Since its establishment in 1919, the O. Henry Prize stories collection has offered an exciting selection of the best stories published in hundreds of literary magazines every year. Such classic works of American literature as Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers (1927); William Faulkner’s Barn Burning (1939); Carson McCuller’s A Tree. A Rock. A Cloud (1943); Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery (1949); J.D. Salinger’s For Esme with Love and Squalor (1963); John Cheever’s The Country Husband (1956) ; and Flannery O’Conner’s Everything that Rises Must Converge (1963) all were O. Henry Prize stories.

An accomplished new series editor--novelist and short story writer Laura Furman--has read more than a thousand stories to identify the 20 winners, each one a pleasure to read today, each one a potential classic. The O. Henry Prize Stories 2003 also contains brief essays from each of the three distinguished judges on their favorite story, and comments from the prize-winning writers on what inspired their stories. There is nothing like the ever rich, surprising, and original O. Henry collection for enjoying the contemporary short story.

The Thing in the Forest A. S. Byatt

The Shell Collector Anthony Doerr

Burn Your Maps Robyn Jay Leff

Lush Bradford Morrow

God’s Goodness Marjorie Kemper

Bleed Blue in Indonesia Adam Desnoyers

The Story Edith Pearlman

Swept Away T. Coraghessan Boyle

Meanwhile Ann Harleman

Three Days. A Month. More. Douglas Light

The High Road Joan Silber

Election Eve Evan S. Connell

Irish Girl Tim Johnston

What Went Wrong Tim O’Brien

The American Embassy Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Kissing William Kittredge

Sacred Statues William Trevor

Two Words Molly Giles

Fathers Alice Munro

Train Dreams Denis Johnson