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This was not only the worst collection of Christmas stories I've ever read, it was the worst collection of short stories I've ever read. (With the sole exception of A Christmas Memory.)
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The Ecco Book of Christmas Stories
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Christmas is the storytelling time, the beginning of things expected but not yet seen, of tales suspenseful and mysterious, and full of a comfort of sorts. Internationally acclaimed anthologist Alberto Manguel offers an immensely enjoyable collection of twenty-three brilliant stories from across the globe, written under the merry canopy of Christmas.
The Ecco Book of Christmas Stories includes tales by the best master storytellers, such as "The Turkey Season" by Alice Munro; "Christmas Is a Sad Season for the Poor" by John Cheever; "Cr#232;che" by Richard Ford; "Horatio's Trick" by Ann Beattie; "Another Christmas" by William Trevor; and "The Leaf-Sweeper" by Muriel Spark.
The collection also features voices of writers whose work has seldom or never been translated into English, such as "A Risk for Father Christmas" by Siegfried Lenz and "The Night Before Christmas" by Theodore Odrach. Eminently readable, The Ecco Book of Christmas Stories is a celebration of the most magical of seasons.
The Ecco Book of Christmas Stories includes tales by the best master storytellers, such as "The Turkey Season" by Alice Munro; "Christmas Is a Sad Season for the Poor" by John Cheever; "Cr#232;che" by Richard Ford; "Horatio's Trick" by Ann Beattie; "Another Christmas" by William Trevor; and "The Leaf-Sweeper" by Muriel Spark.
The collection also features voices of writers whose work has seldom or never been translated into English, such as "A Risk for Father Christmas" by Siegfried Lenz and "The Night Before Christmas" by Theodore Odrach. Eminently readable, The Ecco Book of Christmas Stories is a celebration of the most magical of seasons.
335 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1,2005
This edition
- Format
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335 pages, Hardcover
- Published
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January 1, 2005 by Ecco
- ISBN
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9780060888480
- ASIN
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0060888482
- Language
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English
About the author
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Alberto Manguel (born 1948 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine-born writer, translator, and editor. He is the author of numerous non-fiction books such as The Dictionary of Imaginary Places (co-written with Gianni Guadalupi in 1980) and A History of Reading (1996) The Library at Night (2007) and Homer's Iliad and Odyssey: A Biography (2008), and novels such as News From a Foreign Country Came (1991).
Manguel believes in the central importance of the book in societies of the written word where, in recent times, the intellectual act has lost most of its prestige. Libraries (the reservoirs of collective memory) should be our essential symbol, not banks. Humans can be defined as reading animals, come into the world to decipher it and themselves.
Manguel believes in the central importance of the book in societies of the written word where, in recent times, the intellectual act has lost most of its prestige. Libraries (the reservoirs of collective memory) should be our essential symbol, not banks. Humans can be defined as reading animals, come into the world to decipher it and themselves.
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Rating(4 / 5.0, 24 votes)
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24 reviews All reviews
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Overall a good collection of Christmas stories. There are some repeats from the Everyman's Library Book of Christmas Stories, and on the whole I found the Everyman collection more enjoyable. However, there are some gems in this collection that make it worth the read: most notably, the selections by Muriel Spark, Alistair MacLeod and William Trevor. Recommended.
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My favourites:
Winter Dog by Alistair MacLeod,
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote,
Christmas Is a Sad Season for the Poor by John Cheever,
Auggie Wren’s Christmas Story by Paul Auster
Winter Dog by Alistair MacLeod,
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote,
Christmas Is a Sad Season for the Poor by John Cheever,
Auggie Wren’s Christmas Story by Paul Auster
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I only got a few stories in before the holidays were over, so I'm saving the rest for next year. I enjoyed Paul Auster's "Augie Wren's Christmas Story" and Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory".
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Here are some of my favourites from the 23 short stories in the anthology:
Auggie Wren's Christmas Story by Paul Auster -- two strangers: a young man and a blind old lady spent Christmas together by chance, which turned to be her last Christmas.
"As long as there's a person to believe it, there's no story that can't be true."
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote -- a bittersweet story of two unlikely friends and a dog.
Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor by John Cheever -- this one is pretty self explanatory, and quite heartwarming too!
The Coming of the Christ-Child by Bessie Head -- deals with the other side of the (white) mission to spread Christianity in South Africa.
"Answer this question, Father. How is it that when the white man came here, he had only the Bible and we the land. Today, he has the land and we the Bible,"
For Christmas by Juan José Hernandez -- addresses the inequality in the relationship of a married couple.
Christmas by Vladimir Nabokov -- a heartbreaking story about a father grieving for his son during Christmastime.
The Loudest Voice by Grace Palley -- a Jewish girl with a particularly loud voice is excited about being in a Christmas play--her father sees no harm in it.
The Leaf-Sweeper by Muriel Spark -- in which a man founded the Society for the Abolition of Christmas, and then taken up for his activism and sent to the asylum. Quite a witty story with a touch of magical realism.
Mother Christmas by Michel Tournier -- a very short story--only 3 pages--which is quite self explanatory as well. The thing is, I didn't read the title first so when I got to the ending I was pleasantly surprised.
Auggie Wren's Christmas Story by Paul Auster -- two strangers: a young man and a blind old lady spent Christmas together by chance, which turned to be her last Christmas.
"As long as there's a person to believe it, there's no story that can't be true."
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote -- a bittersweet story of two unlikely friends and a dog.
Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor by John Cheever -- this one is pretty self explanatory, and quite heartwarming too!
The Coming of the Christ-Child by Bessie Head -- deals with the other side of the (white) mission to spread Christianity in South Africa.
"Answer this question, Father. How is it that when the white man came here, he had only the Bible and we the land. Today, he has the land and we the Bible,"
For Christmas by Juan José Hernandez -- addresses the inequality in the relationship of a married couple.
Christmas by Vladimir Nabokov -- a heartbreaking story about a father grieving for his son during Christmastime.
The Loudest Voice by Grace Palley -- a Jewish girl with a particularly loud voice is excited about being in a Christmas play--her father sees no harm in it.
The Leaf-Sweeper by Muriel Spark -- in which a man founded the Society for the Abolition of Christmas, and then taken up for his activism and sent to the asylum. Quite a witty story with a touch of magical realism.
Mother Christmas by Michel Tournier -- a very short story--only 3 pages--which is quite self explanatory as well. The thing is, I didn't read the title first so when I got to the ending I was pleasantly surprised.
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Eh. Some stories I liked (in particular, Jeanette Winterson's, which, as luck would have it, came right at the end of the book); others, not so much. I would've given it 2.5 stars, but since I couldn't, I rounded up.
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I ended up liking or being intrigued by only 3 or 4 of the short stories. The others were dark, seem unfinished or obtuse.
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Some of these stories are great, some not so. Overall, an excellent collection of holiday tales.
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