The Best American Short Stories of the Century by John Updike (PDF)

Description

Since the series’ inception in 1915, the annual volumes of The Best American Short Stories have launched literary careers, showcased the most compelling stories of each year, and confirmed for all time the significance of the short story in our national literature. Now THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES OF THE CENTURY brings together the best of the best – fifty-five extraordinary stories that represent a century’s worth of unsurpassed accomplishments in this quintessentially American literary genre. Here are the stories that have endured the test of time: masterworks by such writers as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Saroyan, Flannery O’Connor, John Cheever, Eudora Welty, Philip Roth, Joyce Carol Oates, Raymond Carver, Cynthia Ozick, and scores of others. These are the writers who have shaped and defined the landscape of the American short story, who have unflinchingly explored all aspects of the human condition, and whose works will continue to speak to us as we enter the next century. Their artistry is represented splendidly in these pages. THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES series has also always been known for making literary discoveries, and discovery proved to be an essential part of selecting the stories for this volume too. Collections from years past yielded a rich harvest of surprises, stories that may have been forgotten but still retain their relevance and luster. The result is a volume that not only gathers some of the most significant stories of our century between two covers but resurrects a handful of lost literary gems as well. Of all the great writers whose work has appeared in the series, only John Updike’s contributions have spanned five consecutive decades, from his first appearance, in 1959. Updike worked with coeditor Katrina Kenison to choose stories from each decade that meet his own high standards of literary quality.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “Finding wonderful stories that you don’t already know is one of this collection’s great pleasures… ” The New York Times”…a thrillingly energized argument for the enduring vitality of big ideas in small packages.” Entertainment Weekly — About the Author John Updike is the author of numerous books, including the acclaimed “Rabbit” novels, Couples, In the Beauty of the Lilies, and Bech at Bay. He has won the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, the American Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the William Dean Howells Medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1998 he received the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Solely due to the way this book was assembled, it cannot live up to its title. This book is not an assemblage of the best short stories from the entire body of 20th century American literature; rather, this book is an anthology of the best stories that happened to have appeared in the annual Best American Short Story volumes. So, to make it into this book, a story would have had to be recognized when it was written as being one of the best of that year, as chosen by a single editor/reader.I enjoy reading short stories, and every year I purchase both the O. Henry Prize Stories and the Best American Short Stories. When I first did this, I was amazed at how little overlap there is between 20 stories chosen for each anthology (usually, there are only one or two stories in common, and typically the story chosen by O. Henry as the best of the year does not appear in the other anthology). So once again we have evidence that beauty (and art and subjective opinions such as “best”) are in the eye of the beholder.So, can John Updike’s selections be debated? Undoubtedly; every reader of this anthology will be able to cite stories and authors that they believe should have been included (as for me, I was most disappointed by the absence of Ray Bradbury). But is this anthology worth reading? Absolutely!Reading this anthology cover-to-cover is like traveling through time, and provides an enriching perspective on the history of the 20th century in America. From the hardscrabble existence of immigrants and farmers, to the Depression, to the problems of racism, to the war, to the ennui that exists in a time of relative plenty, these stories do cover the broad American experience of the past century. Furthermore (aside from Ray Bradbury), many of our best authors are represented, so this book is a good way to get introduced to authors that one has heard about but not read before.It’s surprising to me that short story anthologies aren’t more popular, given our busy society. A well written short story entertains, conveys a message, teaches something about the human condition, and can be enjoyed in one sitting, such as a short plane or train ride. I would highly recommend this anthology as a way for short story novices to get started, and then one can graduate to the annual O. Henry and Best American Short Story anthologies.

⭐There are so many gems, some diamonds in the dust ( excuse the overused words). I will be short on words, here, because you will have almost 2000 pages of reading to get to. Smile.

⭐The short story is arguably the American contribution to literary form, developed in the work of Hawthorne, Poe, Melville, Crane and others in the 19th century to flourish during the 20th century in the work of Bellow, Carver, Cather, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Malamud, Munro, O’Connor, Proulx, Roth, Updike, Welty and others. An anthology of the best American stories published during the year was first published in 1915 and continues today. In the earlier years the dedicated editor, Edward J. O’Brien, endeavored to read every short story published in America and select only the finest, and this custom has been continued over the years. Now, one of the finest short story writers of the 20th century, John Updike, with the assistance of Katrina Kenison, has read all the stories in the 85 volumes of Best American Short Stories and selected the cream of the crop over the century for this jewel of American short fiction. I have read all the stories as they are printed, in chronological order, and thoroughly enjoyed them all, but there are a few which I found particularly striking: 1929 Willa Catha Double Birthday and Grace Stone Wild Plums;1944 Vladimir Nabokov That in Aleppo Once…; 1951 Tennessee Williams The Resemblance Between a Violin Case and a Coffine; 1955 John Cheever The Country Husband; 1957 Flannery O’Connor Greenleaf; 1960 Lawrence Sargent Hall The Ledge; and Phillip Roth Defender of the Faith/; 1979 Saul Bellow A Silver Dish; 1993 Thom Jones I Want to Live!; 1998 Annie Proulx The Half-Skinned Steer.

⭐I bought this for a class. Some of the stories were okay, but I’d rather read some longer fiction, such as a novel, or a nonfiction book about something I’m really interested in.If you like reading try some of my favorite fantasy and sci-fi authors: Richard Adams, Palo Bacigulupi, Suzanne Collins, Abe Evergreen, Diana Gabaldon, Hugh Howey, George Martin, Brandon Sanderson, John Scalzi, and Andy Weir.If you’re looking for good stuff to watch consider miniseries like The Astronauts Wives Club (2015), Band of Brothers (2001), Frank Herbert’s Dune (2000), Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune (2003), Into the West (2005), Lonesome Dove (1989), Manhattan (2014-2015), Return to Lonesome Dove (1993), Pride and Prejudice (1995), Taken (2002), and The 10th Kingdom (2000), which are all terrific because they have clear beginnings that establish an objective, then strong middles and conclusive endings where the goal is achieved, like a good novel.Other shows I’ve really enjoyed include Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009), Breaking Bad (2008-2013), Cowboy Bebop (1998), Downton Abbey (2010-2015), Firefly (2002), Game of Thrones (2011-2019), Granite Flats (2013-2015), The IT Crowd (2006-2013), Jericho (2006-2008), Lost (2004-2010), Merlin (2008-2012), The Prisoner (1967-1968), Rome (2005-2007), Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011), Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010), Stargate: SG-1 (1997-2007), Stargate: Atlantis (2004-2009), Star Trek (1966-1969) and Star Trek Voyager (1995-2001). I didn’t list any contemporary series I’m following that don’t have an end date yet, not conducive to binge watching from beginning to finish.

⭐Arrived ahead of schedule. Well packaged. Exactly as described by seller. Very satisfied.

⭐I’m only about a third of the way through it at the time of writing but I can say that the book is an education. The biographical notes on the authors are useful and serve as links to other of an author’s works – even, perhaps particularly, those which just give the date when a story was published and then chronicle : “nothing more is known about him/her”. An outstanding collection.

⭐This book gives you an overview of stories written through the century It is a treasure

⭐Bought for family members studies. Good price and quick delivery.

⭐In good condition.For a literature class.

⭐This is a treasure trove for short-story lovers.”The Best American Short Stories” is a well-established annual anthology, starting in 1915 which has been published without interruption every year since its inception. This tome in my hand brings together “the best of the best”, fifty-six short stories hand-picked from the entire stock of two thousand stories that have been collected in those yearly volumes since 1915.So, you can imagine the scope of this delightful collection!

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