O. Henry Prize Stories 2005 (The O. Henry Prize Collection)
A story of an American Indian man who wrestles with poverty and dignity over a lost wallet.
Work Information
A story of an American Indian man who wrestles with poverty and dignity over a lost wallet.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
- Published
- 2005-01-04
- Pages
- 417 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 13.18 x 2.67 x 20.32 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9781400076543
- ISBN-10
- 1400076544
- Price
- 4028 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Literature & Fiction/Anthologies & Literary Collections/General
The prestigious annual story anthology includes prize-winning stories selected by Cristina Garcia, Ann Patchett, and Richard Russo. "Widely regarded as the nation's most prestigious awards for short fiction." — Atlantic Monthly Continuing a century-long tradition of cutting-edge literary excellence, this edition contains twenty prizewinning stories chosen from the thousands published in magazines over the previous year. THE WINNING STORIES: Mudlavia Elizabeth Stuckey-French The Brief History of the Dead Kevin Brockmeier The Golden Era of Heartbreak Michael Parker The Hurt Man Wendell Berry The Tutor Nell Freudenberger Fantasy for Eleven Fingers Ben Fountain The High Divide Charles D’Ambrosio Desolation Gail Jones A Rich Man Edward P. Jones Dues Dale Peck Speckle Trout Ron Rash Sphinxes Timothy Crouse Grace Paula Fox Snowbound Liza Ward Tea Nancy Reisman Christie Caitlin Macy Refuge in London Ruth Prawer Jhabvala The Drowned Woman Frances De Pontes Peebles The Card Trick Tessa Hadley What You Pawn I Will Redeem Sherman Alexie
LAURA FURMAN, series editor of The O. Henry Prize Stories since 2003, is the winner of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts for her fiction. The author of several books, including the story collection The Mother Who Stayed , she taught writing for many years at the University of Texas at Austin. She lives in Central Texas.
Reviews
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In her second year editing the O. Henry Prize Stories, Laura Furman once again demonstrates a preference for stories of a tragic, dark nature. "Mudlavia", the first story in the book, concerns a boy's broken family and a life-threatening disease. It is followed by stories whose subject matter is apparent from their titles: "The Brief History of the Dead", "The Golden Era of Heartbreak", "The Hurt Man". Other stories in this collection include "Desolation", "Snowbound", and "The Drowned Woman". So, if lighthearted entertaining reading is what you seek, you are advised to look elsewhere. If, however, you want to read well-written short stories of substance, which are actually not as depressing as one might fear, then I definitely recommend the 2005 edition of The O. Henry Prize Stories. My favorite story in this year's collection is Ben Fountain's "Fantasy for Eleven Fingers", an exceedingly well-crafted story about the tribulations of an unusually endowed pianist caught up in the religious and political hostilities of turn-of-the-20th century Europe. The story reminds us that, try as we might, we cannot completely separate art and beauty from the gritty realities and problems of the world. Other favorites of mine include the aforementioned "Mudlavia" by Elizabeth Stuckey-French, and Edward P. Jones' "A Rich Man", which also appeared in the 2004 Best American Short Stories anthology. Each of these stories is entertaining and captures the reader's interest, while at the same time conveying important ideas and observations about the human condition. The 2005 edition of the O. Henry Prize Stories has four stories in common with the 2004 Best American Short Stories collection. Both anthologies contain stories published in 2003, but the O. Henry Prize Stories folks skipped 2004 and are now two years off in their numbering scheme. Given that the 2006 edition (covering stories published in 2004) is not due until May of 2006, it appears that Laura Furman and company are falling further behind in their reading. I hope they can catch up, as I enjoy both anthology series. If you can read only one, choose the Best American Short Stories if your tastes tend towards more popular writers and slightly lighter fare. Choose the O. Henry Prize Stories if you are seeking a more complete examination of the dark side of human affairs.
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It's just what I needed, despite its fragile condition. The stories are superb.
Related Literary Awards
- O. Henry Award Edition 84 (2005) ・Winner・Winner・Winner