Wit on wit: David Sedaris introduces stories by the legendary Dorothy Parker.

In the fall of 2011 we celebrated the long-awaited publication of the big novel IQ84 by the prodigious Japanese writer Haruki Murakami with a Symphony Space marathon SELECTED SHORTS program called “Murakami Madness.”  Earlier in this radio season we’ve heard portions from that epic evening, including the opening chapter of the novel, and several short stories which we selected to show the remarkable range and variety in subject matter, literary imagination, and diverse moods—from provocatively comical to truly frightening—that characterize Murakami’s work.

Four tales with a hint of fantasy -- from a fateful encounter on a bus, to a lovesick monster.

David Sedaris learns French, and three other tales involving elaborate explanations that only make things worse.

The funny, or funny/sad, side of life is offered up in tales by three masters of the form.

This program features four brief tales by absolute masters of the form—Edgar Allan Poe, Guy de Maupassant, Saki and Thomas Wolfe—in which something unexpected occurs.