FANTASY FROM THE PAGES
OF ESQUIRE ...
REVIEWED BY ...
These days, the science fiction fan expects to find, and usually does, his favorite literature in the most unique places. It is a far cry from the 1941 era when the field abounded with pulps and the slicks were bare of fantasy.
One of the recent finds I made, to my delight, was the Bedside Esquire, which features the literary half of that magazine; not the other half. In this anthology, I stumbled across several legitimate items, as well as a few borderline cases.
The fantasies include the oft broadcast "Leiningen and the Ants" by Carl Stephenson, a tale that should be familiar to all fantasites. Also very well known is "The Skeleton Key", a tale of horror in a rat besieged lighthouse, which ESCAPE broadcast on Tuesday, November 15, 1949.
On the borderline, not exactly fantasy, but not absolutely reality are these two: "So Smells Defeat" by George Antheil, in which the reader is told that the US lost the World War, and the consequences that followed in economics, society, and politics. The description is very vivid and dark, but the last sentence explains it -- "This May be America. It was Germany 1918-1934. So smells defeat." Another tale of borderline fantasy is Lajos Zilahy's "But for This ..." This gem is not a story, but rather a collection of sentences. It is merely an account of how completely a man's existence can vanish from the memory of humanity, after his death, the death of those who remember him, and the destruction of any written records of his residence on this world.
And last on the list id Eric Knight's "Never Come Monday" in which the weekdays become stuck somewhere, and all of England enjoys a succession of Sundays. The people relax and enjoy the respite from toil, until they find out they can't earn any money if Monday will never arrive. The humour of the Yorkshiremen, the red tape of government, and the whole ridiculous attitude of the people makes for an enjoyable tale that brings laughter to your lips.
Bedside Esquire contains other pieces, of course, but they are either those for which it is noted, or expeditions into various other themes. For a relaxing evening, the anthology is an ideal companion.
Text versions and page scans Judy Bemis
Data entry by Judy Bemis
Updated June 18, 2015. If you have a comment about these web pages please send a note to the Fanac Webmaster. Thank you.