Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-08
The Art Of the Short Story
Comes Back Into Its Own

NEW YORK. Mar. TAT
least the judges Of the Ma
tional Book Awards still feel
that the short story Is Of
some Importance.
For the second time during
the 10 years these awards
have been bestowed. the nc
ton prize went to a book Of
short stories. The winning
book is THE MAGIC BAR
REL, the author Bernard
!. Malamud. the publisher FAR
rar. Straus q Cudahy.
: william Faulkner, a Nobel
. Prize winner, the only au-
: thor to- gain the National
: Book Award for fiction
twice, won it in 1851 for his
collected stories. His second
!. award was for his novel. "a
Fable" in 1855.
Not His First
Mr.. Malamud received his
scroll and a check for $1,000
at the main ceremony in the
grand ballroom Of the WAL
: dorf Astoria during a busy
week Of forums. parties and
other events for publishers,
authors. booksellers and visit
ing critics from all over
the country. The Magic
Barrel" is not his first
book. He has published two
novels, both well received
1.-THE Natural" and "The
Assistant"
The bestowal Of another
accolade from an association
of publishers, booksellers and
book manufacturers may help
along a form Of literary art
which has gone into an un-
deserved decline in recent
years. Publishers still are re-
luctant to offer volumes of
short stories unless they are
the work Of writer's who al
ready have achieved q meas
ure Of fame, Books Of short
stories don't sell. they ex-
plain. Even though publish
ers must know why they are
unable to sell short stories,
1t has always been something
Of q mystery.
Languishing Interest
The more literary maya
zines, which used to feature
short stories, now print barely
a single one an issue, If that;
they are. In q way, just fill
,ers. Only q few mass circula-
ton magazines still feature
stories. and these, while the
products of expert craftsmen,
are apt to be bloodless efforts
to cater to a supposed average
of reader appreciation. True,
the more erudite campus
magazines and aVant garde
regional publications still
feature the form, but these
monthlies or Quarterlies have
meager circulation, and their
stories. like the New Workers.,
Self-consciously avoid form
sand substance; most of them
are anonymous fragments of
life.
The Is stories which make
up THE Magic Barrel" re-
ceived high praise-where
they we're reviewed at all.
But the book was what is
called in publishing and race
track circles a sleeper. 1t
was on no best-seller list. It
did p little better in New
York. but in Washington it
did not seem to stir the re-
hottest interest since it was
published last spring. When l
learned before going to New
York for book award week
that "The Magic Barrel" had
been chosen-this informa-
ton in a hold-for-release adj
vance, tried to acquire a
copy. Five downtown book
stores did not have it, moi
because it had been sold out
but because there had been
no demand for it. The two
leading department store
book sections did not have it,
and one had not even orderet.
1T when it came out. The city
Library did not have it. Well,
the sleeper awoke this week.
The Old FavOrites
Its reception in the book
trade only shows languishing
interest in a literary form
-practiced with such art by
Poe, Washington Irving, o.
Henry, Stephen Crane, Villa
Gather, Ernest Hemingway,
F. Scott Fitzgerald, RATHER
1ne Anne Porter and other
American writer's.
The fiction jury called
1.-THE Magic Barrel" "a work
radiant with personal vision.
Compassionate and profound
in its wry humor, 1t captures
the poetry of human rela-
tlonships on the point where