The Oxford Book of Short Stories - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 019282113X ISBN 13: 9780192821133

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1988

Synopsis

Only V.S. Pritchett, one of the most distinguished living writers of short stories in English, could tackle the daunting task of compiling a short story anthology, a project that entails displaying in a single volume the wealth and variety of an art that spans over 200 years and has evolved out of many divergent literary traditions. Accepting the challenge, Pritchett has chosen over forty stories written in the English language during the period between the early nineteenth century and the present day.
Since the time of Sir Walter Scott, Edgar Allan Poe, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, Great Britain, America, and especially Ireland have developed great traditions of short-story writing, which Ernest Hemingway, D.H. Lawrence, Somerset Maugham, John Updike, and V.S. Pritchett himself have perpetuated in this century. Demonstrating the full range of invention and ability within the genre, Pritchett includes a sampling of stories by such Irish masters as James Joyce, Frank O'Connor, and Liam O'Flaherty, as well as stories by Canadian, Indian, New Zealand, and Australian writers.
In the Introduction, Pritchett stresses that the collection does not necessarily contain "the best" short stories. Instead, he has chosen these stories based on his own personal tastes seasoned by "seventy years of passionate addiction to the short story and fifty years as a fellow writer" in the art. Rejecting over-anthologized stories in favor of ones previously overlooked, Pritchett brings together some of the most original examples of this changing art. In this way, The New Oxford Book of Short Stories bears witness to the talent of the past and the talent that continues to flourish.

About this title

About the Author

About the Editor:
Sir Victor Pritchett is a novelist, short-story writer, critic, biographer, and traveler. His books include the novel, Mr. Beluncle; a highly acclaimed collection of short stories, On the Edge of the Cliff; two books of criticism, The Myth Makers and The Tale Bearers; a biography of Turgenev, The Gentle Barbarian; and the classic travel book, The Spanish Temper.

Review

"A gift from the living master of the English story, V.S. Pritchett."--Newsday

"It is difficult in a collection like this to avoid the familiar without sacrificing quality. Mr. Pritchett walks the tightrope with much success."--The New Yorker

"An ideal book to browse in, to read and reread for pleasure."--San Francisco Chronicle

"In The Oxford Book of Short Stories we will discover something spirited and unique."--Philadelphia Inquirer

"In the forty-one stories here, spanning from the early nineteenth century to the present, Pritchett has charted the ongoing evolution of the story form itself....The Oxford Book of Short Stories not only earns a permanent space on our shelves, but in our hearts as well."--The Christian Science Monitor

"Rilke once wrote that the message of a work of art is 'You must change your life.' The stories in The Oxford Book of Short Stories say that, do that."--Cleveland Plain Dealer

"[A] treasure trove of an anthology....nearly every story ranks among the best."--Times Educational Supplement (London)

"This admirable volume of over forty short stories extends from specimens by Sir Walter Scott to John Updike. It is a highly competent work edited by a master of the craft himself."--The American Spectator

"Pritchett, one of our best critics, has assembled an excellent collection."--Library Journal

"A superb collection of short fiction in English."--Sewanee Review

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 019282113X
• ISBN 13: 9780192821133
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 558