I was reading this again at the hairdresser's this morning. Surrounded by copies of 'Hello' and 'OK' and 'um' and 'er'. It has to be one of the best short stories in existence, and if it isn't, I'd like to know why.
I found the text online, HERE. Just for you. Go on. It's short...
One thing struck me as I began the story. By the end of the first page (the first fifteen lines of the text above), I have a clear sense of five characters and their relationships with each other, interpersonal tensions as well as family relationships. Perfectly done. It underlines for me that it is in reading work like this that any aspiring writer can learn so much. Direct from a master.
(The shirt? Read the story.)
Thank you to Tom Conoboy, whose seriously literary blog is HERE for THIS LINK where you can download a file and hear Flannery O'Connor reading A Good man Is Hard To Find herself.
(I chose the slow option, it took 3 years and froze my computer. Maybe there is a skill to this that I have not yet mastered...)
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