Flings (24 page)

Authors: Justin Taylor

“Carol, Alone” and “The Happy Valley” both make use of my maternal family history. My grandparents Lorelei and Jack Starkman and my great-aunt Ellen Greenberg were patient with my questions, generous with their answers, and will please forgive all omissions, distortions, and honest mistakes. I would also like to acknowledge Lord Lawrence Kadoorie's letter of February 6, 1979 (“The Kadoorie Memoir”), Dennis A. Leventhal's article “The Jewish Community of Hong Kong: An Introduction,” and Ken Nicolson's book
The Happy Valley: A History and Tour of the Hong Kong Cemetery
, which mentions the Jewish cemetery only in passing, but is nonetheless the text that alerted me to its existence. And I wouldn't have been in Hong Kong in the first place if not for the love and hospitality of the Goldners: Caryn, Andrew, Ava Grace, and Lillian Jade.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T
hank you to the editors of the journals, magazines, and websites where several of these stories first appeared.

For steadfast love and friendship, close readings, saintly patience, stiff drinks, and otherwise Coming Through, my boundless gratitude is offered to Noah Ballard, Mary Beth Constant, Elliott David, Mark Doten, Dan Guy Fowlkes, Caryn & Andrew Goldner, Gregory Henry, Jodie Mack, Peter Masiak, Cal Morgan, Alec Niedenthal, Amanda Peters, Suzanne Rindell, Jarrett Rosenblatt, Michael Signorelli, Emma Sweeney, Eva Talmadge, Maggie Tuttle, and Adam Wilson; my parents and sister; all the Taylors and Bullocks;

and Jeremy Schmallâwhose Giant goes with him wherever he goes;

Joshua Cohenâfor guidance, indulgence, and translations from the Hebrew;

Amanda Bullockâfor Everything, all the time.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JUSTIN TAYLOR
is the author of the story collection
Everything Here Is the Best Thing Ever
and the novel
The Gospel of Anarchy
. He lives, writes, and teaches in New York City. www.justindtaylor.net

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ALSO BY JUSTIN TAYLOR

The Gospel of Anarchy

Everything Here Is the Best Thing Ever

COPYRIGHT

FLINGS
. Copyright Â© 2014 by Justin Taylor. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

These stories were first publishedâsometimes in different formâin the following publications: “Flings” in
Prairie Schooner
; “A Talking Cure” in
The Coffin Factory
and
Electric Literature's
Recommended Reading; “Adon Olam” in
Tweed's
; “After Ellen” in
The New Yorker
; “Poets” in
Five Chapters
; “Saint Wade” (as “Clark the Saint”) in
Narrative
; “A Night Out” (as “Shot of Love”) in
Brooklyn
; “The Happy Valley” in
Lucky Peach
; “Gregory's Year” in
Tablet
.