In October 2023 Graham Swift’s short story “Bruises” was published in the

New Yorker

. Although Swift is less recognised for short fiction, Swift’s most recent publications, all in

The New Yorker

, are short stories. Like the previous three stories which appeared in the same periodical, entitled “Blushes” (2021), “Fireworks” (2022), and “Hinges” (2022), this latest work has a similar type of title. “Bruises” is a noun in the plural which refers to a painful incident, albeit one which produces an unexpectedly positive result. In “Bruises” a traumatized British-army veteran, who barely survives on a diet of inarticulacy and violent outbursts, achieves, through an encounter with an even more violent man, a reconciliation with his own psychological bruises.

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Citation: Logotheti, Anastasia. ""Bruises"". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 December 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=41472, accessed 10 November 2024.]

41472 "Bruises" 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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