The Penguin Book of the Modern American Short Story

The Penguin Book of the Modern American Short Story is a 2021 short story anthology edited by John Freeman. Gathering 50 years of short stories, the book was published by Penguin Press.

Critical reception Kirkus Reviews called the book "A well-selected anthology of short fiction, ranging from long to flash, representing the last half-century" and "A fresh gathering that highlights the work of mostly well-known story writers through their lesser-known works."

New York Journal of Books said that the book would succeed in joining the existing array of short story anthologies, like The Best American Short Stories and the O. Henry Award compilations, thanks to its emphasis on the "modern" rather than the "best," its "literary star" editor in Freeman, and its table of contents serving as "a literal who's who of modern fiction."

Smoke Signals called Freeman's vision for the anthology "adventurous" for its juxtaposition of more established names with lesser-known ones and lauded his superb effort of "seeking in a modest way to re-shape the canon."

Short stories included +YearAuthorTitleOriginal publication, if any1972Toni Cade Bambara"The Lesson"Gorilla, My Love1972Grace Paley"A Conversation With My Father"New American Review1973Ursula K. Le Guin"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"New Dimensions 31973Raymond Carver"Bicycles, Muscles, Cigarettes"Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?1973Alice Walker"The Flowers"In Love & Trouble: Stories of Black Women1978Jamaica Kincaid"Girl"The New Yorker1981Louise Erdrich"The Red Convertible"Love Medicine1982Isaac Bashevis Singer"The Reencounter"1982Joy Williams"Taking Care"Taking Care1983Lydia Davis"Story"Break It Down1984Charles Johnson"China"The Sorcerer's Apprentice1984Stuart Dybek"Pet Milk"The New Yorker1986Susan Sontag"The Way We Live Now"The New Yorker1986Sandra Cisneros"Salvador Late or Early"Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories1986Tim O'Brien"The Things They Carried"Esquire1988Dorothy Allison"River of Names"Lavender Mansions1991Denis Johnson"Emergency"The New Yorker1994George Saunders"Sticks"Story1996Junot Díaz"Fiesta, 1980"Story1998Lucia Berlin"Silence"Fourteen Hills1998Nathan Englander"The Twenty-Seventh Man"For the Relief of Unbearable Urges1998Tobias Wolff"Bullet in the Brain"The New Yorker1998Rick Bass"The Hermit's Story"The Paris Review1998Jhumpa Lahiri"A Temporary Matter"The New Yorker1999Andrew Holleran"The Penthouse"In September, the Light Changes1999Percival Everett"The Fix"New York Stories2000Edwidge Danticat"Water Child"The New Yorker2003Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie"The American Embassy"Prism International2005Aleksandar Hemon"The Conductor"The New Yorker2007Karen Russell"St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves""St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves"2010Claire Vaye Watkins"The Last Thing We Need"Granta2011Ken Liu"The Paper Menagerie"The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction2011Stephen King"The Dune"Granta2011Julie Otsuka"Diem Perdidi"Granta2015Ted Chiang"The Great Silence"E-flux2016Lauren Groff"The Midnight Zone"The New Yorker2019Manuel Muñoz"Anyone Can Do It"Zyzzyva

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