I recently picked up a copy of Harold Bloom's How to Read and Why. I've only read the first chapter on short stories. I thought it would be a little more theoretical but so far it seems nothing more than Bloom trying to sell you his favourite authors. But then again I should have known this.
Thanks to him though, I have discovered writers that I might not have been bothered to look for. For example: Guy de Maupassant. I didn't really care to read him but boy, was I missing something.
Borges. He's not read as much as you might think throughout Latin America. Perhaps because he can be a little overwhelming, with all his knowledge and references and so it's really the braniacs or wannabe braniacs who prefer him. When it came to him I always passed. However, last week I read Tlön, Uqbar and Orbis Tertius and I was completely blown away by this man who truly was nothing less than a genius.
I also have to thank Bloom for discovering Flannery O'Connor. According to him, "the best way to read her stories is to begin by acknowledging that one is among her damned, and then go on from there to enjoy her grotesque and unforgettable art of telling." *indifference*
He recommends reading A Good Man is Hard to Find as an introduction to O'Connor. It is the story of a grandmother, her son, his wife and their three children who are on a car trip when they run into an escaped convict and his two subordinate killers. When the grandmother sees the convict, she foolishly reveals his identity thus dooming herself and all her family. *Doom, eh?* He certainly had me there. I found the story online. It was funny, sad, and grotesque all at the same time, very much what life can be like. Oh, the ironies.
I ordered The Complete Stories and I'm really enjoying them. I find it hard to believe that she is almost completely unknown throughout Latin America. I don't know how much more popular she is in North America or elsewhere but she was a very gifted writer.