"I believe that the short story is as different a form from the novel as poetry is, and the best stories seem to me to be perhaps closer in spirit to poetry than to novels"

Tobias Wolff is recommending that the short story is a distinct form of writing, different from the novel. He believes that the very best stories have a poetic quality to them, and are more detailed in spirit to poetry than to books. This implies that the narrative is a more concise and lyrical kind of writing, which is able to capture a minute in time in a manner that a book can not. Wolff is suggesting that the short story is a special type of writing, which has the ability to communicate an effective feeling or concept in a few words. He thinks that the best stories have the ability to evoke a strong psychological response from the reader, which this is what makes them so unique.