A contribution to the literature of the First World War by Mikhail Naimy: an analysis of the short story “Shorty”

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper analyzes Mikhail Naimy’s 1919 short story “Shorty,” which is set in World War I and which clearly draws upon Naimy’s own military service with the American Expeditionary Force in France. Naimy’s life prior to the war is briefly reviewed and the question of why Naimy, who was not an American citizen and who abhorred war, chose to serve is explored. The paper then analyzes the ways Naimy exploited his firsthand experience of the war to express its ironic futility. Finally, an attempt is made to place Naimy’s story within the canon of Great War literature.