A man who lost his identification papers due to a simple misunderstanding sets off on a journey to reclaim his identity, but eventually resigns himself to becoming someone else. This short first-person narrative is tragically humorous and can be staged as a theatrical monologue.
Without delving into philosophy or reclining on a psychoanalyst's couch, during moments of idleness or sleepless nights, we all contemplate the meaning of life. Well, at least the meaning of our own lives. We ask ourselves small questions without substantial answers. Or even big questions without a tiny hint of an answer. Unless the daily routine suddenly derails, sending us, dizzy, to the edge of the unfathomable abyss of meaning. A troubled depth can then surface, revealing, amidst the waves, like a sea monster, a one-way street... which constitutes the tragi-cosmic essence of our everyday existences. A comical dive into the depths of our superficial lives...
The art of making a long story short by Jean-Pierre Martinez. A short story isn’t just a short novel, it’s a literary genre in its own right, with its own defining characteristics. Specifically, the art of writing short stories requires leading the reader to a surprise ending. An ending that must be unpredictable and therefore startling. As the story unfolds, the reader is enthralled by the suspense and carried by the taught narration to the reveal that they are burning to discover … unaware they were following a red herring to a conclusion that, while unexpected, is always flawlessly logical. But of course! exclaims the reader as they reach the last page of a well-constructed and deftly written short story. It was all there, I would have seen it coming but for the author’s clever storytelling. In this short story collection, Jean-Pierre Martinez, who is also a playwright and a scriptwriter of police television series, demonstrates his mastery of delivering the perfect ending to his audience. In each of these seventeen short stories, he takes the reader into a variety of universes to play with (and against) their expectations – and does so brilliantly.