Product Description

Thirty-four of America's most distinguished fiction writers--including Oscar Hijuelos, John Irving, and Joyce Carol Oates--introduce the short stories that inspired them most.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #312092 in Books
• Published on: 1994-10-26
• Released on: 1994-09-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 640 pages

From Library Journal
Thirty-five well-known authors introduce their favorite stories in this treasure trove of short fiction. For the reader this is a double delight. The introductions clarify the stories and provide rare insights into the minds of writers and the ways in which they read literature. Many of the stories are classics like "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens and "The Dead" by James Joyce. Others are not as famous: Edward P. Jones introduces "The Flowers," Alice Walker's story encompassing both the loss of childhood and the oppression of a race. Amy Tan tells the reader why "Pie Dance" by Molly Giles is a perfectly crafted story. For Francine Prose, Isaac Babel has created a masterpiece of art in "Guy de Maupassant," while T. Coraghessan Boyle's favorite story is Donald Barthelme's "The School." A list of biographies of the authors completes the volume. Recommended for general collections.
Stephanie Furtsch, Purchase Free Lib., N.Y.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Writers are passionate readers because literature is an ongoing dialogue. And you can learn a lot about writers by knowing what they love to read. Editors Hansen and Shepard decided to ask some of their favorite American writers to identify stories that fell into their you've-got-to-read-this category. The end result is an anthology of terrific tales introduced by essays that open windows onto the creative process of 35 top fiction writers. Each story is introduced by the writer who was inspired, intimidated, or moved to extreme emotion on reading it. Here's some examples: John Irving chose "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens; Mary Gordon selected "The Dead" by James Joyce; Oscar Hijuelos acknowledged his debt to Jorge Luis Borges' "The Aleph"; Lorrie Moore was stunned by John Updike's "Packed Dirt, Churchgoing, a Dying Cat, a Traded Car"; Joyce Carol Oates picked Kafka's unforgettable "In the Penal Colony"; and Louise Erdrich couldn't get over Robert Stone's "Helping." This is almost a two-for-one deal for story-lovers: a glimpse into the reading minds of one set of popular and talented authors, together with a selection of outstanding stories by their mentors and peers. Donna Seaman

From Kirkus Reviews
Writers, it is true, often make lousy critics. But the intense egotism that makes writers sift everything they read through the nooks and crannies of their selves can also make them terrific readers. Writers may not be the most reliable arbiters of taste, but when they love something, they love it well. Hansen (Mariette in Ecstasy, 1991, etc.) and Shepard (Kiss of the Wolf, 1993, etc.) honor the difference between reading and criticism by keeping the introductions in this anthology brief. And while many writers pay homage to classics (e.g., Eudora Welty to Chekhov's ``Gooseberries,'' Mary Gordon to Joyce's ``The Dead,'' Allan Gurganus to Cheever's ``Goodbye, My Brother''), the master/disciple dynamic takes some surprising forms, as when John Hawkes introduces his former student Mary Caponegro's ``The Star Caf‚.'' A generous variety distinguishes these stories, which, refreshingly, are not lumped together according to the race, sexual preference, or gender of their authors, but simply by the love that individual readers have for them. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

exposure to great authors
I read this in a writing seminar class I took with the author Wally Lamb (She's Come Undone, I Know This Much is True)at University of Connecticut three years ago. It impacted my appreciation for short stories and led me on the path to read many of the authors represented in this book. I bought complete short story collections of several of my favorite authors represented. I loved the idea of reading about other author's feelings about the stories and how they were influenced in their own writing. If you have an interest in writing, this book gives invaluable insight. I am purchasing it for my brother-in-law who is currently taking a creative writing course. My favorite story was "A Paper Garden" it captured my imagination and delighted me with description of the main character and her charm. Enjoy!

Great concept, great collection
A beautiful concept, having writers expose us to other writers. There are some jewels in here, if you've already read some of them, be proud of yourself, if not, the sheer randomness may turn you on to something you haven't been turned on to before. I loved "The Star Cafe", and discovered a new writer in the process.

Excellent Variety, Neat Format
This was a textbook for an online course I took from UCLA on writing fiction. I can highly recommend it. The selection of stories offers great variety, ranging from Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" to O'Brien's Vietnam-era classic "The Things They Carried". Having the stories introduced by authors offers is interesting. I enjoyed comparing my own reaction to each story to that of the author introducing it. Check this one out for a great collection of short stories.