Reading heaven? France pioneers vending machines that dispense short stories

As someone who’s fallen in love with the short story all over again (Alice Munro, Paul Bowles, Steven Millhauser, Kelly Link) I’ve got to hand it to the French. They have a true passion for literature and can be as creative about it as some Americans are with some abominations (mostly to do with reconstituted meat or Hollywood pap).

How else to read Grenoble town council’s decision to have short story dispensers, vending machines of quality literature, for free?

Click here to read the full story. But if you don’t, here’s a bit of useful detail:

** the vending machines serve up stories in a three and a five-minute format

** the black and orange machines stand one metre tall and are the first in France

** dispensing short stories is an initiative by a publishing company, Short Edition, and the Green Party mayor of Grenoble, Eric Piolle

** Grenoble plans eight machines across the town – at the town hall, the tourist office, libraries and in social centres

Une belle vie. Truly a beautiful life, if you’re in France (more specifically in Grenoble).