The O. Henry Prize Stories 2003

"Widely regarded as the nation’s most prestigious awards for short fiction" ( The Atlantic Monthly ), an exciting selection of the twenty best short stories, with brief essays from each of the three distinguished judges—David Guterson, Diane Johnson, and Jennifer Egan—on their favorite story. Since its establishment in 1919, the O. Henry Prize stories collection has offered an exciting selection of the best stories published in hundreds of literary magazines every year. Such classic works of American literature as Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers (1927); William Faulkner’s Barn Burning (1939); Carson McCuller’s A Tree. A Rock. A Cloud (1943); Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery (1949); J.D. Salinger’s For Esme with Love and Squalor (1963); John Cheever’s The Country Husband (1956) ; and Flannery O’Conner’s Everything that Rises Must Converge (1963) all were O. Henry Prize stories.An accomplished new series editor—novelist and short story writer Laura Furman—has read more than a thousand stories to identify the 20 winners, each one a pleasure to read today, each one a potential classic. The O. Henry Prize Stories 2003 also contains brief essays from each of the three distinguished judges on their favorite story, and comments from the prize-winning writers on what inspired their stories. There is nothing like the ever rich, surprising, and original O. Henry collection for enjoying the contemporary short story.The Thing in the Forest A. S. ByattThe Shell Collector Anthony DoerrBurn Your Maps Robyn Jay LeffLush Bradford MorrowGod’s Goodness Marjorie KemperBleed Blue in Indonesia Adam DesnoyersThe Story Edith PearlmanSwept Away T. Coraghessan BoyleMeanwhile Ann HarlemanThree Days. A Month. More. Douglas LightThe High Road Joan SilberElection Eve Evan S. ConnellIrish Girl Tim JohnstonWhat Went Wrong Tim O’BrienThe American Embassy Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieKissing William KittredgeSacred Statues William TrevorTwo Words Molly GilesFathers Alice MunroTrain Dreams Denis Johnson