The Brief History of the Dead

September 6, 2003 4:31 PM

The Brief History of the Dead (printable) imagines the afterlife as a thriving city, where the poor choices of the living affect everyone, including the dead. A New Yorker short story by Kevin Brockmeier.
posted by waxpancake (7 comments total)

A good read. As no real fan of fiction, I actually enjoyed this, short stories are wonderful in their way they can totally focus on and absorb a single subject. The concept here was novel.

Very J.G. Ballard, I must say!
posted by wackybrit at 6:43 PM on September 6, 2003

very nice...thanks!

Graciella Cavazos would say only that she began to snow--four words--and smile bashfully whenever anyone pressed her for details. (i loved that!)

people might also like How the Dead Live, by Self (i think that's the title)...it covers the same territory
posted by amberglow at 7:17 PM on September 6, 2003

that was remarkable. thank you for sharing it.
posted by kjh at 8:31 PM on September 6, 2003

Very cool. Thanks.
posted by DyRE at 9:04 PM on September 6, 2003

I know Kevin. He is a very nice guy, and a great author.

You should read any of his books, but his collection of short stories, Things That Fall From the Sky is really good. The story "Apples" is probably my favorite. It's subtle and nuanced.
posted by geekhorde at 11:16 PM on September 6, 2003

Oh. I though the post was about this. If the neighborhood skallywags haven't snatched it yet, the New Yorker should be waiting for me at home.
posted by muckster at 9:24 AM on September 7, 2003

I read the New Yorker every week, but only occassionally do I ever find a piece as remarkable as Brockmeier's. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I read it last week.
posted by hhc5 at 12:37 PM on September 7, 2003