Why Tales? by Valeri Stanoevich

Today short story is literary Cinderella. While it waits and shivers at the thresholds of Today short story is the literary Cinderella. While it waits and shivers at the thresholds of publishers, the other literary genres which are considered serious pass through. It is perhaps normal. Why should anyone take the risk of something that is non-marketable?

Who still reads tales? It seems that the reader is right. There is an opinion that the short story is a summary or a part of a novel. Why get a bite instead of the whole cake?  However, has it always been thought to be so? Once upon a time, even before the letters appeared, rumors were spread by word of mouth. Those that could not be forgotten became myths and legends. The subsequent genres used their influence. This is probably the way to regain interest to the short story; a return to its forgotten purpose to ignite one’s imagination even when the memory of what has been read fades.

My thin ebook “Fancy Shop” is an attempt to return to the idea of the short story as a provocateur of consciousness. The stories feature elements of fantasy, urban legends, mystery, magical realism, penetration in the deepness of the human soul. There is a lot that will make you wonder: A girl working as a sales assistant because she forgot she was a princess. A blind beggar says “I saw a man ready to fight with evil.” There is a strange mirror in which the spectator sinks. A girl creates with her imagination a world more real than the gloomy reality. A madhouse boss is crazier than his patients. A world is plagued by disaster, and some people leave it at the cost of their lives. A computer operator fights against his hand. A man saves his beloved from the memory of himself.

Certain questions may arise like, for example: Who is Parsifal and what is the legend about him? Why is he coming back? Why can’t he reach his goal in this world? Can love overcome death just to prove itself? Can one materialize one’s dreams? What makes an individual go against fate? Is it really worth making an effort?

The characters you will find here face these questions. They move freely between reality and fantasy in a quest for the fateful answer.

Written by Valeri Stanoevich