SHORT STORIES
The Empty Street. By Peter Cowan. Angus and Robertson. 191 pp.
To produce a book of short stories which is wholly successful is an exquisite challenge for any author. The triumph of the great writers in this genre is due largely to variety in their work, and variety is what this book lacks. Although individual stories in it are well conceived and competently written, the general effect is a little flat. Characters and situations are certainly diverse, but the conversation of all the characters follows the same pattern, and the situations all evolve with the same placid inevitability. This is the method the author has used to achieve the sparseness which is necessary for the short story form. By far the most interesting story is “The Empty Street,” which is more like a novella in length. Here Peter Cowan has stretched his wings and shown that he can write with originality and significance.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CV, Issue 31042, 23 April 1966, Page 4
Word Count
155SHORT STORIES Press, Volume CV, Issue 31042, 23 April 1966, Page 4
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