An arresting collection of contemporary fiction at its best, these stories explore a vast range of subjects, from love and deception to war and the insidious power of class distinctions. However clearly spoken, in voices sophisticated, cunning, or na•ve, here is fiction that consistently defies our expectations. Selected from thousands of stories in hundreds of literary magazines, the twenty prize-winning stories are accompanied by essays from each of the three eminent jurors on which stories they judged the best, and observations from all twenty prizewinners on what inspired them.

“The Room”

William Trevor

“The Scent of Cinnamon”

Charles Lambert

“Cherubs”

Justine Dymond

“Galveston Bay, 1826”

Eddie Chuculate

“The Gift of Years”

Vu Tran

“The Diarist”

Richard McCann

“War Buddies”

Joan Silber

“Djamilla”

Tony D’Souza

“In a Bear’s Eye”

Yannick Murphy

“Summer, with Twins”

Rebecca Curtis

“Mudder Tongue”

Brian Evenson

“Companion”

Sana Krasikov

“A Stone House”

Bay Anapol

“The Company of Men”

Jan Ellison

“City Visit”

Adam Haslett

“The Duchess of Albany”

Christine Schutt

“A New Kind of Gravity”

Andrew Foster Altschul

“Gringos”

Ariel Dorfman

“El Ojo de Agua”

Susan Straight

“The View from Castle Rock”

Alice Munro

"Culled from dozens of the most prestigious literary magazines throughout America and Canada, the 20 stories included in this year's O. Henry Prize collection make an impressive and eclectic crop, including seasoned vets (Alice Munro), rising stars (Tony D'Souza) and virtual unknowns (Jan Ellison, with her first published story). Each richly developed story is as captivating as its predecessor, whether the subject is Vietnam, American exile, traveling alone or domestic violence. William Trevor's unnerving 'The Room' features a woman in the throws of a meaningless affair-her feeble attempt at dealing with her husband's indiscretions nine years prior. Adam Haslett delicately prods at a young man's trembling entree into the homosexual life of 'The City.' A bewildered daughter witnesses her aging father lose control of his linguistic faculties in Brian Evenson's immensely frightening 'Mudder Tongue.' Readers will want to relish each of these stories at its own well-deserved pace; a collection this good deserves savoring. Also included are essays written by the three jurors (Charles D'Ambrosio, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Lily Tuck) on their personal favorites, as well as thoughts from each writer on inspiration and the writing life." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

“Widely regarded as the nation’s most prestigious awards for short fiction” —The Atlantic Monthly

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. Byatt

"The Shell Collector Anthony Doerr

"Burn Your Maps" Robyn Jay Leff

"Lush" Bradford Morrow

"God's Goodness" Marjorie Kemper

"Bleed Blue in Indonesia" Adam Desnoyers

"The Story" Edith Pearlman

"Swept Away" T. Coraghessan Boyle

"Meanwhile" Ann Harleman

"Three Days. A Month. More." Douglas Light

"The High Road" Joan Silber

"Election Eve" Evan S. Connell

"Irish Girl" Tim Johnston

"What Went Wrong" Tim O'Brien

"The American Embassy" Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

"Kissing" William Kittredge

"Sacred Statues" William Trevor

"Two Words" Molly Giles

"Fathers" Alice Munro

"Train Dreams" Denis Johnson

Introduction Laura Furman, Series Editor

The Room

William Trevor, The New Yorker

The Scent of Cinnamon

Charles Lambert, One Story

Cherubs

Justine Dymond, The Massachusetts Review

Galveston Bay, 1826

Eddie Chuculate, Manoa

The Gift of Years

Vu Tran, Fence

The Diarist

Richard McCann, Bloom

War Buddies

Joan Silber, Land-Grant College Review

Djamilla

Tony D'Souza, Tin House

In a Bear’s Eye

Yannick Murphy, McSweeney's Quarterly

Summer, with Twins

Rebecca Curtis, Harper's Magazine

Mudder Tongue

Brian Everson, McSweeney's Quarterly

Companion

Sana Krasikov, The New Yorker

A Stone House

Bay Anapol, Manoa

The Company of Men

Jan Ellison, New England Review

City Visit

Adam Haslett, The Atlantic Monthly

The Duchess of Albany

Christine Schutt, Noon

A New Kind of Gravity

Andrew Foster Altschul, StoryQuarterly

Gringos

Ariel Dorfman, Subtropics

El Ojo de Agua

Susan Straight, Zoetrope

The View from Castle Rock

Alice Munro, The New Yorker

Reading THE O. HENRY PRIZE STORIES 2007

Charles D’Ambrosio on “The Room” by William Trevor

Ursula K. Le Guin on “Galveston Bay, 1826” by Eddie Chuculate

Lily Tuck on “The Room” by William Trevor

Writing THE O. HENRY PRIZE STORIES 2007

The Writers on Their Work

Recommended Stories

Publications Submitted

Permissions