In the year 2000 or 2001, a short story was read on one of public
radio's programs called "Selected Shorts" or "Stories on Stage". The
story described a wealthy woman's first experience trying opium that
was made from her Icelandic poppies by her Chinese servant. It was
written in the third person singular from the prospective of the
leisure class woman. The narrator goes on to describe how the woman
initially thought that her servant was stupid because of the poor
grammar that he used, but then under the influence of opium, she
became more sympathetic and considered that he may be eloquent when
speaking his native tongue.

Can anyone tell me the name and author of this short story?

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Request for Question Clarification by bobbie7-ga on 15 Aug 2004 05:41 PDT

Hello Thalamus!

Could the story be An Opium Dream?

An Opium Dream 
By Santa Louise Anderson, who experimented with her Chinese servant's
opium kit, and wrote about her experiences in 1879.
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22short+story%22+++about+woman+who+tries+opium+Chinese+servant&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&c2coff=1&selm=4sghv3%24i6t%40twizzler.callamer.com&rnum=1
 
An Opium Dream by Santa Louise Anderson 
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/heroin/history/anderson.htm

Thanks,
Bobbie7

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Clarification of Question by thalamus-ga on 15 Aug 2004 06:24 PDT

Although, "An Opium Dream" shares a similar theme, it is not the story
that I am thinking of. I distinctly remember that the opium was made
using Icelandic poppies.

I'm not sure, but I think the story was, unlike "An Opium Dream", told
in the third person. The woman in the story became very fond of the
drug and pestered her servant (he may have been a gardener) for more
opium to the point where he considered hiring someone to have her
killed. I don't remember if the woman in the story died or not.

I could not find a listing of Selected Shorts broadcasts that would
tell me the programs that were aired in 2000 and 2001. If you find
that or, even better, a place where I can order a recording of the
performance that I am looking for, that would be wonderful.

I appreciate the research that you've done. I wish I could give you
more information.

---

Request for Question Clarification by bobbie7-ga on 15 Aug 2004 06:58 PDT

Perhaps you will recognize the story from one of the lists below.

STORIES ON STAGE - 2001 Broadcast Season Bibliography
Publication information for all the stories featured in the 2001
broadcast season of Stories on Stage. Selections are listed
alphabetically by title.?
http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/programs/specials/sos/sos_01bibliography.asp

STORIES ON STAGE - 2002 Broadcast Season Bibliography
Bibliography for all the stories featured in the 2002 broadcast season
of Stories on Stage. Selections are listed alphabetically by title.
http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/programs/specials/sos/sos_02bibliography.asp

For questions about programming, such as authors or titles of books
mentioned, or if you would like a response to your question, contact
questions@ChicagoPublicRadio.org
questions@wbez.org


Contact information:
By Phone 
Main Number 312.948.4600 
Listener Comment Line 312.948.4701 
Listener Assistance 312.948.4855
http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/services/contact.asp

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

List of "Selected Shorts" 
2003-2004 NATIONAL RADIO SERIES READING LIST 
I did not find a list for 2000 or 2001
http://www.symphonyspace.org/genres/shorts_static.php?id=31

For a free catalog, write to: 
Symphony Space
2537 Broadway,
New York, NY 10025

Or  call: (212) 864-1414 x206
Or email: shorts@symphonyspace.org

http://www.symphonyspace.org/genres/shorts_static.php?id=31


Thanks 
Bobbie7

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Clarification of Question by thalamus-ga on 15 Aug 2004 07:28 PDT

Thank you for the links. I looked over the titles listed and I'm
afraid that I still can't determine the title or author of the story
that I heard.

Thalamus ?

I am reasonably confident that I have found the story that interests
you.   However, since I have not been able to confirm the year of its
broadcast or some of the plot details you have mentioned, I can?t be
100% sure.   In the unlikely (I think) event that my answer is
incorrect, please ask for clarification and I will continue the
search.


I believe that the story you remember is ?Paper Son,? by Canadian
author Melissa Hardy.  It was read by Keith Szarabajka on the
?Selected Shorts? radio series and is contained in a collection of Ms.
Hardy?s short stories called ?Uncharted Heart? that was published in
May 2001.


Here?s the evidence:

First, here is a one-sentence summary of the story from an Amazon.com
description of the collection:

?In "Paper Son," a Chinese houseboy to a small-town doctor and his
sick wife alleviates her pain by making opium from the poppies in her
garden.?

Here is another brief description of the story:

??Paper Son? tells the story of the remorselessness and cultural
arrogance of a Chinese house boy who causes the opium addiction and
death of his Canadian employer?s wife. Hardy?s stories are realistic
in detail despite a ?magical? element. They are also rich in insight
and give us a sense of the author communicating ?the mysterious and
difficult truth of things,? but with wit and humour.?

Canadian Literature: ?Risk-Taking New Authors,? by Afra Kavanagh
http://www.canlit.ca/reviews/177/5577_Kavanagh.html


Here now is a brief excerpt from a longer excerpt of the story that is
posted on Ms. Hardy?s website:

?Old Chinese medicine," Ah Sing told her. "Ah Sing make special for Missy."
"Oh, no you don't, Ah Sing!" Lily exclaimed. She returned her fork to
the tray without breaking the yolk. "I've heard all about the strange
things you people eat -- eels and bird's nests!"

"No eels. No bird's nests," Ah Sing reassured her. "And you don't eat
it, Missy. You smoke it. I made it from your poppies . . . the poppies
in the garden. Here. Missy eat egg now for Ah Sing. Egg very good for
Missy." Taking the fork from the tray, he pierced the egg yolk and
handed the plate and fork to Lily. "Eat," he encouraged her.

"You made . . . opium?" Lily gasped. "From my little Icelandic poppies?"

Melissa Hardy: ?Paper Son?
http://www.melissahardy.com/excerpt_paperson.htm


Now, as for the public radio connection, a posting in a newsgroup
contains the following:

"He's [Keith Szarabajka] also done other readings for Selected Shorts,
one of which has been released (along with many others) on CD,
available to purchase. 'The H Street Sledding Record' is the one
that's available to buy. Other story titles I remember he's done are:
'Paper Son' (full hour of the program), 'The Wig', 'The Wallet', 'Pet
Milk.'

Television Without Pity: Forums (last posting on the page)
 http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=2667406&st=45  


The recording for ?Selected Shorts? is also mentioned on a fan site
about Mr. Szarabajka:
	
?Listen for the following stories on NPR?s ?Selected Shorts? series: 
?Paper Son? .  .  .  .
http://hometown.aol.com/dremhunter/keith.html


Since I have not found a book list for the 2000-2001 period for
?Selected Shorts? broadcasts, I can?t nail this down with one single
stroke.  But the accumulated evidence leads me to be reasonably
confident that this is your story.



Additional Information:

While Amazon.com lists ?The Uncharted Heart? as out of print, Barnes &
Noble purports to have new copies for sale:

Bn.com: ?The Uncharted Heart?
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/bookSearch/isbnInquiry.asp?sourceid=00051864036155405042&ISBN=0676973450&bfdate=08-15-2004+12:38:38

In any case, Bookfinder.com lists many used copies for sale at
reasonable prices.  Here is a link to its listing page:

Bookfinder.com: Search Results: Melissa Hardy: The Uncharted Heart
http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac=sl&st=sl&qi=kLAeY2J2a5XxuZ8PVhg3Lc4ck4o_5427174703_1:5:2


Search Strategy:

I first located the online excerpt to Ms. Hardy?s story with the
following Google search:

?icelandic poppies? opium chinese OR china 
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=%22icelandic+poppies%22+opium+chinese+OR+china


I then used this information to design many other searches to tie this
story to ?Selected Shorts? and to try to confirm (successfully, I
think) that there is no online information that is inconsistent with
the notion that this story is the one you are seeking.  Here are a
couple of the more useful and simple of those searches:

?selected shorts? ?paper son?
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=%22selected+shorts%22+%22paper+son%22

szarabajka
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=szarabajka


Once again, I believe that this is your story. But if it is not,
please post a clarification to your question to that effect, and I
will try to assist you further.   In any case, if anything is unclear,
please ask for clarification before rating the answer.


markj-ga

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Clarification of Answer by markj-ga on 15 Aug 2004 10:24 PDT

thalamus --

I had meant to include a link to the home page of Ms. Hardy's website,
which has links to much information about her life and her work. Here
it is:

Melissa Hardy
http://www.melissahardy.com/index.htm


markj-ga

---

Clarification of Answer by markj-ga on 15 Aug 2004 12:12 PDT

thalamus --

I see that in one of your clarifications you indicated an interest in
acquiring a copy of the broadcast of the story that interests you. 
Assuming that "Paper Son" is that story, it does not appear that the
performance has been released by Symphony Space.  Here is a list of
the tapes and CDs currently offered by Symphony Space from its archive
of "Selected Shorts" broadcasts.
Symphony Space Store
http://store.symphonyspacestore.org/cassettescds.html


You may want to contact the organization about any plans it may have
for release of the story:

Symphony Space
2537 Broadway New York, NY 10025-6990
Tel: 212.864.1414 Fax: 212.932.3228 

Symphony Space
http://www.symphonyspace.org/home/home.php


In any case, as a noted in my answer, the printed version of the story
is easily obtainable.

markj-ga

I'm impressed! "Paper Son" is indeed the story that I was trying to
recall. I wouldn't have recognized it as such if you hadn't posted
that excerpt. Thank you Markj for your well researched answer. I would
also like to extend my gratitude to Bobbie7 and Pafalafa for their
comments.

Nice work in answering this question!  It sure looks like the right story to me.

At this link:


http://web.archive.org/web/20020605034433/www.symphonyspace.org/genres/shorts_static.php?id=31


you can find the following item:


Program 42
Week of July 20 - July 26, 2002
Melissa Hardy, Paper Son, read by Keith Szarabajka
From: The Uncharted Heart (Knopf, Canada) 


in case you are interested in the exact details of the radio broadcast.  


pafalafa-ga

thalamus --

Thanks much for the five stars and the kind words.

markj-ga