| Editor | Shannon Ravenel and John Gardner |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | The Best American Short Stories |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| ISBN | 978-0395322079 |
| Preceded by | The Best American Short Stories 1981 |
| Followed by | The Best American Short Stories 1983 |
The Best American Short Stories 1982, a volume in The Best American Short Stories series, was edited by Shannon Ravenel and by guest editor John Gardner. The volume was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. [1] [2]
The series is considered one of the "best-known annual anthologies of short fiction" [3] and has anthologized more than 2,000 short stories, including works by some of the most famous writers in contemporary American literature, curated by well-known guest editors since 1915. [4] Specifically, Amy Hempel considered it and the O. Henry Award's prize anthology to compile "the best short fiction published in American and Canadian magazines during the preceding year." [5]
In particular, the Willa Cather Review wrote that The Best American Short Stories series "became a repository of values" for creative writing programs and literary magazines, specifically with considerable "influence" in college libraries, short fiction courses, and fiction workshops. [6]
Kirkus Reviews called John Gardner's curation a death blow to the "Foley legacy" that had previously marked the anthology series. The reviewer concluded that "As a sampling of what moral-crusader Gardner likes in short-story fiction, then, this is certainly informative. But it's hardly a fair reflection of the year's best—and perhaps this series should take on a new title if such unbalanced collections are to be expected in the future." [7]
Le Anne Schreiber, writing in The New York Times, lauded Gardner for "a collection that demonstrates the variety and vigor of American short-story writing far better than any comparable collection in recent years." [8]