The Strand Magazine 60th Issue : Unpublished Louisa May Alcott
The Strand Magazine: Unpublished Louisa May Alcott
In our 60th issue, we’re proud to present an unpublished Louisa May Alcott story, Aunt Nellie’s Diary, published here for the first time, is told from the perspective of a single and insightful forty-year-old woman who is responsible for the care of her teenage niece. Her niece’s beautiful, worldly friend is staying with them over the summer, as is a young man—Nellie’s friend’s handsome son. According to scholars, Aunt Nellie’s Diary was written when she was quite young; nevertheless Alcott displays sharp psychological insight into the characters who inhabit the seemingly carefree world of picnics, masked balls, and cozy carriage rides.
Alcott scholar Professor Daniel Shealy provides an introduction which looks at the historical and biographical context of this gem. Set during Gilded Age America, this 9,000 word story provides romance, the idyllic world of a time gone by, and characters who served as the inspiration for her future masterpieces.
Among our other short stories in this issue, David Marcum challenges Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to enter the world of international intrigue with “The Home Office Baby.” Against the backdrop of a diner, John Floyd serves us a heaping spoonful of menacing mobsters on the loose in “Biloxi Bound.” And last but not least, the inimitable Eoin Colfer with “Kevin of the Dead” invites us to meet a vampire who drives a stake into our stereotypes of the undead.
It’s our great pleasure to also share in this issue an exclusive interview with Alan Furst. Long established as one of the greatest espionage authors of the last 25 years, Furst shared his knowledge of the craft of writing, his experiences as a journalist, and the research behind his atmospheric historical spy novels.
Our reviews this issue feature the latest novels by Walter Mosley, P.D. James, Joe R. Lansdale, Linwood Barclay, and Linda La Plante.
The Strand Magazine continues to bring our readers the best in fiction, interviews with authors, and book and audiobook reviews. In the past nine years, we’ve featured unpublished works by writers ranging from Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Raymond Chandler, H.G. Wells, Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett, Tennessee Williams, and Joseph Heller .
This unpublished Louisa May Alcott work represents the 20th unpublished work we’ve released by a literary legend. Since the critically acclaimed production of Little Women, Alcott has become even more popular among fans of American literature.
