Scribners Best of the Fiction Workshops 1998 [Paperback]

John Kulka (Editor), Natalie Danford (Editor), Carol Shields (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Scribner's Best of the Fiction Workshops | Publication Date: February 24, 1998

Gathered from 100 different workshops, these remarkably diverse stories possess the quality of works by more established authors, while offering the pleasure of discovering the unpredictable and irresistible voices of an up-and-coming generation .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For many years, it seemed that young writers took the dictum "write what you know" as a license to create endless highly personalized stories of suburban malfeasance. Judging from this collection, those days are long gone. Not every work is flawless?there are awkward dialogues and oblique narratives that are more maladroit than experimental. Whatever their faults, however, most of the 22 contributors here are willing to imagine being someone else, somewhere else. Some of the best stories are surrealistically inventive: Natasha Waxman's account of a college dropout's transmogrification into a primitive state; Tenaya Rahel Darlington's eerie tale of Poe-like obsession; Christopher A. Pasetto's slyly funny story of a teenage conspiracy theorist's first love. And even the less magical contributions dare to go beyond the merely confessional, as authors tackle characters of the opposite sex and wildly varying ages. At its strongest and weakest, the second installment in this series is heartening evidence of courage in the classroom and on the page.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This is the second in an annual series, which collects the best short fiction from graduate workshops in the United States and Canada. Guest editor Carol Shields, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Stone Diaries (LJ 1/94), selected the collection of 22 stories from among 234 submissions proffered via 119 writing programs. Like its predecessor, this new volume introduces new voices for lovers of short fiction looking for the next Flannery O'Connor or Isaac Bashevis Singer. This year's collection has more experimental work and a greater number of international settings than last year's. Picking favorites is difficult, but strong praise goes to Julie Otsuka's "Evacuation Order No. 19," about a Japanese American family facing internment during World War II, and to Carolyn Moon's "Through the Timber," a tale of two brothers confronting a demanding father. For all literary collections.?Faye A. Chadwell, Univ. of Oregon, Eugene
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Original edition (February 24, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684838362
• ISBN-13: 978-0684838366
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,299,232 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Promising new writers, March 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Scribners Best of the Fiction Workshops 1998 (Paperback)

I found this to be an extremely enjoyable read. Here you plunge into the writings of young writers whose name rings no bell whatsoever, only to be refreshed and inspired by their "diamond-in-the-rough" talent. I can not think of a more fulfilling way to stay on top of the burgeoning crop of new fiction writers, and I am thankful for this opportunity.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great collection--this book contains some real talent!, October 1, 2001

By 

Angela (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scribners Best of the Fiction Workshops 1998 (Paperback)

Buy this book if only for Adam Marshall Johnson's "Your Own Backyard"--an astounding and astute look at the father/troubled son relationship. Also includes humorous offerings on your standard themes of sex and love. This is by far the best of the "Fiction Workshop" series. You'll keep this one under your bed and reread it when you're between books.

2 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Tremendous Bore, July 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Scribners Best of the Fiction Workshops 1998 (Paperback)

Of the hundreds of short story collections I have read, this is without a doubt the worst. The writing in this book is devoid of any style whatsoever. The stories are so lifeless that the words on the page actually look boring in of themselves.