Scattered Scraps: Very Short Stories

By Mohamed Bouhouch

Introduction

By: Abdallah al-Muttaqi, Morocco
"Doomsday will arrive the day God discovers the secret of the very short story." - Luis Prino Garcia.
Mohammed Bouhouch is a Tunisian name that practices the art of the very short story (VSS) with profound devotion. This devotion is neither incidental nor ordinary; rather, it emerged within a rapid historical context, embodied by the proliferation of digital media-mobile phones, the internet, Yahoo, YouTube, and beyond.
Furthermore, this multifaceted creator refuses to pitch his tent within a single literary genre; he is a poet, a novelist, a short story writer, and a master of the very short form. To date, Bouhouch has published eight distinguished collections in this genre: A Hundred Very Short Stories - Molars of the Night - Clusters of Wonder - Black Laughter - Sneezing and Barking - Cages and Birds - Juice of Happiness - Naked Trees.
Now, he presents "Scattered Scraps", for which I am honoured to write this preface. We share a mutual passion for this form, diligently persevering in its craft through distillation, condensation, and "flashing" insights. Personally, I regard Mohammed Bouhouch as a leading figure among those writing the very short story in Tunisia-a phenomenon in which several others have excelled, such as Ibrahim Darghouthi, Fatma Ben Mahmoud, Sa'if Ali, Fathia Dabash, Younes al-Sultani, and more.
Any observer of these fleeting narrative "scraps" will be struck by the main title, "Scattered Scraps". It is evident that through this title, Bouhouch dives into the raging chaos of events, tremors, and minefields of tension experienced by the self through its very pores and senses.
Accordingly, these scraps play to a swift, rhythmic, and heated tempo. They coalesce into a thematic structure rooted in personal, social, and political anxieties, engaging with human conditions without narrative complexities. This is achieved through a deliberate artistic and theoretical consciousness and in a language that places us at the heart of its poetics, symbolism, and suggestive density. Thus, within these "flashing" stories, Mohammed Bouhouch achieves a victory for concise narration over all forms of chatter, excess, and heavy literary "fat".
We shall not linger further. The aforementioned remarks are merely a pulse of love from the heart. As for the ultimate truth, dear reader, you shall find it only behind the mounds of these flashing scraps.
In conclusion, it is a pleasure for the Tunisian literary scene to celebrate the author of this purposeful, scattered-pardon me, organised-narrative chaos, written by Bouhouch with expertise and sound narrative intent. It is also a pleasure to rejoice in this ninth "newborn" with drums and flutes. May every new creation, and may Mohammed Bouhouch and the Very Short Story, remain in health and excellence.
T touan: March 4, 202

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GTDRRYSY
• ISBN13: 9798252970479
• Release Date: March 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.1" x 7.8"