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Abstract

Easy, Quick and Short. On Compact Literature in the Digital Era Over the last years, various kinds of short fictional and factual prose have risen to increasing levels of popularity. This article argues that this might be explained as resulting from new ways of publishing and distributing short texts online (for instance, the app, Penguin Shorts, Amazon Singles-program), but also proceeds from new on-screen reading habits (i.e. on smartphones, tablets, dedicated readers), and participation in online digital cultures. In many ways, the digital short read is emblematic of Internet’s bit culture and the short attention span of our age: a micro content that is cheap, mobile, easily accessed, and condensed. The paper analyses and gives further details about some of the short read-ventures that have taken place in Sweden and abroad.

Keywords

• short read
• mobile technologies
• digital reading habits
• e-books
• e-singles