AmosL
08-25-2006, 10:06 AM
SHORT STORIES TO MAKE YOU THINK (and remember when)
Amos Lassen and Literary Pride
Levin, Shaun. "A Tale of Two Summers". Five Leaves, 2005.
I am not a short story reader. I remember those college courses when we had to read a selection of various authors' short stories and I hated them. For some reason I never felt that a short story would allow me to get to know the characters and more often than not, I would find that just as I was getting into the plot, the story would be over. Of course there are some brilliant exceptions such as "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner or "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. Another group of exceptions is Shaun Levin's "A Tale of Two Summers". Each and every story is a gem. Perhaps I feel this way because I can identify with them--especially the ones written about Israel. I recognized the street names and the locations--it was almost as if I was reading a diary which was extremely personal in nature.
"A Tale of Two Summers" is a collection of stories set in Israel, South Africa and London. Each story revolves around one aspect of our lives-- be it fantasy, cross dressing, relationships, death, and/or
love and lust. Levin writes from the heart and while reading him, I felt a close identification with the ideas that he poured forth in an extremely personal manner. Be it a story of a first sexual experience, one that was highly anticipated, or a wildly humorous experience of a guy going shopping for a pair of red pumps to wear to a party, the emotions expressed in the minds and actions of the heroes of each story is absolutely breath taking---and sometimes a bit painful.
"That Summer Before the Army" was the highlight of the collection for me. Israeli boys go right into the army after high school and delay their college studies until they fulfill their responsibility to their country. Here is the story of sexual awakening, written with perfection and obviously a great deal of pain. Looking back at that summer and his introduction to "homo" sex, our young hero fulfills his dreams of having the experience. Very sexual in nature, but very beautifully related, the reader almost experiences the same intense feelings as does the character who is going through them.
Another story is about a young recruit who has fantasies about another comrade in arms and must deal with the political issue of the invasion of Lebanon and find his own humanity.
The coming of age stories in South Africa are every bit as emotional as well as those set in London. There are sixteen stories in this collection and each stands alone yet somehow there is a collectivity when all sixteen are read together. It was hard for me to decide whether it was the beautiful way these stories were told that held my interest or the subject matter. When these two dynamics go hand in hand, you can be assured of a wonderful reading experience.
Amos Lassen and Literary Pride
Levin, Shaun. "A Tale of Two Summers". Five Leaves, 2005.
I am not a short story reader. I remember those college courses when we had to read a selection of various authors' short stories and I hated them. For some reason I never felt that a short story would allow me to get to know the characters and more often than not, I would find that just as I was getting into the plot, the story would be over. Of course there are some brilliant exceptions such as "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner or "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. Another group of exceptions is Shaun Levin's "A Tale of Two Summers". Each and every story is a gem. Perhaps I feel this way because I can identify with them--especially the ones written about Israel. I recognized the street names and the locations--it was almost as if I was reading a diary which was extremely personal in nature.
"A Tale of Two Summers" is a collection of stories set in Israel, South Africa and London. Each story revolves around one aspect of our lives-- be it fantasy, cross dressing, relationships, death, and/or
love and lust. Levin writes from the heart and while reading him, I felt a close identification with the ideas that he poured forth in an extremely personal manner. Be it a story of a first sexual experience, one that was highly anticipated, or a wildly humorous experience of a guy going shopping for a pair of red pumps to wear to a party, the emotions expressed in the minds and actions of the heroes of each story is absolutely breath taking---and sometimes a bit painful.
"That Summer Before the Army" was the highlight of the collection for me. Israeli boys go right into the army after high school and delay their college studies until they fulfill their responsibility to their country. Here is the story of sexual awakening, written with perfection and obviously a great deal of pain. Looking back at that summer and his introduction to "homo" sex, our young hero fulfills his dreams of having the experience. Very sexual in nature, but very beautifully related, the reader almost experiences the same intense feelings as does the character who is going through them.
Another story is about a young recruit who has fantasies about another comrade in arms and must deal with the political issue of the invasion of Lebanon and find his own humanity.
The coming of age stories in South Africa are every bit as emotional as well as those set in London. There are sixteen stories in this collection and each stands alone yet somehow there is a collectivity when all sixteen are read together. It was hard for me to decide whether it was the beautiful way these stories were told that held my interest or the subject matter. When these two dynamics go hand in hand, you can be assured of a wonderful reading experience.