Realism | Lecturia

Roald Dahl: Taste

“Gastrónomos” (Taste) is a clever and surprising short story by Roald Dahl, first published in The New Yorker in 1951. The tale unfolds during an elegant dinner at the home of Mike Schofield, a wealthy stockbroker who has invited Richard Pratt, a celebrated gourmet and the chairman of an exclusive gastronomic society. As is customary at their gatherings, Schofield challenges Pratt to identify a rare wine, convinced that his guest will fail to name the vineyard of origin. However, what begins as a trivial wager soon turns into a dangerous game when Pratt suggests they stake something far more valuable than money: the hand of Schofield’s daughter, Louise.

Patricia Highsmith: A Clock Ticks at Christmas

“A Clock Ticks at Christmas,” a short story by Patricia Highsmith published in Mermaids on the Golf Course (1985), introduces us to Michèle and Charles, a wealthy Parisian couple whose life is turned upside down after Michèle’s chance encounter with a poor boy on Christmas Eve. Moved by the spirit of generosity of the Christmas season, Michèle invites the boy into her home and offers him help. However, the visit exposes fundamental tensions and differences in the couple, revealing their different perspectives on charity, trust, and the value of human relationships.

Robert Bloch: The Night Before Christmas

“The Night Before Christmas” is a short story by Robert Bloch published in 1980 in the anthology Dark Forces. Arnold Brandon, a struggling painter, receives a commission that could boost his career: to paint the portrait of Louise, the elegant wife of Carlos Santiago, an imposing and mysterious Argentine tycoon. From their first meeting, Santiago, with his commanding presence and shady past, provokes in Arnold a mixture of fascination and revulsion. As Arnold progresses with his work and Christmas approaches, the relationships between the three characters become increasingly complex, creating an atmosphere where power, jealousy, and secrets threaten to unleash a tragic storm.

Juan Rulfo: Remember

“Remember” (Acuérdate) is a short story by Juan Rulfo, published in 1953 in the collection El llano en llamas. It tells the story of Urbano Gómez, a cunning and resourceful boy raised in an environment marked by poverty and neighborhood gossip. Through memories of his childhood—his quarrelsome mother, his sister with hiccup attacks, his sales and petty tricks to earn a living—the story reconstructs the years in which Urbano roams the village, depicting a lively atmosphere in which his figure becomes inseparable from the daily hustle and bustle, until an embarrassing incident at school alters that routine forever.

D. H. Lawrence: Mercury

“Mercury” is a short story by D. H. Lawrence, first published in The Atlantic Monthly in February 1927. On a sweltering summer Sunday, crowds ascend the hill of Mercury, seeking to escape the heat that weighs upon the valleys. At the summit, amid the pine forest, time seems to stand still—no one is in a hurry, and no one has a purpose. Yet as the day wears on, the heat thickens and a silent tension takes hold of the air, as if nature itself were waiting for something imminent to happen.

Katherine Mansfield: Poison

Synopsis: “Poison” is a short story by Katherine Mansfield, published in 1924 in the collection Something Childish and Other Stories. The story follows a couple living in a house in the south of France: she, who has had two husbands, moves confidently and fills every space; he, younger, is caught in the grip of an intense love. The morning is warm and bright. They talk about trivial matters, while she shows slight impatience at the postman’s delay. Everything seems calm, yet a shadow of unease begins to creep in.