The Best American Short Stories 1984 is a volume in the long-running The Best American Short Stories anthology series. The 1984 edition was edited by series editor Shannon Ravenel and guest editor John Updike. It was published by Houghton Mifflin in 1984.[1]
| Editor | John Updike (guest editor), Shannon Ravenel (series editor) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | The Best American Short Stories |
| Genre | Short fiction anthology |
| Published | 1984 |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover & paperback) |
| ISBN | 978-0-395-35413-1 |
| Preceded by | The Best American Short Stories 1983 |
| Followed by | The Best American Short Stories 1985 |
The volume features a selection of notable short fiction published in American periodicals during the preceding year, chosen for their literary merit and variety of voice and style.
Background
editThe series is regarded as one of the best-known annual anthologies of short fiction in the United States.[2] Since its inception in 1915, The Best American Short Stories has anthologized more than 2,000 short stories, featuring works by many of the most prominent voices in contemporary American literature. Each annual volume is curated by a notable guest editor in collaboration with the series editor.[3]
Writer Amy Hempel has recognized The Best American Short Stories, along with the O. Henry Award anthology, as among the most authoritative collections of "the best short fiction published in American and Canadian magazines during the preceding year."[4]
According to the Willa Cather Review, the series "became a repository of values" for creative writing programs and literary journals, exerting significant influence in college libraries, short fiction courses, and fiction workshops.[5]
Critical reception
editKirkus Reviews praised John Updike as "the most satisfying guest editor" of the series to date, noting that his "personal taste never leads to the inclusion of second-rate, graceless work."[6]
Writing for The New York Times, author John L'Heureux described the anthology as a collection of "20 solid stories, selected by John Updike. Each provides a good read, a few are truly stunning, and—best of all—they come prefaced by Mr. Updike's lucid and informative introduction."[7]
Short stories included
edit| Author | Story | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lee K. Abbott | "The Final Proof of Fate and Circumstance" | The Georgia Review |
| Madison Smartt Bell | "The Naked Lady" | The Crescent Review |
| Dianne Benedict | "Unknown Feathers" | MSS |
| Paul Bowles | "In The Red Room" | Antaeus |
| Mary Ward Brown | "The Cure" | Ascent |
| Rick DeMarinis | "Gent" | CutBank |
| Andre Dubus | "A Father's Story" | Black Warrior Review |
| Mavis Gallant | "Lena" | The New Yorker |
| Mary Hood | "Inexorable Progress" | The Georgia Review |
| Donald Justice | "The Artificial Moonlight" | Antaeus |
| Stephen Kirk | "Morrison's Reaction" | Greensboro Review |
| Susan Minot | "Thorofare" | The New Yorker |
| Wright Morris | "Glimpse Into Another Country" | The New Yorker |
| Joyce Carol Oates | "Nairobi" | The Paris Review |
| Cynthia Ozick | "Rosa" | The New Yorker |
| Lowry Pei | "The Cold Room" | Stories |
| Jonathan Penner | "Things To Be Thrown Away" | The Yale Review |
| Norman Rush | "Bruns " | The New Yorker |
| James Salter | "Foreign Shores" | Esquire |
| Jeanne Schinto | "Caddies' Day" | Greensboro Review |
References
edit- ^ Updike, John; Ravenel, Shannon, eds. (1984). The Best American Short Stories 1984. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-35413-1.
- ^ "Short and Sweet" by Mark Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 11/05/1999, Issue 511, p. 73.
- ^ "The Best American Short Stories of the Century," Publishers Weekly, 03/08/1999, Vol. 246, Issue 10, p. 47.
- ^ Hempel, Amy (1986-02-09). "The Best American Short Stories 1985: Edited by Gail Godwin with Shannon Ravenel (Houghton Mifflin; $14.95, hardcover; $8.95, paperback; 300 pp.)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ "'Long-Cellared Wine': 'Double Birthday,' Edward J. H. O'Brien, and the Best American Short Stories Series" by Timothy W. Bintrim and Scott Riner, Willa Cather Review, Spring 2023, Vol. 64, Issue 1, p. 18.
- ^ "The Best American Short Stories 1984". Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ L'Heureux, John (1984-10-07). "Fresh and Quirky". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-04-09.