Not sure if she's in fashion these days.

But Welty is indeed one of the great American short story writers.

Her South is a bygone era, yet some of its gentler values, as vividly shown in her stories, still manage to persist.

In the current climate where Confederate monuments are being toppled, it is truly nice to be reminded that we Southerners do possess some good values that can offset the pernicious side.

Welty's works offer a unique perspective on the South, highlighting both its flaws and its redeeming qualities.

Her stories are a testament to the power of literature to capture the essence of a region and its people.

Even though the South has changed over the years, Welty's portrayal of its values remains relevant and thought-provoking.

By reading her works, we can gain a deeper understanding of the South and its complex history.

Perhaps in these times of change, we can look to Welty's stories for inspiration and guidance as we strive to create a more just and equitable society.

What a remarkable body of work!

There are several reasons why Welty is renowned as a writer of short stories.

It is truly amazing that a single person can so convincingly get inside the heads of so very many people. They don't seem like mere characters; instead, they all feel incredibly real.

Similar to Steinbeck or other "naturalistic" writers, Welty's style reads deceptively simple.

I learned an enormous amount from these stories - about people, about writing, and about a non-gothic South (the U.S. South, that is, the land of Faulkner).

This book forced me to confront the dark, list-making side of myself. It took me an eternity to read this collection, and at some stages, I stopped enjoying the journey because I couldn't foresee when I might be able to check this one off the list. The list of what I am reading, which seemed rather irrelevant at times.

Overall, Welty's short stories are a treasure trove of literary excellence and a source of profound inspiration.

**"The World within Eudora Welty's Stories"**

Eudora Welty's "Cuentos completos" is a remarkable collection that invites us to explore the depths of human experience. If only I were paid a euro for every time someone said they didn't like the short story genre, I could have bought a cabin in Mississippi and be reading Welty on the porch with a drink in hand. But why don't we talk more about her?

Welty's writing is like dipping one's head into a river that has been flowing for centuries. It's not just what she tells but how she tells it. Her prose is immersive, sensory, precise yet exuberant when needed. Her stories are inhabited by characters who seem to have lived before we turn the page. In this collection, we journey through four volumes, each with its own identity.

The first volume, "Una cortina de follaje," introduces us to her early works. Here, we meet characters like Albert and Ellie in "La llave," a deaf couple with a dream. "Muerte de un viajante" shows a man's acceptance of his approaching end, while "Por qué vivo en la oficina de correos" is a comical yet tragic tale of family feuds.

The second volume, "La red grande," has Welty flirting with fantasy. "La red grande" itself is a story of love and deception, and "Livvie" explores a woman's liberation from a role of caregiving.

"Las manzanas doradas," the third volume, expands the focus to a fictional southern town, Morgana. "Los errantes" is a poignant conclusion to this volume, filled with nostalgia and meaning.

The final volume, "La novia del Innisfallen," takes us out of the familiar. "El fuego" is a historical tale set during the Civil War, while "Viaje a Nápoles" shows Welty's versatility. "¿De donde viene la voz" is a powerful story about racial violence, told from the perspective of the assassin.

So, where does Welty fit in the map of southern literature? If Flannery O'Connor is the scalpel that cuts without anesthesia, Welty is the gentle scalpel that reveals our bleeding. If Katherine Anne Porter is the mistress of subtext, Welty is the artist of the detail that reveals a whole world of meaning. If McCullers drowns us in the solitude of her characters, Welty shows us how community and environment shape identity.

We should read this book because it's a map of life in the American South in the first half of the 20th century, but also of human emotions in any time and place. Her characters may seem simple at first, but they are complex and memorable. Welty writes with a blend of lyricism and economy that leaves a lasting impression. When you finish the last story, you feel like you've lived a hundred lives and still have questions to ask. It's time we start talking more about Eudora Welty.

Geez, these stories are so dull.

It seems as if they lack any sort of excitement or intrigue.

I can barely keep my eyes open while reading them.

The words just blend together, and my mind starts to wander.

It's as if the authors have no imagination or creativity.

The plots are predictable, and the characters are one-dimensional.

I feel like I'm reading the same thing over and over again.

I wish there were more interesting and engaging stories out there.

Something that would make me sit on the edge of my seat and not want to put the book down.

But for now, I'll just have to suffer through these dull tales and hope for something better in the future.

The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty is a remarkable compilation that encompasses the very best of her life's work as a writer. While Welty wasn't temperamentally inclined towards writing novels, her short novel The Optimist's Daughter is truly worth reading. However, it is the short story that proved to be the perfect form for her. This book not only contains The Golden Apples (as seen in my separate review) but also holds numerous other masterpieces that deserve to be re-read many times. As you contemplate her work, you'll find that it delves deeper and deeper. Here are some stories that I particularly hope people will give a try:

"A Piece of News"

"The Hitch-Hikers"

"A Curtain of Green"

"Death of a Traveling Salesman"

"Powerhouse"

"The Wide Net"

"The Winds"

"At the Landing"

"No Place for You, My Love"

"The Burning" (if this and "At the Landing" don't shatter the image of Eudora Welty as the harmless little Southern lady, nothing will)

"The Bride of the Innisfallen"

"Ladies in Spring"

"Where Is the Voice Coming From?"

"The Demonstrators"

The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty is a must-read for any lover of literature.

I truly, deeply, and earnestly desired to have a great affection for these stories. However, for me, attempting to make my way through them was akin to watching paint dry. It was an excruciatingly slow and uninteresting process.

Thankfully, within the collection, there were one or two shining gems. Petrified Man, Why I Live at the P.O., and Livvie were absolutely wonderful! They had the power to captivate my attention and engage my imagination.

Nevertheless, for every one of these outstanding tales, there were twice as many that I had to read with my eyes forcibly propped open, desperately trying to stay awake. It felt as if I was fighting a losing battle against boredom.

Maybe, just maybe, when I am older and have more life experiences under my belt, I will be able to appreciate these stories on a deeper level. Oh, but wait a minute. I am already old now. So, what does that say about my ability to connect with these particular works?

Eudora Welty无疑在短篇小说领域找到了自己的风格。再次读到具有连贯性的故事真是太好了，而这似乎是现代作家所不熟悉的，或者他们以可疑的艺术之名摒弃了这种做法。

她的描述有时简洁，但总是能唤起人们的联想。她就像对待亲密朋友一样吸引读者，谈论我们共同拥有的事物。不久，你就会微笑点头，想起你从未在那棵大柿子树下的旧轮胎秋千上度过的时光。你可以看到黑人和白人劳作的田野，在炎热的阳光下缓慢的节奏，听到凉爽的夜晚里蝉鸣，当你坐在前廊啜饮着清凉的薄荷茶。孩子们收集了一些萤火虫，甚至小安娜贝尔也有一个装着一些萤火虫的罐子，这要感谢她哥哥乔里的慷慨。上周旅行推销员刚刚来过，你随时都可能收到新的厨房用品。每个人都迫不及待地想看看它们。

当然，在这些故事中并非一切都是甜蜜和光明的，而韦尔蒂巧妙地不是去寻找原因，而是展示人们是如何运作的。有时，当我们最不想了解的生活部分从角色中浮现出来，而且似乎也在我们自己身上浮现时，我们会笑或惊恐地退缩。人们四处奔波，做着有趣的事情，最终，嗯，你所能做的就是今晚在门廊上讲故事，听妈妈咂舌头，看爸爸狡黠的笑容。

在很多方面，这是一种你从未了解过的生活，但不知何故却无法离开……至少在我们今晚晚些时候偷偷去小溪里游泳之前是这样！

I have been informed, both with approval and accusation, that I seemingly have an affection for all my characters. What I do when writing about any character is to endeavor to step into the mind, heart, and very being of a human who is not me. Whether it happens to be a man or a woman, old or young, with black or white skin, the fundamental challenge lies precisely in making that leap itself. It is the act of a writer's imagination that I hold in the highest regard.

Favorite Stories:

- "The Petrified Man" (which is absolutely hilarious!)

- "The Key"

- "Why I Live at the P.O."

- "A Still Moment"*

- "Shower of Gold"

Passages:

- "It was quiet in the waiting room of the remote little station, except for the night sounds of insects. You could hear their embroidering movements in the weeds outside, which somehow gave the effect of some tenuous voice in the night, telling a story." - "The Key," p. 29

- "All life used the Trace, and [Audubon] liked to see the animals move along it in direct, oblivious journeys, for they had begun it and made it, the buffalo and deer and the small running creatures before man ever knew where he wanted to go, and birds flew a great mirrored course above." - "A Still Moment," p. 193

- "Time goes like a dream no matter how hard you run, and all the time we heard things from out in the world that we listened to but that still don't mean we believed them. You know the kind of things." - "Shower of Gold," p. 267

These stories and passages by Eudora Welty offer a glimpse into her rich and imaginative world. Her ability to bring characters to life and create vivid settings is truly remarkable. Each story has its own unique charm, whether it's the humor in "The Petrified Man" or the profound insights in "A Still Moment." The passages also showcase her beautiful writing style, with her use of descriptive language and powerful imagery. Reading Welty's work is like embarking on a journey through different lives and experiences, and it leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

I had actually effectively read this book in the individual books of which it is comprised 10 years ago and given the individual books 2 and three stars.

This time I listen to the audible version of the book which was created in 2010 while following along with the kindle edition. I would not recommend that it is probably best to experienced this book from the beginning to the end in the approximately 32 hour audible version. One of the disabilities of the audible version is the difficulty in selective reading, finding a place and reading an individual story that you might desire to experience. So I did in this case actually plow through the entire book.

After you listen to this much of one author in a concentrated period of time it seems like you would have a whole lot to say. Eudora is not an author who gives you a lot of action in her stories for the most part. This is not absolutely true but she is definitely an author who can make a short time span into multiple pages. She is amazing in describing locations and her character studies are legend. Most of her stories are in the United States south and specifically in Mississippi which is her home. Most are probably in the 30s and 40s.

This book of collected stories is short stories and novelettes. I very much preferred her short stories and would probably give those four stars as Stand alone literature.

Eudora Welty began writing in the 1930s. Her central themes include the oppression of blacks and women, and the stupefying religiosity of the south. She portrays life in rural Mississippi, showing both the heart and beauty as well as the dysfunction and even violence lurking beneath the surface of seemingly normal families and towns.

I need an annotated version of Eudora Welty to understand all her references. The more you bring to your reading, the more you will take away. Welty writes her stories filled with meaning, but you can also simply enjoy the words, the cadence, and the moods she establishes. Or you can rely on Google to help you see behind the words.

Overall, while the audible version had its limitations, it still allowed me to experience Welty's wonderful writing and gain a deeper appreciation for her work.

I have been told, both in approval and in accusation, that I seem to love all my characters. What I do in writing of any character is to try to enter into the mind, heart, and skin of a human being who is not myself. Whether this happens to be a man or a woman, old or young, with skin black or white, the primary challenge lies in making the jump itself. It is the act of a writer’s imagination that I set most high. -Eudora Welty

This collection encompasses 25 years, the entirety of Eudora Welty's short story writing. It is neatly arranged chronologically and sectionally separated into the original collections as they were initially published.

From the very beginning, it is evident the remarkable talent and unique voice that Welty brought to the short story genre. She is deeply rooted in the southern literary tradition, infusing it with a lightness of prose and a gentle regard that closely envelopes the characters she is penning. This embrace is given regardless of the characters' worth. There are couples in love and adulterers, weddings to be celebrated and separations to follow, tenderness and murder, caresses and abuses. That doesn't mean all are treated identically, but it does mean that Welty presents each scene in a way that demands restraint, if not understanding, from the reader.

Moreover, her skill steadily grows throughout the collection. The early stories are vibrant with life but somewhat short, revealing a writer still exploring and feeling out her talents, cautious of holding a note for too long lest the bend of the string betray the strain. As the collection progresses, this hesitancy vanishes, and the stories expand into multi-sectioned affairs, allowing the characters ample room to develop and thrive.
However, it must be noted that there wasn't a single story in this collection that truly blew me away. Instead, there is a consistent growth and presentation of exceptional talent. Welty was undeniably an incredible writer, but I was surprised (having read all of her novels last week) that a writer so renowned for her short fiction would have presented some of her best prose in the longer form. The actual prose of Delta Wedding is stronger than mostly anything here, despite its flaws.
What this collection accomplishes, just as reading all of her early novels did, is to highlight the triumph of her last work, The Optimists' Daughter, and continue to illustrate how it combined all the elements that made Welty such a talented writer, and why her regard is rightfully earned and deserved.

I have been told, both in approval and in accusation, that I seem to love all my characters. What I do in writing of any character is to try to enter into the mind, heart, and skin of a human being who is not myself. Whether this happens to be a man or a woman, old or young, with skin black or white, the primary challenge lies in making the jump itself. It is the act of a writer’s imagination that I set most high. -Eudora Welty

I really struggled with this collection of stories.

There were several truly great stories, mostly in the first part of the collection in my opinion. However, after a certain point, I just got burnt out of her style of storytelling. It is decidedly not for me.

Much of the stories were overlong and overstayed their welcome, despite being extremely well written. But she teeters on indulgence a lot, and her colloquially written dialogue is often hard to decipher.

Maybe I would’ve liked everything more if I hadn’t read them all so close together. Still, I’ll remember my favorite stories fondly: “Lily Daw and the Three Ladies”, “Petrified Man”, “Keela, the Outcast Indian Maiden”, “Why I Live at the P.O.”, “Shower of Gold” and “Moon Lake”.

These stories had something special that made them stand out in my mind. They had interesting characters, engaging plots, and unique writing styles.

Even though I had some issues with the collection as a whole, I’m glad I read it and discovered these wonderful stories.

I would recommend this collection to others who enjoy short stories, but I would also caution them to read it in moderation and not all at once.

Overall, it was an interesting reading experience that I won’t soon forget.

This book was truly remarkable. It was as if I was sitting right there, listening to my dear grandparents tell their captivating stories.

The author's writing is filled with the essence of the Deep South, so vivid and detailed that it can almost make you break a sweat.

It's not the kind of book that you need to read all at once. Instead, it's a great choice to pick up and put down intermittently.

You can enjoy a few pages at a time, savoring each word and imagining the scenes that unfold.

Whether you're relaxing on a lazy afternoon or looking for a bit of entertainment before bed, this book is sure to transport you to another time and place.

It's a wonderful escape that you won't want to miss.