Do I prefer reading long or short books? To be perfectly honest, neither! I tend to go for medium-length books. However, there are books of all sizes on my shelves. Since I already revealed the longest books I have ever read, I decided to introduce you to the shortest books I have read and that I still keep on my shelves. Some of these books I read when I was still a child, while others are far more recent reads.
Gooseberries by Anton Chekhov – 56 pages
Gooseberries is a Penguin Black Classics edition featuring three short stories by the Russian writer Anton Chekhov. They feature characters who reassess their lives after a transformative event occurs, and are at the same time thought-provoking and easy to read.
Vinte e Cinco a Sete Vozes by Alice Vieira – 70 pages
This book by the Portuguese author Alice Vieira gathers stories, told from different perspectives, about the Carnation Revolution, which took place in Portugal in 1974. It’s aimed at children and young teenagers.
Poesia by Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen – 70 pages
Poesia is a collection of poems by the Portuguese author Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen. Many of the poems she wrote express that nature is a means to achieve plenitude. The poems in this collection reference, for example, the sea, the night and the moonlight.
O Cavaleiro da Dinamarca by Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen – 73 pages
This is a children’s book whose main character is a knight who lived with his family in a forest in Denmark until he decided to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Lands. We follow him on his journey.
A Casa, A Escuridão by José Luís Peixoto – 73 pages
A Casa, A Escuridão is a poetry collection that José Luís Peixoto wrote based on his novel Uma Casa na Escuridão. It’s a reflection on various types and phases of love. Some of the poems are full of raw emotion.
Do you read many short books? Which are the shortest books you’ve ever read? Tell me in the comments!
I like it that you always introduce me to new authors and books from Portugal, about which I know shamefully little.
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It’s so good to hear that! 😊 It’s such a shame that so many of them haven’t been translated into English.
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I’m not a big short story reader, but conversely I do enjoy a good novella. I think that’s because many novellas are singly published, whereas short stories are collected and a whole book of them is too much at once of such a concentrated form! I’ve just read an amazing new sub-100 page novella by Andres Barba – a Spanish author, called Such Small Hands.
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I’ve just googled Such Small Hands and it sounds great!
Thanks for commenting! 🙂
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thank you for sharing. in the past few years I’ve been attracted mostly to short books, the littlest one, precious poetry. but they have to be good, excellent. I will check out your list. for me it all started with Snow by Maxine Fermence which is not so short now 😏
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If you enjoy poetry, I really recommend Sophia de Mello Breyner.
Thanks for your comment! 🙂
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