Things that have disappeared
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Description
Book Introduction
The Essence of Modern American Short Story Andrew Porter's new short story collection, "The Theory of Light and Matter" Few writers capture the joys and pains of self-discovery that literature can offer as well as Andrew Porter. I recommend this book to anyone who no longer wants to ignore their own heart and wants to rediscover their own story. It was worth the long wait for his next work. _Choi Eun-young (novelist) Andrew Porter, whose short story collection "The Theory of Light and Matter" was greatly loved by Korean readers, has published his second short story collection, "Things That Have Disappeared," by Munhakdongne. This is a new collection of short stories by Andrew Porter, who won the Flannery O'Connor Award for his debut work, "The Theory of Light and Matter," and was selected as a "Book of the Year" by numerous media outlets, including Forward Magazine and the San Antonio Express, establishing himself as a pioneer of short story writing in the United States, where long novels are mainstream. Andrew Porter, who has accurately captured moments at life's crossroads, a lyrical and flowing style, and a powerful ending that leaves a lasting impression that is not easily forgotten, truly demonstrates the essence of the aesthetics of modern American short stories. Since his introduction to Korea, he has received enthusiastic support from literary fans and many writers. Additionally, actors Park Jung-min and Yoo In-na praised the book, and singer IU even certified it as a reader, demonstrating the power of a story to captivate readers, spreading beyond the literary world to the general public. "The Lost Things" is Andrew Porter's second collection of short stories, published 15 years after his first. Hailed as “a terrifying collection” (The Times of London) and “the most compelling short-story writer in America today” (The Independent), his first collection of short stories has returned after 15 years with fifteen stories that offer even deeper insight into life. It is a time that is by no means short for the author or for a person's life, and the most important theme of "Things That Have Disappeared" is precisely that time. Things that time takes from us, things we must eventually let go of: stories about youth, art, and love. The characters in "Things That Disappeared" let go of those close to them and each accept the life they have left behind in their own way. Disappearance sometimes leaves a sense of loneliness, and the past is often particularly splendid, but Porter's novels, which remind us that we still have the present and the days to come, create deep and wide waves in our hearts. |
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index
Austin
cigarette
vines
lime
cello
Linebeck
pepper
Take a breath
silhouette
Heroes of the Alamo
punishment
Posole
Himena
empty house
Things that have disappeared
Translator's Note
cigarette
vines
lime
cello
Linebeck
pepper
Take a breath
silhouette
Heroes of the Alamo
punishment
Posole
Himena
empty house
Things that have disappeared
Translator's Note
Detailed image
Into the book
What I wanted to say at that time was these things.
I don't know how it happened, but I've lost the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, and when it comes to things like murder and death, I just feel sad.
It's not a matter of whether it's justified or not.
It is important to note that this is a very sad event that happened to two people and their respective families.
Other than that, there's not much to say.
---From "Austin"
I put down my glass and looked at Maya.
I already had a feeling Maya had left.
There was something different about the look in his eyes.
That was probably the only time in my life when I felt that way about someone—that I was looking at someone who was already gone.
---From "Vine Plants"
Even though all these months had passed, it felt like we had been waiting forever.
Floating in this gray area, unsure of what the future might hold, anxiously worrying about every outcome, and in moments of solitude, enduring a certain feeling that has been with us all these days, waiting.
It was a feeling that our bodies were incredibly fragile and could betray us in sudden and inexplicable ways.
---From "Cello"
So I wonder:
How many of those little things have disappeared from my mind, how many of those little memories have been erased.
---From "Linebeck"
"Sometimes I realize I'm clinging too tightly to the idea of who I used to be, you know? It's so hard to let go of that."
Carly nodded.
“But actually, you’re not that different,” said Carly.
“We both do.”
“I’m sure I haven’t become a more successful person,” I said.
“Or as a wise man.”
---From "Himena"
I thought of Daniel and how much I already missed him, how much I wanted to see his face, how impossible it already felt to imagine my life without him.
My precious friend.
My precious, precious friend who was so lucky in so many other things in life, but suffered a terrible blow once.
It felt so unfair that Daniel wasn't with us, that we were in his beautiful pool and he wasn't.
---From "Things That Have Disappeared"
I guessed she was probably thinking the same thing I was.
We had a very strange two days together, and after I left, we probably would never meet again.
There's no reason it had to happen that way, but we still had about half an hour left before it happened.
Half an hour to pretend this moment would last, half an hour to lie still in the darkness, but floating together, until the sun rose and the darkness lifted, and with something almost like fear, they realized that it was time to leave.
I don't know how it happened, but I've lost the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, and when it comes to things like murder and death, I just feel sad.
It's not a matter of whether it's justified or not.
It is important to note that this is a very sad event that happened to two people and their respective families.
Other than that, there's not much to say.
---From "Austin"
I put down my glass and looked at Maya.
I already had a feeling Maya had left.
There was something different about the look in his eyes.
That was probably the only time in my life when I felt that way about someone—that I was looking at someone who was already gone.
---From "Vine Plants"
Even though all these months had passed, it felt like we had been waiting forever.
Floating in this gray area, unsure of what the future might hold, anxiously worrying about every outcome, and in moments of solitude, enduring a certain feeling that has been with us all these days, waiting.
It was a feeling that our bodies were incredibly fragile and could betray us in sudden and inexplicable ways.
---From "Cello"
So I wonder:
How many of those little things have disappeared from my mind, how many of those little memories have been erased.
---From "Linebeck"
"Sometimes I realize I'm clinging too tightly to the idea of who I used to be, you know? It's so hard to let go of that."
Carly nodded.
“But actually, you’re not that different,” said Carly.
“We both do.”
“I’m sure I haven’t become a more successful person,” I said.
“Or as a wise man.”
---From "Himena"
I thought of Daniel and how much I already missed him, how much I wanted to see his face, how impossible it already felt to imagine my life without him.
My precious friend.
My precious, precious friend who was so lucky in so many other things in life, but suffered a terrible blow once.
It felt so unfair that Daniel wasn't with us, that we were in his beautiful pool and he wasn't.
---From "Things That Have Disappeared"
I guessed she was probably thinking the same thing I was.
We had a very strange two days together, and after I left, we probably would never meet again.
There's no reason it had to happen that way, but we still had about half an hour left before it happened.
Half an hour to pretend this moment would last, half an hour to lie still in the darkness, but floating together, until the sun rose and the darkness lifted, and with something almost like fear, they realized that it was time to leave.
---From "Things That Have Disappeared"
Publisher's Review
“How could we have known back then?
That everything changes, that we can't be like this forever… … ”
Most of the stories in 『Things That Have Disappeared』 are told through the voices of speakers who have entered the middle stage of life.
As in "Theory of Light and Matter," the narrative style of meticulously retracing events that occurred at a certain point in the past remains intact, but the perspective that delves into the layers of time that make up life has deepened.
In "Austin," the first novel in the collection, "I" meet friends I haven't seen for years at a party.
Reflecting on his own life through the faces of those who have lived through life at different speeds, 'I' cannot join the ethical debate over the ironic death of a teenage boy and monologues, "I don't know how it happened, but I have lost the perspective to distinguish between right and wrong, and when it comes to issues like murder and death, I am just sad."
As I grew older, I realized that some things had to be accepted with my heart, not my head. My voice was warm yet lonely.
In "The Vines," 'I' reminisces about the time when I lived in a small garage apartment with my artist girlfriend, Maya.
The period remembered by the words love, art, and jealousy may not be long, but it leaves an unforgettable mark on those who spent time with it.
Maya, who left 'herself' behind to live a 'special' life through art and went to San Francisco, ended up accepting an 'ordinary' life of battling cancer for a long time instead of flourishing as an artist. That is probably the picture of an ordinary life that unfolds in life.
As the title of the collection of short stories, “Things That Have Disappeared,” suggests, many things that have disappeared appear in this book.
It is the talent of a promising musician who suddenly lost it to a rare disease (Cello), the future he dreamed of with friends he spent his shining youth with (Linebeck), and the girl who stayed between a couple for a short time but changed their relationship forever (Himena).
Through such disappearances, the characters in Andrew Porter's stories dimly realize what is truly precious in life, and what was.
It's really strange.
To be forty-three and have no idea what the future holds, to have boarded the wrong train at some point in life and come to my senses only to find myself in a place I never expected, wanted, or even knew when I was younger.
_「Rhinebeck」, p. 127
The short story "The Disappeared Things," which is the title work and the closing story of the collection, begins with the disappearance of a close friend of 'me'.
With Daniel's fate unknown after he went missing while trekking in one of America's vast national parks, those left behind mourn and hope for him in their own ways.
'I' recalls Daniel, one by one, as I sort through the things he left behind with his girlfriend Antoinette, not knowing whether he will return or not.
The two people, who have lost the same person but different things, spend a few days together at Daniel's house and think about what they have lost.
I have a premonition, almost a fear, of having to leave that place forever, where something still remains, something that has not yet completely disappeared.
An uncertain but shining time
What remains in the wake of youth, art, and love
"The Lost" depicts the realization that nothing can last forever, and what happens after that.
Time is equal for everyone, and everything moves towards the past.
What remains for us after those brilliantly shining times have passed? Realizing that our lives have reached an unexpected and unfamiliar destination, can we accept them and move forward? While her first short story collection, "Theory of Light and Matter," explored the indelible moments and the resulting growing pains, "Things That Have Disappeared," with a deeper perspective, dazzlingly portrays life's inescapable yet beautiful moments.
Andrew Porter seems to know better than anyone that what makes this fleeting moment so beautiful is the dazzling brilliance of all that has already passed and will pass away.
That everything changes, that we can't be like this forever… … ”
Most of the stories in 『Things That Have Disappeared』 are told through the voices of speakers who have entered the middle stage of life.
As in "Theory of Light and Matter," the narrative style of meticulously retracing events that occurred at a certain point in the past remains intact, but the perspective that delves into the layers of time that make up life has deepened.
In "Austin," the first novel in the collection, "I" meet friends I haven't seen for years at a party.
Reflecting on his own life through the faces of those who have lived through life at different speeds, 'I' cannot join the ethical debate over the ironic death of a teenage boy and monologues, "I don't know how it happened, but I have lost the perspective to distinguish between right and wrong, and when it comes to issues like murder and death, I am just sad."
As I grew older, I realized that some things had to be accepted with my heart, not my head. My voice was warm yet lonely.
In "The Vines," 'I' reminisces about the time when I lived in a small garage apartment with my artist girlfriend, Maya.
The period remembered by the words love, art, and jealousy may not be long, but it leaves an unforgettable mark on those who spent time with it.
Maya, who left 'herself' behind to live a 'special' life through art and went to San Francisco, ended up accepting an 'ordinary' life of battling cancer for a long time instead of flourishing as an artist. That is probably the picture of an ordinary life that unfolds in life.
As the title of the collection of short stories, “Things That Have Disappeared,” suggests, many things that have disappeared appear in this book.
It is the talent of a promising musician who suddenly lost it to a rare disease (Cello), the future he dreamed of with friends he spent his shining youth with (Linebeck), and the girl who stayed between a couple for a short time but changed their relationship forever (Himena).
Through such disappearances, the characters in Andrew Porter's stories dimly realize what is truly precious in life, and what was.
It's really strange.
To be forty-three and have no idea what the future holds, to have boarded the wrong train at some point in life and come to my senses only to find myself in a place I never expected, wanted, or even knew when I was younger.
_「Rhinebeck」, p. 127
The short story "The Disappeared Things," which is the title work and the closing story of the collection, begins with the disappearance of a close friend of 'me'.
With Daniel's fate unknown after he went missing while trekking in one of America's vast national parks, those left behind mourn and hope for him in their own ways.
'I' recalls Daniel, one by one, as I sort through the things he left behind with his girlfriend Antoinette, not knowing whether he will return or not.
The two people, who have lost the same person but different things, spend a few days together at Daniel's house and think about what they have lost.
I have a premonition, almost a fear, of having to leave that place forever, where something still remains, something that has not yet completely disappeared.
An uncertain but shining time
What remains in the wake of youth, art, and love
"The Lost" depicts the realization that nothing can last forever, and what happens after that.
Time is equal for everyone, and everything moves towards the past.
What remains for us after those brilliantly shining times have passed? Realizing that our lives have reached an unexpected and unfamiliar destination, can we accept them and move forward? While her first short story collection, "Theory of Light and Matter," explored the indelible moments and the resulting growing pains, "Things That Have Disappeared," with a deeper perspective, dazzlingly portrays life's inescapable yet beautiful moments.
Andrew Porter seems to know better than anyone that what makes this fleeting moment so beautiful is the dazzling brilliance of all that has already passed and will pass away.
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: January 15, 2024
- Page count, weight, size: 332 pages | 577g | 128*188*30mm
- ISBN13: 9788954697354
- ISBN10: 8954697356
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카테고리
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