50 x 50: The mini-sagas

50 x 50: The mini-sagas Brian Aldiss Bite-sized stories from one of the masters of contemporary fiction.Thanks to social media, the world is getting ever more adept at writing concisely. However, Brian Aldiss was writing in this style long before twitter. In this collection of stories, Aldiss returns to the mini-saga tradition that ran for 6 years in The Telegraph, offering 50 brand-new 50-word narratives that will delight readers of any genre. 50 x 50 THE MINI-SAGAS BRIAN ALDISS Contents Title Page (#uc0dd8a01-a249-5278-8110-9b2512b17f1c) COUNTABLE INTRODUCTION BY BRIAN ALDISS (#ulink_39fc3896-2c45-5737-9e69-76bd31e50981) 1. INDOORS WITH DELILAH (#ulink_476e5b7d-711e-582d-b045-b85dc14b4ab0) 2. THE TRYST (#ulink_ff16418f-323f-5bd9-9a30-21b2b5df11a3) 3. IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (#ulink_0790d448-4154-5415-8b43-809a2f1ef75a) 4. COMPLEX BEHAVIOURS (#ulink_f37e804e-8425-5562-9e6e-67958c47937d) 5. WHEN YOU’RE SMILING (#ulink_7f4b094e-395a-528a-9c4c-411852b7e3b3) 6. PAINTING BY KARL SPITZWEG (#ulink_435c7ea5-99e7-5746-8d00-24f0a17fe5a0) 7. WANTED, THE WILDERNESS (#litres_trial_promo) 8.THE DRAGON SLAYERS (#litres_trial_promo) 9. THE UNDERGROUND STRIKE (#litres_trial_promo) 10. DELILAH’S DANCE (#litres_trial_promo) 11. THE LIVING PAST: A Rhyme (#litres_trial_promo) 12. XENOPHOBIA (#litres_trial_promo) 13. SANCTUARY: A Poem (#litres_trial_promo) 14. THE FRENCH READER (#litres_trial_promo) 15. MUSICAL TASTES (#litres_trial_promo) 16. JOCASTA SPEAKS (#litres_trial_promo) 17. ESCAPE, 1255 A.D. (#litres_trial_promo) 18. THE OLD HOUSE (#litres_trial_promo) 19. THE SHORT LIFE OF ROSETTA STONE (#litres_trial_promo) 20. THE CALL OF THE WILD: in verse (#litres_trial_promo) 21. LOST AT SEA! (#litres_trial_promo) 22. RUINS (#litres_trial_promo) 23. THE UPRISING (#litres_trial_promo) 24. THE SUBJECT UNDER DISCUSSION (#litres_trial_promo) 25. ANIMAL FARM (#litres_trial_promo) 26. CIVILIZATION (#litres_trial_promo) 27. THE ETERNAL PRESENT (#litres_trial_promo) 28. THE IMPACT OF POETRY (#litres_trial_promo) 29. A SALTY SACRIFICE (#litres_trial_promo) 30. MY HOME TOWN (#litres_trial_promo) 31. CINEMA PARADISO (#litres_trial_promo) 32. CRO-MAGNON HE SPEAK (#litres_trial_promo) 33. THE NEW LIFESTYLE (#litres_trial_promo) 34. APHORISM (#litres_trial_promo) 35. RUDOLF HESS (#litres_trial_promo) 36. RETURN OF DEAR OLD GRANNIE (#litres_trial_promo) 37. A LONG-STANDING HERO! (#litres_trial_promo) 38. AN EXILE’S MINI-SAGA (#litres_trial_promo) 39. CROSSROADS (#litres_trial_promo) 40. HIGH TIDE (#litres_trial_promo) 41. HAPPINESS AND SUFFERING (#litres_trial_promo) 42. A VOICE IN A GARDEN (#litres_trial_promo) 43. A LITTLE HEART SONG (#litres_trial_promo) 44. THE LENIENCY OF THE LORD ALMIGHTY (#litres_trial_promo) 45. GLAMOROUS SMILE, BRAVE GOLDFISH (#litres_trial_promo) 46. MY FRIEND EDDIE (#litres_trial_promo) 47. THE DINOSAUR ARCHBISHOP (#litres_trial_promo) 48. THE LAWN TILL DAWN (#litres_trial_promo) 49. THE STANDING STONE (#litres_trial_promo) 50. DIVING BELLE (#litres_trial_promo) EPILOGUE: CAN YOU FEEL ANYTHING? (#litres_trial_promo) Copyright (#litres_trial_promo) About the Publisher COUNTABLE INTRODUCTION BY BRIAN ALDISS (#ulink_4b53378c-7158-5b77-b990-5c4a8dd41c15) A fifty-word story? Isn’t that magical? The creation of all fictions is part magic. For a fifty-worder, you must be numerate as well as literate. The Daily Telegraph took to my idea; ‘Mini-sagas’ ran there for six years! Here are my own interpretations. With an Introduction of... how many words? 1. INDOORS WITH DELILAH (#ulink_9a92738b-542d-5ae2-bc91-94e637eacdf9) On a remote landing in Grandfather’s castle hangs a certain portrait. It dominates my life. Two heavy-breasted women, one nursing a fox, dance to an unseen musician. Does my wife hear that obscure music? Do I? Life itself is an obscure music. But how can I describe in only fifty— 2. THE TRYST (#ulink_7a18f43b-c2cf-5593-b7dd-cc320fc430a7) Our wine arrives. She says, ‘The hemispheres of my brain are unusually developed.’ I study my glass. ‘It’s Venetian. 1900 or 1910.’ ‘My lover adores Venice.’ ‘Have you ever read Ruskin?” ‘Dreadful decor they display here.’ ‘Love your dres…’ ‘God, is that the time?’ Ours was a meeting of minds. 3. IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (#ulink_fafcb403-f945-5bd2-9be6-dde7396c2171) A great naughty shapeless thing flew in from space. I rushed to the mighty Gloewer, Swordsman Unparalleled. He was eating a leisurely breakfast. ‘We need you, Gloewer! Kill! Kill!’ ‘I’m eating, okay?’ ‘But your mighty sword...’ ‘The Spoon is mightier than the Sword,’ he said. I awoke – another SF dream! 4. COMPLEX BEHAVIOURS (#ulink_cdaac679-3de0-52b0-9178-f58e4b749f99) ‘I can peck very hard,’ boasted the hen. ‘I’m a complex character,’ the fox whispered back. ‘But you’re kind – aren’t you?’ the hen asked nervously. ‘From Monday to Saturday, certainly – wouldn’t hurt a fly,’ the fox rolled on his back. ‘Oh, but today is—’ ‘Sunday!’ the fox shrieked, pouncing. 5. WHEN YOU’RE SMILING (#ulink_57adc175-bd6b-5392-87d4-aeed76fc192f) A terrific explosion ripped the Louvre apart. Smoke covered half of Paris. Many masterpieces were destroyed in that act of terrorism. WHO COULD PROFIT FROM THIS OBSCENE ATTACK? the editorials demanded. A small boy ran off, trophy in hand. Above his bed now hangs the smile of the Mona Lisa. 6. PAINTING BY KARL SPITZWEG (#ulink_31f4f585-5424-54eb-bcd8-7c44cf202406) Here in this remote monastery live men of God. The monks squat over their prayer sheets on the balcony overlooking the valley. Their prayers are heard Above. Occasionally, a monk will rise, lift his robe, and piss into the valley. The yellow stream falls, falls... faint cries are heard Below. Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию (https://www.litres.ru/brian-aldiss/50-x-50-the-mini-sagas/?lfrom=688855901) на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.