The O. Henry Prize Stories 2002 (Pen / O. Henry Prize Stories) [Paperback]

Larry Dark (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pen / O. Henry Prize Stories | Publication Date: August 27, 2002

Established early in the last century as a memorial to the great American short story master O. Henry, throughout its history this annual collection has consistently offered a remarkable sampling of contemporary short stories. Each year, stories are chosen from large and small literary magazines, and a panel of distinguished writers is enlisted to make the final selection. The result is a superb collection of inventive, full-bodied stories representing the very best in American and Canadian fiction.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dave Eggers, Joyce Carol Oates and Colson Whitehead made the selections for the 2002 edition of The O. Henry Prize Stories, with an introduction by series editor Larry Dark. Familiar names like Ann Beattie, Richard Ford, David Foster Wallace, Alice Munro and A.M. Homes dominate the table of contents. "The Ceiling," by Kevin Brockmeier, the First Prize winner, finds a man's marriage breaking up as a sinister object in the sky threatens to crush the earth; Second Prize goes to newcomer Mark Ray Lewis's "Scordatura," in which a young gay man returns home to his religious Texas town and bonds with his grandfather; Louise Erdrich comes in third with "The Butcher's Wife."
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The 2002 edition of this landmark work, which marks the farewell of innovative series editor Dark, offers 20 American and Canadian short stories selected by Dave Eggers, Joyce Carol Oates, and Colson Whitehead. First prize goes to Kevin Brockmeier's "The Ceiling," a surreal tale chronicling the collapse of a couple's marriage in a town where the sky is-literally-falling. In Mark Ray Lewis's second-prize "Scordatura," a preacher's son conquers grief with help from Bach and insights from his pot-smoking, beekeeping grandfather. Louise Erdrich takes third place with her sad, wry "The Butcher's Wife." Also included are Ann Beattie's excellent "That Last Odd Day in L.A.," in which a man has an epiphany after rescuing a drowning possum from his relatives' pool, and contributions from Anthony Doerr, Mary Yukari Waters, Don Lee, Richard Ford, Deborah Eisenberg, David Leavitt, Alice Munro, and David Foster Wallace. Although McSweeney's and the Atlantic Monthly received consideration, this year's magazine award again goes to The New Yorker. As always, a worthy addition for academic and public libraries.
William D. Walsh, White Pines Coll. Lib., Chester, NH
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Anchor (August 27, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385721625
• ISBN-13: 978-0385721622
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #915,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It must've been a good year..., November 3, 2002

By 

Katie (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The O. Henry Prize Stories 2002 (Pen / O. Henry Prize Stories) (Paperback)

This collection includes the winners of the 2002 O. Henry Prize as well as fifteen or so of the stories short-listed for the awards. I enjoyed all of the stories in the collection though I didn't necessarily like the prize-winners best. Excellent book.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A mixed bag, November 27, 2002

By 

S. Calhoun "rhymeswithorange" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The O. Henry Prize Stories 2002 (Pen / O. Henry Prize Stories) (Paperback)

According to the editor of PRIZE STORIES 2002: THE O. HENRY AWARDS, thousands of short stories from hundreds of magazines were painstakingly reviewed in an effort to compile an anthology of the year's best in stort story fiction. This year twenty stories made the list while three of them were voted the best by the jurors Dave Eggers, Joyce Carol Oates and Colson Whitehead. I personally do not agree with the juror's selection of the top short stories, which is a clear indication of how subjectivity is involved in the process of judging literature. What is enjoyable to one person certainly might not be for another. I've been reading this analogy periodically during the past couple of weeks and I finished with mixed feeling. Some stories intrigued me while others were downright uncaptivating. In addition, a couple were so utterly strange that they could be episodes of the twilight zone!

Out of this collection my favorite short story was A.M. Homes' "Do Not Disturb", which is a tale of a husband trying his best to emotionally deal with his bitter terminally ill wife as their marriage falls apart. I also enjoyed Anthony Doerr's "The Hunter's Wife" about how a husband deals with the supernatural powers of his wife in Montana. The reason why I didn't give this book five stars is because I believe that there are more losers than winners in this collection. But don't just take my word for it. Remember that the appreciation of literature is subjective. You just may love it!

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't Buy It, February 5, 2003

By 

Tony Jacobs (Lancaster, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The O. Henry Prize Stories 2002 (Pen / O. Henry Prize Stories) (Paperback)

A few of these stories were memorable, but last year's edition was better and so is Houghton Mifflin's "Best American Short Stories 2002," which shares three of the stories. Don't worry that one of the judges edits the periodical that published the winning story -- it was one of the few intense stories in this book. Most of the stories are just character and setting studies by authors who added notes like, "I wrote the beginning, and then I didn't know where to go with the story." Apparently, the judges like to read about different people and places, but I don't. I like memorable stories that aren't filled with description, like the best works of O. Henry, which were not character sketches. Irony, still common in short fiction, is almost absent from this anthology.