Abstract

This linked short story collection follows the evolution of Bar Eugenia—a legacy restaurant once a staple in New York City's Southside—from the early 1920's to the present day. Each story explores the intersection of NYC's working-class roots and increasingly prevalent showbiz culture, presenting a cast of characters who find themselves out of place, with a better life visible just beyond reach. In the premier story, "Bar Eugenia," a man with a dream of entertaining entertainers receives the Bar Eugenia in a back-alley deal with the mysterious mobster Mr. C but soon finds himself caught in a feud between the Mafioso and silent-film star Buster Keaton. In "A Demon in the Dark," a desperate detective searches for a Southside serial killer among the cast of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. In "Lights, Camera, Action," an old war hero with a secret finds himself competing, appropriately, on a military-themed episode of the game show I've Got a Secret. Throughout each of the stories in the collection, characters are asked to reevaluate where they are, where they want to go, and how far they'll travel to get there.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2020

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Wolff, Jacob

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

English

Degree Program

Creative Writing

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0007952; DP0023093

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0023093

Language

English

Release Date

May 2025

Length of Campus-only Access

5 years

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Campus-only Access)

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Restricted to the UCF community until May 2025; it will then be open access.

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