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Wed 31 Aug, 2011 09:10 pm
Hi. I am trying to find a short story read by my father at high school in the 1950s. It is set at a dinner party. One guest claims he can make someone vanish and no-one will remember them. He starts them meditating, and when they come round, they all laugh at him that it didn't work. But it becomes clear the reader that one of the characters has disappeared. My father can't remember the title or the author. Can anyone help?
@barnacles,
I think there are probably various versions of that story. I remember a similar one being told late at night around the fire at a Girl Guide camp back in the 1970's.
@barnacles,
The only thing I found remotely close to it is this question someone asked two years ago about a similar plot.
You might contact them and see if they ever found it:
http://www.mahalo.com/answers/a-short-80s-film-plot-revolves-around-a-dinner-party-and-a-magicians-intriguing-proposal-anybody-name-it
@Butrflynet,
Thanks for that. I have contacted them. The plot sounds almost identical. I wonder if the film was based on the story?
@barnacles,
Hi, did you every find out the name of this short story? I read this when I was in high school in the 1980s and would LOVE to read it again!! It has played on my mind for so long and I just can't find it. But I do remember it was in an english short story text book. There was two text books the same and the other one had The Gift of the Magi and Flowers for Algernon in it.
@barnacles,
Quote:Looking for story set at dinner party, guest vanishes and erased from memory of others
What does
Emily Post recommend for such circumstances ?
@awesomedancingcats,
Hi, ADC, Welcome to A2K.
If you remember any more details from the story, please add them to make the search for it more successful.
@Butrflynet,
This all reminds me of an Alfred Hitchcock series of short story books. None of the stories written by him - it was just a promotional thing. I have my own memories of one of those stories..
but not this one in particular. You might check those books out.
@barnacles,
Hi. I stumbled across this post only today. I presume that you have by now long-since discovered that the story was "Exit" by Harry Farjeon. It was one of the stories in a collection, called "Ten Tales" & compiled by A.A. Phillips, that I read at school in the 1950s. I have a copy of the text of "Exit" if you still need it.
@Gazbo,
Maybe you're too late, but that was a spectacular answer and offer.
@Gazbo,
Thanks for this! I've been looking for the title of this story for years. I was convinced that it was by Saki and have looked and looked through collections of his work. Now I know!
@Gazbo,
I've been looking for a copy of this story for a very long time. Any chance you still have that copy or can you digitize one?
@Artisnotsafe,
Hi. I can email you a copy of the text as a Word document. Just let me have an email address. My email address is
[email protected].
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