A friend of mine once told me that the best short stories operated as fragments. You wanted to tell the middle of the story, only. The beginning and the end needed to linger in the reader’s mind. I think he’s right. Well, certainly to my tastes, those stories that stay with me are the ones that offer no conclusions, no easy solutions. Also, being an obtuse type, I thought I’d present to you my anthology of short stories and sell them to you through the medium of rap lyrics.
Category: Nikesh Shukla
Nikesh Shukla is the author of the novels Coconut Unlimited and Meatspace. His third novel, The One Who Wrote Destiny, is published by Atlantic Books in April 2018, and his first book for teenagers, Run, Riot, will be released in June 2018. He is the editor of the groundbreaking essay collection The Good Immigrant, and co-editor of The Good Journal. His short stories have featured in Best British Short Stories 2013, Five Dials, First City and Teller. His currently writes an Observer column, and has written for The Guardian, Esquire, Buzzfeed, Vice and elsewhere.
‘Drinking Coffee Elsewhere’ by ZZ Packer
“I’m not saying I’m number one, oh I’m sorry I lied
I’m number one two three four and five…” KRS-ONE
First published in The New Yorker and collected in Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, Canongate, 2004
‘The Embassy Of Cambodia’ by Zadie Smith
“I get the pillow and hope I don’t wake him
For this man do cuss, hear it all in verbatim” – Pete Rock and CL Smooth
First published in The New Yorker; subsequently published in book form by Hamish Hamilton, 2013
‘The Semplica Girl Diaries by George Saunders
“The empire of all this
People say what kinda style you call this
My sparkle shine, it’s all wrist” Kool Keith
First published in The New Yorker, collected in Tenth of December, Bloomsbury, 2013
‘Lion And Panther In London’ by Tania James
“Tryna fight colonialism with a colonised tongue.” – Lowkey
First published in Granta 119: Britain, 2012, and available to subscribers online here. Collected in Aerogrammes and Other Stories (Knopf)
‘The Cheater’s Guide to Love’ by Junot Diaz
“You know I used to be a player, fly girl layer and a heartbreaker
Lovemaker, backbreaker…” Guru, Gang Starr
First published in The New Yorker. Read it online here
‘In Other Rooms, Other Wonders’ by Daniyal Mueenuddin
“I’ve cried so many tears, yeah, writing this song
Trying to fit in. Where do I belong?” Bars And Melody
First published in The New Yorker, collected in Other Rooms, Other Wonders, Bloomsbury, 2010
‘Apollo’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“Worse comes to worse my people come first” – Dilated Peoples
Read it online here
‘The Prospectors’ by Karen Russell
“Harlem’s far too spacious
Sometimes I wish I could get away and charter spaceships” – A$AP Rocky
Read it online here
‘Sour Heart’ by Jenny Zhang
“Thinking back on my one-room shack
Now my mom pimps a Ac with minks on her back” – Notorious BIG
Collected in Sour Heart, Bloomsbury, 2017
‘In Winter, The Sky’ by Jon McGregor
“We’ve come a long way from where we began
Oh I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again” – Wiz Khalifa
Collected in This Isn’t the Sort of Thing That Happens to People Like You, Bloomsbury, 2012; read it online here
‘I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness’ by Claire Vaye Watkins
“At night I can’t sleep, I toss and turn
Candlesticks in the dark, visions of bodies being burned” – Geto Boys
collected in Granta 139: Best Young America Novelists 3, 2017; read it online here
Ten Rupees by Manto
“Cash rules everything around me,
CREAM get the money….” – Wu Tang Clan
Read it online here
A Personal Anthology 