Description

A previously unpublished short story by Nolan — one which he considers his first professional piece of fiction. Of Simply an Ending, Nolan explains:

“Excluding early juvenilia, I’d written about twenty short stories prior to February of 1951, but they were all very clearly amateur efforts. Learning experiences. Like any other fledgling writer, I had much to learn. However, just short of my twenty-third birthday, after completing “Simply an Ending”, I thought: “Yeah, this is really good!” I was elated and very proud of myself. I knew that I had broken through to a higher level. In reading the story anew after all these years, I find that I’m still basically satisfied with it. Some of the description is strained and a bit arch (“a cold rock on a lonely shore”), but the situation seems genuine.”