Short stories | Lecturia

Julio Ramón Ribeyro: The Featherless Buzzards

“The Featherless Buzzards,” a short story by the Peruvian writer Julio Ramón Ribeyro, tells the story of two brothers, Efraín and Enrique, who live with their grandfather, Don Santos, and a pig called Pascual. The children are forced to collect garbage in the streets of Lima to feed the animal. The plot revolves around the brothers’ daily struggle to survive in an environment of extreme poverty and abuse at the hands of their grandfather. It is a story that reflects the harsh reality of the marginalized in an indifferent society.

Philip K. Dick: The Impossible Planet

The Impossible Planet is a science fiction story by Philip K. Dick, published in October 1953 in the magazine Imagination. The story follows Captain Andrews and his crew, who receive an unusual request from a 350-year-old woman: to travel to Earth, the mythical planet believed to be the cradle of humanity. Although science has ruled out that the Earth ever existed, the older woman is willing to pay a large sum to fulfill her dream, which awakens Andrews’ greed.

Patricia Highsmith: The Man Who Wrote Books in His Head

“The Man Who Wrote Books in His Head” is a short story by Patricia Highsmith, published in 1979, which narrates the peculiar life of E. Taylor Cheever, an aspiring writer who, after the failure of his first novel, decides to devote himself to writing only in his mind. Throughout his life, Cheever created a vast body of literary work but never managed to put it down on paper. The story reflects his growing isolation and the repercussions this decision had on his family, especially on his son Everett, who oscillates between frustration and admiration for his father. With subtle irony, Highsmith weaves a moving tale about the power and fragility of the imagination.

Elizabeth Gaskell: Right at Last

Right at Last is a short story by Elizabeth Gaskell, published on November 27, 1858, in Household Words. The story follows Margaret Frazer, a young woman of strong character who defies her family’s opposition by getting engaged to Dr. James Brown, a talented man of uncertain origins. As the couple builds their life together, events reveal intrigues and secrets that will test their strength and love, confronting them with an uncertain destiny.

Ray Bradbury: All Summer in a Day

All Summer in a Day is a short story by Ray Bradbury, published in March 1954 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The story is set on Venus, where it rains constantly, and the sun only appears for one hour every seven years. In an underground school, a group of children anxiously await that unique moment. However, not all of them will be able to experience the event similarly. A story in which Bradbury uses science fiction to capture the harsh reality of cruelty and bullying in childhood.

Arthur C. Clarke: Superiority

“Superiority” is a short story by Arthur C. Clarke, published in August 1951 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. As a court statement, the story tells how a technologically superior civilization suffers a crushing defeat in an intergalactic war. The commander-in-chief’s account explains how a theoretical scientist’s obsession with developing increasingly advanced weapons led them to succumb to a more backward civilization. With an ironic tone, Clarke constructs a story about the risks of unthinkingly relying on innovation and shows how excessive confidence in progress can lead to collapse.