorite sleuth (or at least ours). Other popular genres are fantasy, comedy, satire, and tragedy. We even read some  narrative poetry sometimes! (Some say we're a bit like Audible for short stories) -----Why listen to Morning Short audiobooks? ------- Most of our readers just want a great story, every day or every week. They love the mystery aspect of it too, not knowing what story/genre/author will come next. Many readers use our service to improve their writing skills. We don't offer writing tips, but we feature a wide variety of legendary authors from around the world. Reading good literature is one of the best ways to improve your own writing skill. Others listen to us to improve their English. We're not an English-language course, but our stories are helpful for grasping idioms and english writing styles. They’re meant to entertain you while you commute or work out, help you improve your reading and writing skills, and generally just make you happier. Enjoy our amazing fiction!If you like the short audiobook format, let us know!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s episode is: A flashy short story by James Joyce from his collection “Dubliners”. Learn more: http://listen.morningshort.com Story Genres: Fiction, Modernist, Avant-Garde, Famous books by this author: Ulysses Dubliners And many others. -----What is Morning Short? ------- Morning Short is a podcast/newsletter that shares one short story every morning. Our stories are like little audiobooks, and feature everything from romance, to sci-fi thrillers, to drama, and even detective/crime fiction. We sometimes even welcome special guests to our story, like Sherlock Holmes, everyone's favorite sleuth (or at least ours). Other popular genres are fantasy, comedy, satire, and tragedy. We even read some narrative poetry sometimes! (Some say we're a bit like Audible for short stories) -----Why listen to Morning Short audiobooks? ------- Most of our readers just want a great story, every day or every week. They love the mystery aspect of it too, not knowing what story/genre/author will come next. Many readers use our service to improve their writing skills. We don't offer writing tips, but we feature a wide variety of legendary authors from around the world. Reading good literature is one of the best ways to improve your own writing skill. Others listen to us to improve their English. We're not an English-language course, but our stories are helpful for grasping idioms and english writing styles. Morning Short is a podcast and daily newsletter featuring amazing, curated short stories, handpicked for you. They’re meant to entertain you while you commute or work out, help you improve your reading and writing skills, and generally just make you happier. Enjoy our amazing fiction! If you like the short audiobook format, let us know!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s episode is: A story by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. This is the first Indian story we've featured, and it's a great one. Learn more: http://listen.morningshort.com - Discuss: http://reddit.com/r/morningshort More Context:This is a familiar story, of the touching kind, but it also exposes us to another time, and another place, and another culture. A really nice piece of fiction. Tagore was the first non-western writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Story Genres: Fiction, Contexual Modernism, India, Travel, Colonial, Adventure Famous poems by this poet:   "Paul Revere's Ride" “The Song of Hiawatha” “Evangeline”     And many others. -----What is Morning Short? ------- Morning Short is a podcast and daily newsletter featuring amazing, curated short stories, handpicked for you. Our stories are like little audiobooks, and feature everything from romance, to sci-fi thrillers, to drama, and even detective/crime fiction. We sometimes even welcome special guests to our story, like Sherlock Holmes, everyone's favorite sleuth (or at least ours). Other popular genres are fantasy, comedy, satire, and tragedy. We even read some  narrative poetry sometimes! (Some say we're a bit like Audible for short stories) -----Why listen to Morning Short audiobooks? ------- Most of our readers just want a great story, every day or every week. They love the mystery aspect of it too, not knowing what story/genre/author will come next. Many readers use our service to improve their writing skills. We don't offer writing tips, but we feature a wide variety of legendary authors from around the world. Reading good literature is one of the best ways to improve your own writing skill. Others listen to us to improve their English. We're not an English-language course, but our stories are helpful for grasping idioms and english writing styles. They’re meant to entertain you while you commute or work out, help you improve your reading and writing skills, and generally just make you happier. Enjoy our amazing fiction!If you like the short audiobook format, let us know!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's Story Is: A brilliant tale by Satirist Mark Twain about a few starving painters, and how they pulled off the trick of the century. Get your daily dose of fiction via email. Sign Up At http://Share.MorningShort.com. Morning Short is a daily podcast and newsletter featuring one amazing short story, every morning. Story transcript - I was spending the month of March 1892 at Mentone, in the Riviera. At this retired spot one has all the advantages, privately, which are to be had publicly at Monte Carlo and Nice, a few miles farther along. That is to say, one has the flooding sunshine, the balmy air and the brilliant blue sea, without the marring additions of human pow-wow and fuss and feathers and display. Mentone is quiet, simple, restful, unpretentious; the rich and the gaudy do not come there. As a rule, I mean, the rich do not come there. Now and then a rich man comes, and I presently got acquainted with one of these. Partially to disguise him I will call him Smith. One day, in the Hotel des Anglais, at the second breakfast, he exclaimed: 'Quick! Cast your eye on the man going out at the door. Take in every detail of him.' 'Why?' 'Do you know who he is?' 'Yes. He spent several days here before you came. He is an old, retired, and very rich silk manufacturer from Lyons, they say, and I guess he is alone in the world, for he always looks sad and dreamy, and doesn't talk with anybody. His name is Theophile Magnan.' I supposed that Smith would now proceed to justify the large interest which he had shown in Monsieur Magnan, but, instead, he dropped into a brown study, and was apparently lost to me and to the rest of the world during some minutes. Now and then he passed his fingers through his flossy white hair, to assist his thinking, and meantime he allowed his breakfast to go on cooling. At last he said: 'No, it's gone; I can't call it back.' 'Can't call what back?' 'It's one of Hans Andersen's beautiful little stories. But it's gone fro me. Part of it is like this: A child has a caged bird, which it loves but thoughtlessly neglects. The bird pours out its song unheard and unheeded; but, in time, hunger and thirst assail the creature, and its song grows plaintive and feeble and finally ceases--the bird dies. The child comes, and is smitten to the heart with remorse: then, with bitter tears and lamentations, it calls its mates, and they bury the bird with elaborate pomp and the tenderest grief, without knowing, poor things, that it isn't children only who starve poets to death and then spend enough on their funerals and monuments to have kept them alive and made them easy and comfortable. Now--' But here we were interrupted. About ten that evening I ran across Smith, and he asked me up to his parlour to help him smoke and drink hot Scotch. It was a cosy place, with its comfortable chairs, its cheerful lamps, and its friendly open fire of seasoned olive-wood. To make everything perfect, there was a muffled booming of the surf outside. After the second Scotch and much lazy and contented chat, Smith said: 'Now we are properly primed--I to tell a curious history and you to listen to it. It has been a secret for many years--a secret between me and three others; but I am going to break the seal now. Are you comfortable?' 'Perfectly. Go on.' Here follows what he told me:See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s episode is: A classic double-twist tale by O Henry, the king of the short story. This story is very similar to one of Henry's most famous stories, "The Gift of the Magi". It's uplifting, and an absolute pleasure to listen to. Learn more: http://listen.morningshort.com Story Genres: Fiction, American, Travel Famous Stories by this author:  "The Duplicity of Hargraves" (1902) "A Retrieved Reformation" (1903) "The Cop and the Anthem" (1904) "The Gift of the Magi" (1905) "Conscience in Art" (1907) "The Last Leaf" (1907) "The Third Ingredient" (1908) "The Ransom of Red Chief" (1910) And many others About Morning Short: Morning Short is a podcast and daily newsletter featuring amazing, curated short stories, handpicked for you. They’re meant to entertain you while you commute or work out, help you improve your reading and writing skills, and generally just make you happier. Enjoy our amazing fiction! If you like the short audiobook format, let us know!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s episode is: A replay of Franz Kafka's off-the-wall crazy story of a groom-to-be, his imposing father, and his "friend in Russia". An amazing, perplexing story by German author franz Kafka. This story still confounds critics to this day. Learn more: http://listen.morningshort.com Story Genres: Fiction, Parallelism, Absurdist, Modernism, Magic Realism, and Low Fantasy. Famous books by this author: “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka And many others. About Morning Short: Morning Short is a podcast and daily newsletter featuring amazing, curated short stories, handpicked for you. They’re meant to entertain you while you commute or work out, help you improve your reading and writing skills, and generally just make you happier. Enjoy our amazing fiction! If you like the short audiobook format, let us know!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a Friday Favorite. Each Friday we share one of our favorite stories from our archives. This Friday Favorite Is: A romantic western/cowboy tale by O. Henry. Learn more: http://listen.morningshort.com Story Genres: Romance, cowboy, western. Famous short stories by this author: “The Gift of the Magi” “A Blackjack Bargainer” “A Newspaper Story” “A retrieved Reformation” “The Last Leaf” And many others. About Morning Short: Morning Short is a podcast and daily newsletter featuring amazing, curated short stories, handpicked for you. They’re meant to entertain you while you commute or work out, help you improve your reading and writing skills, and generally just make you happier. Partial Story transcript - > There had to be a king and queen, of course. The king was a terrible old man who wore six-shooters and spurs, and shouted in such a tremendous voice that the rattlers on the prairie would run into their holes under the prickly pear. Before there was a royal family they called the man "Whispering Ben." When he came to own 50,000 acres of land and more cattle than he could count, they called him O'Donnell "the Cattle King." The queen had been a Mexican girl from Laredo. She made a good, mild, Coloradoclaro wife, and even succeeded in teaching Ben to modify his voice sufficiently while in the house to keep the dishes from being broken. When Ben got to be king she would sit on the gallery of Espinosa Ranch and weave rush mats. When wealth became so irresistible and oppressive that upholstered chairs and a centre table were brought down from San Antone in the wagons, she bowed her smooth, dark head, and shared the fate of the Danaë.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.