The Best American Short Stories 1980, a volume in The Best American Short Stories series, was edited by Shannon Ravenel and by guest editor Stanley Elkin. The volume was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Background The series is considered one of the "best-known annual anthologies of short fiction""Short and Sweet" by Mark Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 11/05/99, issue 511, page 73. and has anthologized more than 2,000 short stories, including works by some of the most famous writers in contemporary American literature, curated by well-known guest editors since 1915."The Best American Short Stories of the Century," Publishers Weekly, 3/8/1999, volume 246, issue 10, page 47. Specifically, Amy Hempel considered it and the O. Henry Award's prize anthology to compile "the best short fiction published in American and Canadian magazines during the preceding year."
In particular, the Willa Cather Review wrote that The Best American Short Stories series "became a repository of values" for creative writing programs and literary magazines, specifically with considerable "influence" in college libraries, short fiction courses, and fiction workshops."'Long-Cellared Wine': 'Double Birthday,' Edward J. H. O'Brien, and the Best American Short Stories Series" by Timothy W. Bintrim and Scott Riner, Willa Cather Review, spring 2023, volume 64, issue 1, page 18.
Critical reception Kirkus Reviews observed that the "fairly uneven" curation matched Stanley Elkin's own interests sought in his writing, namely stories that are "longish, comically operatic, frequently about Jews or the momentarily possessed," though found two standout inclusions: "The Old Forest" by Peter Taylor and "The One-Star Jew" by David Evanier.
Short stories included Author Story SourceDonald Barthelme"The Emerald"EsquireFrederick Busch"Long Calls"North American ReviewDavid Evanier"The One-Star Jew"The Paris ReviewMavis Gallant"The Remission"The New YorkerMavis Gallant"Speck's Idea"The New YorkerWilliam H. Gass"The Old Folks"The Kenyon ReviewT. Gertler"In Case of Survival"Esquire FortnightlyElizabeth Hardwick"The Faithful"The New YorkerLarry Heinemann"The a First Clean Fact"TriQuarterlyRobert Henderson"Into the Wind"The New YorkerCurt Johnson"Lemon Tree"ConfrontationGrace Paley"Friends"The New YorkerJames Robison"Home "The New YorkerLeon Rooke"Mama Tuddi Done Over"DescantJohn Sayles"At The Anarchists' Convention"The Atlantic MonthlyIsaac Bashevis Singer"The Safe Deposit"The New YorkerRichard Stern"Dr. Cahn's Visit"The Atlantic MonthlyBarry Targan"The Rags of Time "Southwest ReviewPeter Taylor"The Old Forest"The New YorkerJohn Updike"Gesturing"PlayboyNorman Waksler"Markowitz and the Gypsies"AscentGordon Weaver"Hog's Heart"The Antioch Review
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