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Alan Bray
Jul 22, 20204 min read
A Manifesto, then Casey
All right, sit down everybody. I’m going to continue talking about “Starting Out in the Evening,” but first I have a few (other) thoughts...
Alan Bray
Jul 15, 20204 min read
Like a Letter from a Friend
One of the joys of “Starting Out in the Evening” is the lovely interconnectedness of it—the integrity, if you will, of a story that...
Alan Bray
Jul 8, 20203 min read
Starting Out in the Evening
This week, a new book—Brian Morrison’s 1998 novel “Starting Out in the Evening.” I saw the film version of this novel first, in...
Alan Bray
Jul 1, 20204 min read
Text/Film
As I mentioned several posts back, I saw the film version of “The English Patient” before reading the book, an interesting phenomenon. It...
Alan Bray
Jun 3, 20203 min read
Tense Mood
Today, I want to write about how verb tenses are used in “The English Patient” to—(WTF? Sounds like a snooze-fest, pal. Maybe catch you...
Alan Bray
May 27, 20203 min read
Tell Me A Story
Last week, I identified two modes of narration in “The English Patient,” the (nearly) invisible narrator who tells the story of the four...
Alan Bray
May 20, 20204 min read
The English Patient
This week, a new novel, Michael Ondaatje’s “The English Patient.” In 1995 I was browsing in a bookstore in downtown Chicago and saw “The...
Alan Bray
May 13, 20203 min read
The Chastened Narrator
I have spoken at tedious length about the narrator’s voice in “Love in the Time of Cholera,” best beloved. (I’ve been wanting to write...
Alan Bray
May 6, 20203 min read
The Disappearance of Jeremiah de Saint-Amour
Before setting out once again on my discussion of “Love in the Time of Cholera,” I should probably issue, belatedly, a spoiler alert....
Alan Bray
Apr 30, 20204 min read
Holograms
Here’s that first line again—"It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.” The...
Alan Bray
Apr 22, 20204 min read
Who Is Speaking?
Here’s that first line again—"It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.” The...
Alan Bray
Apr 15, 20204 min read
Where and When
Here’s that first line again—"It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.” The...
Alan Bray
Apr 8, 20202 min read
A New Project
I have decided to post more regularly on this site—it seems that The Fictional World of Alan Bray could contain fiction by other authors....
Alan Bray
Aug 27, 20191 min read
The Underground Emerges
I'm happy to say my short story "The Underground" was selected as a top ten finalist in the 2019 Blood Orange Review Literary Contest.
Alan Bray
Apr 30, 20191 min read
Starbucks A Semifinalist
My short story "This Year's Winner of the Starbuck's Prize" was a semi-finalist in Ruminate Magazine's William Van Dyke Short Story Prize.
Alan Bray
Mar 16, 20191 min read
The Porous Texture of Snow Long-listed
I'm honored that my short story "The Porous Texture of Snow" has been long-listed in the Fish Short Story Prize for 2019.
Alan Bray
Oct 30, 20161 min read
Already She Was Root Published in Eclectica
appy Halloween. My story "Already She Was Root" is live on the Eclectica site. The whole issue is great; many thanks to Tom Dooley and congr
Alan Bray
Oct 16, 20161 min read
"Refrain" Wins Honorable Mention in Glimmertrain's Fiction Open
My story "Refrain" has won Honorable Mention in Glimmertrain's Fiction Open Contest. I'm very happy, Glimmertrain is one of the top literary
Alan Bray
Oct 14, 20161 min read
Eclectica To Publish "Root"
I'm delighted to say that Eclectica, an on-line journal, will publish my story "Already She Was Root" on October 31st—Halloween.
Alan Bray
May 11, 20161 min read
Characters In Motion
tephanie Hopkins and IndieBrag have just posted a short piece of mine on the Layered Pages site. It concerns how I think about writing chara