Synopses & Reviews
Review
"An annual treat . . heartening and facinating."
Review
"An annual treat . . heartening and facinating." Christian Science Monitor
Synopsis
In choosing this year's best American short stories, guest editor Amy Tan found herself drawn to fiction that satisfied her appetite for the magic and mystery she once loved as a child, when she was addicted to fairy tales. The result is a vibrant collection in which truth and fantasy coexist in new works by writers such as Rick Bass, Annie Proulx, Lorrie Moore, and Pam Houston, as well as in startlingly accomplished stories by new writers. The Best American Short Stories is the only volume that annually offers the finest works chosen by a distinguished best-selling author.
About the Author
Katrina Kenison has been the series editor of The Best American Short Stories since 1990. She currently resides in Massachusetts.Amy Tan won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for her first novel, THE JOY LUCK CLUB, which was made into a successful film in 1993. Her other books include THE KITCHEN GOD'S WIFE and THE HUNDRED SECRET SENSES.
Table of Contents
Foreword ix
Introduction by Amy Tan xiii
Rick Bass. The Hermit's Story 1
from The Paris Review
Junot Díaz. The Sun, the Moon, the Stars 15
from The New Yorker
Chitra Divakaruni. Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter 29
from The Atlantic Monthly
Stephen Dobyns. Kansas 48
from The Clackamas Literary Review
Nathan Englander. The Tumblers 55
from American Short Fiction
Tim Gautreaux. The Piano Tuner 78
from Harper's Magazine
Melissa Hardy. The Uncharted Heart 97
from The Ontario Review
George Harrar. The 5:22 120
from Story
A. Hemon. Islands 129
from Ploughshares
Pam Houston. The Best Girlfriend You Never Had 143
from Other Voices
Ha Jin. In the Kindergarten 164
from Five Points
Heidi Julavits. Marry the One Who Gets There First 173
from Esquire
Hester Kaplan. Live Life King-Sized 189
from Press
Sheila Kohler. Africans 216
from Story
Jhumpa Lahiri. Interpreter of Maladies 223
from Agni Review
Lorrie Moore. Real Estate 244
from The New Yorker
Alice Munro. Save the Reaper 273
from The New Yorker
Annie Proulx. The Bunchgrass Edge of the World 294
from The New Yorker
James Spencer. The Robbers of Karnataka 316
from The Gettysburg Review
Samrat Upadhyay. The Good Shopkeeper 335
from Manoa
Steve Yarbrough. The Rest of Her Life 351
from The Missouri Review
Contributors' Notes 377
100 Other Distinguished Stories of 1998 391
Editorial Addresses of American and Canadian Magazines Publishing Short Stories 395