The Stories of John Cheever

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The Stories of John Cheever
JohnCheeverStories.jpg
First edition
Author John Cheever
LanguageEnglish
GenreShort story collection
Publisher Alfred A. Knopf
Publication date
1978
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages693
ISBN 0-394-50087-3

The Stories of John Cheever is a 1978 short story collection by American author John Cheever. It contains some of his most famous stories, including "The Enormous Radio", "Goodbye, My Brother", "The Country Husband", "The Five-Forty-Eight" and "The Swimmer". It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1979 and its first paperback edition won a 1981 National Book Award. [1] [lower-alpha 1]

Contents

Stories

The John Cheever Audio Collection

The John Cheever Audio Collection
The cover to The John Cheever Audio Collection.webp
Author John Cheever
Audio read by John Cheever, Benjamin Cheever, Meryl Streep, Edward Herrmann, Blythe Danner, George Plimpton, and Peter Gallagher
LanguageEnglish
GenreShort story collection
Publisher Caedmon
Publication date
2004
Publication placeUnited States
Media typeCompact Disc, Digital Audio, MP3

In 2004, Caedmon released a recorded compilation of selected stories from The Stories of John Cheever, each read either by Cheever, George Plimpton, or a professional actor. [2] Benjamin Cheever reads the introduction written by his father, and the full track list of stories is as follows:

Reception to the collection was positive. Publishers Weekly called the readers a "first-class lineup of narrators" and stated that "Cheever's archived readings that steal the show. His performance of "The Swimmer," in particular, boldly displays his contempt for the country-club set, while still evoking readers' sympathy for the hapless main character. The inclusion of [his] readings makes for a deeply personal, resonant finale to a truly superb production." [3]

Notes

  1. Cheever's Stories won the 1981 award for paperback fiction. From 1980 to 1983 in National Book Awards history, there were dual hardcover and paperback awards in most categories. Most of the paperback award-winners were reprints, including this one.

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References

  1. "National Book Awards – 1981". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2012-03-14
    (with essays by Willie Perdomo, Matthew Pitt, and Robert Wilder from the Awards 60-year anniversary blog).
  2. "The John Cheever Audio Collection". HarperCollins. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  3. "THE JOHN CHEEVER AUDIO COLLECTION". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
Awards
Preceded by National Book Award for Fiction
1981
With:
Plains Song: For Female Voices
Wright Morris
Succeeded by
Preceded bySucceeded by