The Best American Short Stories 1981
| Editor | Shannon Ravenel and Hortense Calisher |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | The Best American Short Stories |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| ISBN | 978-0395312599 |
| Preceded by | The Best American Short Stories 1980 |
| Followed by | The Best American Short Stories 1982 |
The Best American Short Stories 1981, a volume in The Best American Short Stories series, was edited by Shannon Ravenel and by guest editor Hortense Calisher. The volume was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.[1][2]
Background
[edit]The series is considered one of the "best-known annual anthologies of short fiction"[3] 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.[4] 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."[5]
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.[6]
Critical reception
[edit]Kirkus Reviews called the anthology "the weakest in years" due to Hortense Calisher's "safe" approach to curation lying in "many big-name authors and New Yorker contributors," ultimately leading to unusually weak inclusions by legendary writers: "Only five stories out of the 20 here, in fact, seem genuinely outstanding... Very few standouts, much inferior, unflattering work: a definite dip in quality and authority for this usually-solid series."[7]
Short stories included
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Calisher, Hortense; Ravenel, Shannon, eds. (1981). The best American short stories 1981. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-31259-9.
- ^ Noble, Holcomb B. (2009-01-15). "Hortense Calisher, Author, Dies at 97". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ "Short and Sweet" by Mark Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 11/05/99, issue 511, page 73.
- ^ "The Best American Short Stories of the Century," Publishers Weekly, 3/8/1999, volume 246, issue 10, page 47.
- ^ Hempel, Amy (1986-02-09). "The Best American Short Stories 1985 : edited by Gail Godwin with Shannon Ravenel (Houghton Mifflin; $14.95, hardcover; $8.95, paperback; 300 pp.)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ "'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.
- ^ THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 1981 | Kirkus Reviews.