Colección: Revista Interamericana de Bibliografía (RIB)
Número: 1-4
Título: 1996
Conclusion: Let’s Keep it Short
In this age of speed in which every second counts, the short short has definite
appeal for the reader who has little time to spare. Even the ancient Greeks
understood the relationship between speed and writing. As Italo Calvino tells
us in his essay on the virtues of “Quickness” in literature, the
god of communication and the inventor of writing is none other than Mercury,
the agile deity of winged feet (51-52). In his efforts to explain why the
short story is short and the short short even shorter, the North American
writer, Alvin Greenberg, makes the following profound conclusion: “Brevity
is the face of mortality” (Shapard 230). Indeed, when the end draws near,
the reader has no time for Terra Nostra, but perhaps one more short
short story can be read before the clock runs out. Likewise, there may be
space for one more of Ana María Shua’s minimal rebellions before this
article reaches its final conclusion. In “Otras posibilidades,”
we find one of the shortest texts of Casa de geishas, which is entitled
“Espíritu”:
En estas humildes palabras está encerrado todo el espíritu de su autora: “Socorro, socorro, sáquenme de aquí”. (116)With such miniature masterpieces, Ana María Shua achieves the goal of setting a subtle trap for her readers, enticing them to return time and time again to the pages of Casa de geishas for a “quick fix” of her short shorts.