1001 Short Stories You Must Read Before You Die

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Over at his blog C. B. James is compiling a list of 1001 short stories some of which can be read online, such as A Simple Soul by Gustave Flaubert and Eyes of a Blue Dog by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Now, the list is unfinished, Mr James has (at the time of this post) only listed 383 stories. We noticed that the South African Nobel Laureates Nadine Gordimer and J. M. Coetzee both have one story on the list, and that's as far as the African continent is represented.

Here's a description of the project in C. B. James' own words:

1001 Short Stories You Must Read Before You Die is an on-going project devoted to listing not just the best short stories, but the ones actual readers think other readers should read. You'll find most of the great classic short stories listed below along with some you've never heard of. They're all on this list because somebody out there loves them.

Ekbal Baraka [L], Nadine Gordimer [M] and Lola Shoneyin

The highlighted phrases are the main reason for this blog post. We are convinced that there exist a good number of short stories by African writers that deserve to be on the list, and it is up to YOU, the reader, to name these stories in the comments section of the blog. The question you however need to put to yourself before dropping a comment is: Which GREAT short story do I think other readers must read before they die? Answer that question honestly, and then rest easy knowing that your reading taste has been reflected. Regardless of whether the story you chose was written by an African writer.

Looking forward to seeing your choices. You can also name them in the comments of this post.