Time Enough at Last by Lyn Venable
"Time Enough at Last" by Lyn Venable is a short story originally published in the January 1953 issue of IF Worlds of Science Fiction. The narrative follows the theme of human desire and the ironic twists of fate, particularly focusing on one man's longing for solitude and time to indulge in reading. The story explores post-apocalyptic consequences where characters find their ambitions and desires confronted by the harsh realities of survival. The
plot centers around Henry Bemis, a bespectacled bank teller with a strong yearning to read books, often thwarted by his demanding life and overbearing wife, Agnes. After a catastrophic event reduces the world to ruins, Henry emerges from the destruction to find himself in a desolate landscape, bereft of civilization and loved ones. Initially overwhelmed by sorrow for those lost, he soon discovers the remnants of a library, filled with books he has longed to read. In a moment of bittersweet triumph, Henry settles down to read, only to accidentally break his glasses, rendering him unable to see the text before him. This poignant twist emphasizes the irony of finally achieving his dream, only to have it slip through his fingers, underscoring the story's themes of longing, loss, and the futility of human desire in the face of overwhelming circumstance. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Venable, Lyn |
|---|---|
| Title | Time Enough at Last |
| Series Title | Produced from IF Worlds of Science Fiction January 1953. |
| Note | Reading ease score: 83.0 (6th grade). Easy to read. |
| Credits | Greg Weeks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Books and reading -- Fiction |
| Subject | Nuclear warfare -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 32633 |
| Release Date | Jun 1, 2010 |
| Most Recently Updated | Feb 18, 2024 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 1483 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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