Loss Of Memory Is Only Temporary By Johanna Kaplan

 

Loss Of Memory Is Only Temporary 

As we enter the final decade of the twentieth century, many of us have been pleased to notice a return, a resurgence, of interest in short stories, short stories by women, and short stories by Jewish women. This interest is heartening and encouraging, particularly because the last time a similar phenomenon took place, the great literary figures of that time included such names as Dejuan Barnes, Rebecca West, Edith Wharton, and Willa Cather. But our excitement is tinged with concern: Can the “renaissance” last? Can it become as pervasive as the last one? And will future readers still be as respectful of writers who published in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s as some of us are of our beloved predecessors?