To Build A Tale

This January 12 was the 130th birth anniversary of one of the greatest ever writers of America : Jack London. His novels "White Fang" and "Call of the wild" continue to inspire millions across the globe. His short story "To Build A Fire" is the best one i have ever read....
Talking of short stories, the authors that come to my mind in a jiffy are Saki, O Henry and Guy de Mauppassant..Saki is the greatest writer of short stories. The sheer beauty of his language, the irony in his words and most important of all, the unexpected twist that he gifts the reader are difficult to find elsewhere. Among his short stories, "The Open Window" and "Shredni Vashtar" stand out in my mind. If you havnt read them yet, well, you are missing something in your life....
Who can forget O Henry, the man who penned down such fabulous tales as "The gift of the Magi" and "The furnished room". You are bound to read his stories again and again for their simple but racy style. Guy's "The diamond necklace" deserves special mention for its ability to make you almost cry and wish for another climax.......But the story which truly had me in tears(no joke this) was Leo Tolstoy's "God sees the truth but waits".
Inspite of all the modern novels that I read, the short stories continue to allure me....Is it because i can finish them off in a matter of minutes??Or is it because they require less usage of the grey cells??Anyway, they have taught me a very important lesson in life: It is the simplicity that makes the uneducated more effective than the educated when addressing popular audiences..