In celebration of Book Week I thought I`d discuss one of my favourite authors.
I enjoy short stories and often read them for a quick fiction fix. One of my favourites is The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. This story was introduced to me about six years ago in one of my writing courses and I`ve loved it ever since, making me a Ms. Jackson fan forever.
If you’ve never heard of Ms Jackson, let me enlighten you. She has written more than 50 short stories which have been published in Women`s Day Home Companion to The New Yorker. She was said to be a recluse. She never did any interviews, hardly allowing her audience and fans a glimpse into the great and talented writer. However, if you`ve ever read Ms. Jackson you will come to know a small piece of who she was. She deposited bits of herself and home life into her stories.
A mother to four children and married to literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, Ms Jackson found time to not only write short stories but novels as well. She didn`t just stick to one genre either, writing everything from murder mystery to children`s books. Ms. Jackson is the essence of what kind of writer I aspire to be. She passed away in 1965, leaving behind a legacy of literary brilliance.
The Lottery, to me is one of the best short stories ever written. Published in The New Yorker in 1948, Ms. Jackson captures the essence of a small town in America who has a yearly lottery. She brings her reader into the sleepy town and the ordinary lives of the people who live there. I don`t want to say too much, for fear of giving the story away, but let me assure you this is no fairy tale.
I`ve attached the link to The Lottery and encourage all of you to read it.
The Lottery
Kat
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