Pushcart Prize XXXIII: Best of the Small Presses (2009 Edition) (The Pushcart Prize) [Paperback]

Bill Henderson (Editor), The Pushcart Prize Editors (Editor)

Book Description

Series: The Pushcart Prize | Publication Date: December 14, 2008

"Intelligence, compassion and artistry are alive and well in America."—Donna Seaman, Booklist

The winner of honors from the National Book Critics Circle, Publishers Weekly, Poets & Writers, and others, and acclaimed by readers and reviewers nationwide, the Pushcart Prize series continues to be a testament to the flourishing of American fiction, essays, memoirs, and poetry in our small presses.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. The 33rd Pushcart anthology demonstrates that independent presses still publish much of the world's most engaging literature. McSweeney's nominated Wells Tower's standout story, Retreat, in which aging property developer Matthew Lattimore seeks assistance from (while simultaneously antagonizing) his brother, his carpenter and the very wilds of Maine. Man and Wife, Katie Chase's piece from the Missouri Review, tells the story of Mary Ellen, whose parents and neighbors marry off nine-year-old girls in a world eerily similar to our own. In her AGNI essay, Bendithion, Harrison Solow considers the enigmatic otherworldliness of the world-class tenor and Welsh postmaster, Timothy Evans. And Sylvester Stallone shows aspiring novelist Jeremy Collins something about the artist's life in the funny and moving Georgia Review essay, Shadow Boxing. Poems by emerging and established poets such as Ciaran Barry, Bruce Smith and Derek Walcott pepper this must-have book for contemporary literature lovers. (Dec.)
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From Booklist

Despite claims that reading is in decline, there is certainly no downswing in the need to write. Literature remains vital, if underappreciated, as the range of expression, the spectrum of ideas, and the depth of feeling in contemporary writing grows and blossoms. Open the latest Pushcart gathering of the best of the small presses, and enter a cosmos of candor, humor, conviction, and lyricism. The more than 60 striking, diverse works showcased here include bracing poems by Kurt Brown, Derek Walcott, and Elinor Wylie; essays of earth, faith, and love by Krista Bremer, Brenda Miller, and Christian Wiman; and fresh and compelling fiction by Beena Kamlani, Jack Livings, and Elizabeth Tallent. Thoughtfully dedicated to the late Raymond J. Smith, editor and publisher of the Ontario Review and Ontario Review Press, who, in the words of Pushcart editor Henderson, gave “countless authors hope,” this generous, glimmering, and hopeful Pushcart Prize volume affirms the love readers and writers alike share for the art and spirit of strong writing, and the awareness and communion literature engenders. --Donna Seaman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 596 pages
• Publisher: Pushcart Press; 2009 Edition edition (December 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888889519
• ISBN-13: 978-1888889512
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #761,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not up to Snuff, December 12, 2009

By 

Windiciti "Windiciti" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pushcart Prize XXXIII: Best of the Small Presses (2009 Edition) (The Pushcart Prize) (Paperback)

Just as Jonathan, a previous reviewer, I question most of Bill Henderson's choices for the 2009 Pushcart edition. I gave the book a chance, I buy it every year along with the Best American Short Stories, and the O.Henry Prize Stories,purchases to which I have now have added the Best New American Voices,2009 and 2010.

I gave Bill Henderson's huge compendium a chance to entertain me on a recent writing trip to Prague,by deciding to start every story and read it for at least 2 or 3 pages. Only three of them were interesting or memorable to me. As an avid reader and a student writer I was not "hooked" by most of these selections.

While it is true that taste is personal and unique, and I am probably not expressing a majority opinion, most of these stories will not survive to be read again and again, as many of our favourites have.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous collection, March 13, 2011

By 

Mary Bast - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pushcart Prize XXXIII: Best of the Small Presses (2009 Edition) (The Pushcart Prize) (Paperback)

I started with the 2010 and 2011 Pushcart collections and was so impressed and inspired by the quality of writing I ordered the 2008 and 2009 collections. These are equally high-quality.

9 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Is this really the best writing of the year?, September 11, 2009

By 

Jonathan R. Ammon "Writing Student" (Johnstown, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pushcart Prize XXXIII: Best of the Small Presses (2009 Edition) (The Pushcart Prize) (Paperback)

This is a nice collection, but it definitely reveals the decline of taste prevalent in our society. It also reveals the common prejudices among publishers etc. There were a handful of pieces I genuinely loved, but I was surprised by how many I actually loathed. I consider myself fairly eclectic, but the amount of sensationalist smut present in this collection is somewhat appalling despite my defensive cynicism.