The End of the World short fiction single (Mavis Gallant)

Narrated by Margot Dionne
Listening Time: 21:30

SHORT FICTION SINGLES ARE AVAILABLE AS DIGITAL DOWNLOADS ONLY

The End of the World by Mavis Gallant is drawn from the collection of short fiction entitled Montreal Stories (aka Varieties of Exile) . The complete Montreal Stories collection is available from Rattling Books as both an MP3-CD and as a Digital Download.

The End of the World appeared in The New Yorker, June 10, 1967, p. 36.

The New Yorker Abstract:

William Apostolesco's father had deserted his family in Canada during the war, after which William had seen him once, and then briefly and accidentally, at the age of 12. Grown and married, William is called to his father's deathbed at a poor and unclean French hospital. He is surprised that his father has nothing of consequence to say to him - no explanations or confessions - only light and meaningless chatter. His sympathy is mixed with concealed resentment, stored up over the years and aggravated by his father's seeming unawareness of the pain he caused others during his lifetime. William soon finds himself hoping his father will die soon, however, their last conversation wipes out his resentment, and for the first time he feels real sympathy. When his father dies soon after, he feels that he has been abandoned twice.

This Canadian audiobook was recorded and produced by Rattling Books in Newfoundland and Labrador.