 | |
| Author | John Freeman |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Penguin Press |
Publication date | May 4, 2021 |
| Pages | 496 |
| ISBN | 978-1984877802 |
The Penguin Book of the Modern American Short Story is a 2021 short story anthology edited by John Freeman. [1] Gathering 50 years of short stories, the book was published by Penguin Press. [2]
Kirkus Reviews called the book "A well-selected anthology of short fiction, ranging from long to flash, representing the last half-century" and "A fresh gathering that highlights the work of mostly well-known story writers through their lesser-known works." [3]
New York Journal of Books said that the book would succeed in joining the existing array of short story anthologies, like The Best American Short Stories and the O. Henry Award compilations, thanks to its emphasis on the "modern" rather than the "best," its "literary star" editor in Freeman, and its table of contents serving as "a literal who's who of modern fiction." [4]
Smoke Signals called Freeman's vision for the anthology "adventurous" for its juxtaposition of more established names with lesser-known ones and lauded his superb effort of "seeking in a modest way to re-shape the canon." [5]
| Year | Author | Title | Original publication, if any |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Toni Cade Bambara | "The Lesson" | Gorilla, My Love |
| 1972 | Grace Paley | "A Conversation With My Father" | New American Review |
| 1973 | Ursula K. Le Guin | "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" | New Dimensions 3 |
| 1973 | Raymond Carver | "Bicycles, Muscles, Cigarettes" | Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? |
| 1973 | Alice Walker | "The Flowers" | In Love & Trouble: Stories of Black Women |
| 1978 | Jamaica Kincaid | "Girl" | The New Yorker |
| 1981 | Louise Erdrich | "The Red Convertible" | Love Medicine |
| 1982 | Isaac Bashevis Singer | "The Reencounter" | |
| 1982 | Joy Williams | "Taking Care" | Taking Care |
| 1983 | Lydia Davis | "Story" | Break It Down |
| 1984 | Charles Johnson | "China" | The Sorcerer's Apprentice |
| 1984 | Stuart Dybek | "Pet Milk" | The New Yorker |
| 1986 | Susan Sontag | "The Way We Live Now" | The New Yorker |
| 1986 | Sandra Cisneros | "Salvador Late or Early" | Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories |
| 1986 | Tim O'Brien | "The Things They Carried" | Esquire |
| 1988 | Dorothy Allison | "River of Names" | Lavender Mansions |
| 1991 | Denis Johnson | "Emergency" | The New Yorker |
| 1994 | George Saunders | "Sticks" | Story |
| 1996 | Junot Díaz | "Fiesta, 1980" | Story |
| 1998 | Lucia Berlin | "Silence" | Fourteen Hills |
| 1998 | Nathan Englander | "The Twenty-Seventh Man" | For the Relief of Unbearable Urges |
| 1998 | Tobias Wolff | "Bullet in the Brain" | The New Yorker |
| 1998 | Rick Bass | "The Hermit's Story" | The Paris Review |
| 1998 | Jhumpa Lahiri | "A Temporary Matter" | The New Yorker |
| 1999 | Andrew Holleran | "The Penthouse" | In September, the Light Changes |
| 1999 | Percival Everett | "The Fix" | New York Stories |
| 2000 | Edwidge Danticat | "Water Child" | The New Yorker |
| 2003 | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | "The American Embassy" | Prism International |
| 2005 | Aleksandar Hemon | "The Conductor" | The New Yorker |
| 2007 | Karen Russell | "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" | "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" |
| 2010 | Claire Vaye Watkins | "The Last Thing We Need" | Granta |
| 2011 | Ken Liu | "The Paper Menagerie" | The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction |
| 2011 | Stephen King | "The Dune" | Granta |
| 2011 | Julie Otsuka | "Diem Perdidi" | Granta |
| 2015 | Ted Chiang | "The Great Silence" | E-flux |
| 2016 | Lauren Groff | "The Midnight Zone" | The New Yorker |
| 2019 | Manuel Muñoz | "Anyone Can Do It" | Zyzzyva |