A review by zisi
The O. Henry Prize Stories by

4.0

Interesting how the quality of this annual anthology varies from year to year. Somehow I think it shouldn't. Of the thousands of short stories published annually, the best 20 or so, whoever are the judges, should meet a pretty damn high standard of excellence. This year (2013) the O. Henry Prize Stories are especially good. For one thing, two of the three judges (Edith Pearlman and Jim Shepard) are among my favorite contemporary short story writers (top five?). For another, it's great fun to discover recent stories by authors (Deborah Eisenberg, Kelly Link, Andrea Barrett) I've so admired in the past and whose newer stuff I find hard to come by (because the writers haven't anthologized them yet in their own one-author collections). Also stories I've read the past year and get to reread (Munro's "Leaving Maverley," Joan Silber's "Two Opinions"). And finally (and most gratifyingly), the discovery of new writers, or writers I've never heard of (Polly Rosenwaike, Tash Aw, Derek Palacio) who make me want to rush out and read their other work.

I'm especially grateful that Kelly Link, primarily an sf/fantasy author, is included (again) in a mainstream literary collection. I wish the judges (and series editor Laura Furman) would be more bold in their choices, and include more authors similar in sensibility to Link's. That's my one caveat, and why I've awarded four stars and not five to this anthology.