Synopses & Reviews
Short-shorts have become a global phenomenon, but nowhere have they been embraced as enthusiastically as in contemporary China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Authors have used the form's artistic and aesthetic freedoms to great effect, capturing the tone, texture, and chaos of these rapidly changing societies in infinitely inventive ways. No longer concerned with authorial exposition, writers are able to use fragments and contingencies to reveal unofficial histories, undocumented memories, and the trials of everyday individuals.
This anthology brings together ninety-one short-shorts by authors who are both well known and new to the art, therefore guaranteeing a range of diverse voices and perspectives. The collection is organized into thematic categories such as Change, Creatures, (In)fidelities, and Weirdness, and includes the writers' notes on the genre. The first anthology of its kind, Loud Sparrows offers not only a comprehensive introduction to this popular postmodern style but also an unusual look at these modernizing societies.