Over more than 50 years, Medardo Fraile perfected the brief tale. Sometimes little more than a vignette, an episode, or a scene, nevertheless his tales are unfailingly precise, capturing a mood or a moment or a single action. At times he renders these with such focused attention that one could imagine the single action occupying a whole novel. At other times the details effervesce. It’s as though he was merely describing the air itself.

The selection here, which spans his entire life’s work, is helpfully introduced with a foreword by Ali Smith. Helpful, because the reader needs to learn how to read these short pieces. They are not standard north american short stories. Nor do they fall into the camp of experimental brief fiction in the manner of Lydia Davis. They tend not to be ambitious, but neither do they withdraw from moralism. Gentle might be best term to describe them.

I found myself drawn to them, their style and form, and I hope, now that they are available in English, that Fraile’s influence will grow. Gently recommended. ( )