Shop H.E. Bates Online
ID
b122
Title
"Shot Actress — Full Story."
Genre
Story
Page Count
19
Word Count
3910
Publisher
John O'London's Weekly
Publication Year
1937
Document Types
First-Person Narratives
Topics
Journalism

An account by a former watchmaker-jeweler of the death of a neighbor, a former actress with the stage name of Miss Porteus, and of the damaging effect of waves of rumors regarding the woman, her life, and the role of the narrator.

In commenting on the public's obsession with scandal and on journalists, the tale reflects Bates's early newspaper work at the Northamptonshire Chronicle.

In John O'London's Weekly (July 16, 1937), The Flying Goat (1939), Twenty Tales (1951), Love in a Wych Elm and Other Stories (2009). Reprinted in Citadel (British Institute, Cairo, June 1943). Short Stories of Our Time (1963), Best Theatre Stories (1968), Methuen Book of Theatrical Short Stories (1992).