The Magic Box of A. Singer: An Anthology of Short Stories by A. Singer

Author: Singer (USA), translated by Fang Ping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Stories must let the plot speak for itself. A novelist who tries to explain works from the perspectives of psychology and sociology will make his works short-lived. He advocates writing clearly, engagingly, and interestingly, and dislikes the obscure stream of consciousness in Western literary circles. He said, "Novelists of our time, like those of any other time, broadly speaking must be providers of spiritual entertainment, not just preachers of social and political ideals. Boring literary selections have no paradise, and neither can lengthy, tedious works that fail to inspire interest, invigorate the spirit, or allow readers to experience the joy and transcendent atmosphere bestowed by true art be forgiven." Therefore, in his novels, whether it is the fool Jimperel or the harlot Elka; whether it is Dr. Fishelson or Haddab, they are all vivid characters full of wit and humor. As he himself said, "If a writer succeeds in infusing life into his characters, then they, along with the author himself, will live forever." "The heavens will wipe out everything that has ever existed, reducing it to dust. Only those who dream in their waking hours, the dreamers, can call back the shadows of the past through a sparse net." This is a sentence from the Nobel Prize acceptance speech for Isaac Singer delivered by Professor Lars Gyllensten, the Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy, in 1978. Isaac Singer, this "great fabulist and master of the short story," is also hailed as the "contemporary master of storytelling." It is he who wrote such renowned short stories as "The Fool Jimperel" and "Spinoza of Market Street," saving an ancient culture on the brink of decline and "preserving the vanishing traditions of Eastern European Jewry," thereby reflecting and depicting "the universal plight of humanity" through his "passionate narrative art." Although Singer was a highly productive writer, his creative attitude was very serious. He said that he only begins to tell his stories when all three of the following conditions are met: The story must have suspense and plot, and must be engaging. There must be passion to write this story, and it is absolutely necessary to write it. He must be convinced that he is the only one who can write this story well.