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The O. Henry Prize Stories 2003
"Widely regarded as the nation’s most prestigious awards for short fiction" ( The Atlantic Monthly ), an exciting selection of the twenty best short stories, with brief essays from each of the three distinguished judges—David Guterson, Diane Johnson, and Jennifer Egan—on their favorite story.
Since its establishment in 1919, the O. Henry Prize stories collection has offered an exciting selection of the best stories published in hundreds of literary magazines every year. Such classic works of American literature as Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers (1927); William Faulkner’s Barn Burning (1939); Carson McCuller’s A Tree. A Rock. A Cloud (1943); Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery (1949); J.D. Salinger’s For Esme with Love and Squalor (1963); John Cheever’s The Country Husband (1956) ; and Flannery O’Conner’s Everything that Rises Must Converge (1963) all were O. Henry Prize stories.
An accomplished new series editor—novelist and short story writer Laura Furman—has read more than a thousand stories to identify the 20 winners, each one a pleasure to read today, each one a potential classic. The O. Henry Prize Stories 2003 also contains brief essays from each of the three distinguished judges on their favorite story, and comments from the prize-winning writers on what inspired their stories. There is nothing like the ever rich, surprising, and original O. Henry collection for enjoying the contemporary short story.
The Thing in the Forest A. S. Byatt
The Shell Collector Anthony Doerr
Burn Your Maps Robyn Jay Leff
Lush Bradford Morrow
God’s Goodness Marjorie Kemper
Bleed Blue in Indonesia Adam Desnoyers
The Story Edith Pearlman
Swept Away T. Coraghessan Boyle
Meanwhile Ann Harleman
Three Days. A Month. More. Douglas Light
The High Road Joan Silber
Election Eve Evan S. Connell
Irish Girl Tim Johnston
What Went Wrong Tim O’Brien
The American Embassy Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Kissing William Kittredge
Sacred Statues William Trevor
Two Words Molly Giles
Fathers Alice Munro
Train Dreams Denis Johnson
Since its establishment in 1919, the O. Henry Prize stories collection has offered an exciting selection of the best stories published in hundreds of literary magazines every year. Such classic works of American literature as Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers (1927); William Faulkner’s Barn Burning (1939); Carson McCuller’s A Tree. A Rock. A Cloud (1943); Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery (1949); J.D. Salinger’s For Esme with Love and Squalor (1963); John Cheever’s The Country Husband (1956) ; and Flannery O’Conner’s Everything that Rises Must Converge (1963) all were O. Henry Prize stories.
An accomplished new series editor—novelist and short story writer Laura Furman—has read more than a thousand stories to identify the 20 winners, each one a pleasure to read today, each one a potential classic. The O. Henry Prize Stories 2003 also contains brief essays from each of the three distinguished judges on their favorite story, and comments from the prize-winning writers on what inspired their stories. There is nothing like the ever rich, surprising, and original O. Henry collection for enjoying the contemporary short story.
The Thing in the Forest A. S. Byatt
The Shell Collector Anthony Doerr
Burn Your Maps Robyn Jay Leff
Lush Bradford Morrow
God’s Goodness Marjorie Kemper
Bleed Blue in Indonesia Adam Desnoyers
The Story Edith Pearlman
Swept Away T. Coraghessan Boyle
Meanwhile Ann Harleman
Three Days. A Month. More. Douglas Light
The High Road Joan Silber
Election Eve Evan S. Connell
Irish Girl Tim Johnston
What Went Wrong Tim O’Brien
The American Embassy Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Kissing William Kittredge
Sacred Statues William Trevor
Two Words Molly Giles
Fathers Alice Munro
Train Dreams Denis Johnson
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
About the author
Laura Furman
68 books59 followersLaura J. Furman (born 1945) is an American author best known for her role as series editor for the O. Henry Awards prize story collection. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Mirabella, Ploughshares, Southwest Review.
She has written three collections of stories (The Glass House, Watch Time Fly, and Drinking with the Cook), two novels (The Shadow Line and Tuxedo Park), and a memoir (Ordinary Paradise).
She founded American Short Fiction, which was a three-time finalist for the National Magazine Award. She is currently Professor of English at the University of Texas at Austin, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in writing. Most recently, she has announced that she has submitted a collection of short stories to her agent, and the subsequent collection will be her first new work to follow the release of 2001's Drinking with the Cook.
She has written three collections of stories (The Glass House, Watch Time Fly, and Drinking with the Cook), two novels (The Shadow Line and Tuxedo Park), and a memoir (Ordinary Paradise).
She founded American Short Fiction, which was a three-time finalist for the National Magazine Award. She is currently Professor of English at the University of Texas at Austin, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in writing. Most recently, she has announced that she has submitted a collection of short stories to her agent, and the subsequent collection will be her first new work to follow the release of 2001's Drinking with the Cook.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
September 19, 2017
One of the reasons I like to read short story collections is to find the transition element from one story to the next. Here, the opener is a monster-in-the-woods short entitled "The Thing in the Forest" by A.S. Bright. The second story is Anthony Doerr's "Shell Collector" which starred a poisonous snail in ocean water. (But in neither case is the villain the main point of the story.) Doerr surprised me here, as I thought "Shell Collector" was far better than his Pulitzer Prize novel, "All the Light We Cannot See." These two stories were two of my favorites in this collection. However, just for the fun of it, I'm going to name "Bleed Blue in Indonesia" by Adam Desnoyers as my favorite overall, as this author tells us that "this story was my first to be accepted for publication." So, a hearty "Congrats!" to Desnoyers, as that was surely a wonderful feeling. And besides, the story itself is perhaps the most original in this collection. I always like to have a book of short stories in the house as they are perfect for short free time and are often as good as author's novels, as in Doerr's case. And here, I must mention a two-page story entitled "Kissing" by William Kittredge, as the author offers us two opposing interpretations of this very good work proving once again that often, less is more. Anyone have any ideas about what Kittredge is up to here?
February 2, 2010
The jurors' opinions notwithstanding, "The Shell Collector" by Anthony Doerr was my favourite. It is one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read. It has stayed with me, as has "Sacred Statues" by William Trevor. I was disappointed Mr Trevor didn't write a few words about the writing/creation of this story. Or his thoughts on writing or stories in general. Or anything.
A. S. Byatt's "The Thing in the Forest" has also stayed with me, but not in a way that makes it a favourite. It is a difficult story. Superb, but difficult.
A. S. Byatt's "The Thing in the Forest" has also stayed with me, but not in a way that makes it a favourite. It is a difficult story. Superb, but difficult.
February 19, 2009
I am starting to find fault with this blasted rating system, but I'll give it a whirl...
First off, this collection is remarkably spotty. For twenty stories, I only liked all of four or five of them. In fact, some I couldn't believe were even published--let alone worthy of being included in an O. Henry Prize compilation.
Still, Bradform Morrow's "Lush" is a uniquely arranged pairing of two stories intertwined by an automobile accident, though it cleverly skirts this all too obvious centerpiece and delves further into the surviving characters' struggles with acceptance, addiction, and love. It also avoids resolution--one of the best things a short story can have going for it. Similarly, Adam Desnoyers' "Bleed Blue in Indonesia" achieves this sort of befuddled mystery, reaching for an ever-widening expanse rather than closure. I should mention that this is Desnoyers' first published story, and as such, I give him a little leeway with his sometimes clumsy setting of a scene, knowing it will become taut with practice, God willing. Methinks there is something going on with Alice Munro's "Fathers" as well, but I have yet to metabolize it sufficiently...
Now then. The two stand-out hands-down amazing stories were Anthony Doerr's "The Shell Collector" and Denis Johnson's "Train Dreams." In Doerr's story, we find a wonderful lot of strongly-crafted sentences--all expressive, interesting, exotic and yet no-nonsense and necessary. What is more, this story is just plain gripping because the main character is an old blind man, a hermit turned unwilling miracle healer via his Ph.D. in malacology, living in a kibanda off of the Lamu Archipelago. As for Johnson's "Train Dreams," imagine an amalgamation of historical third-person narrative, some sleight magical realism, and a Native American animal-infused ghost story, and frame it smartly around the bygone logging days between the turn of the century and the end of the first World War. To that, Johnson loads the story with secondary tales that create a pleasing novel-like sense of things learned, while also complicating it, causing the reader to wonder what conclusions can be drawn--What would I want to happen?
If I could, I would give these last two stories five stars and the rest of the book two.
First off, this collection is remarkably spotty. For twenty stories, I only liked all of four or five of them. In fact, some I couldn't believe were even published--let alone worthy of being included in an O. Henry Prize compilation.
Still, Bradform Morrow's "Lush" is a uniquely arranged pairing of two stories intertwined by an automobile accident, though it cleverly skirts this all too obvious centerpiece and delves further into the surviving characters' struggles with acceptance, addiction, and love. It also avoids resolution--one of the best things a short story can have going for it. Similarly, Adam Desnoyers' "Bleed Blue in Indonesia" achieves this sort of befuddled mystery, reaching for an ever-widening expanse rather than closure. I should mention that this is Desnoyers' first published story, and as such, I give him a little leeway with his sometimes clumsy setting of a scene, knowing it will become taut with practice, God willing. Methinks there is something going on with Alice Munro's "Fathers" as well, but I have yet to metabolize it sufficiently...
Now then. The two stand-out hands-down amazing stories were Anthony Doerr's "The Shell Collector" and Denis Johnson's "Train Dreams." In Doerr's story, we find a wonderful lot of strongly-crafted sentences--all expressive, interesting, exotic and yet no-nonsense and necessary. What is more, this story is just plain gripping because the main character is an old blind man, a hermit turned unwilling miracle healer via his Ph.D. in malacology, living in a kibanda off of the Lamu Archipelago. As for Johnson's "Train Dreams," imagine an amalgamation of historical third-person narrative, some sleight magical realism, and a Native American animal-infused ghost story, and frame it smartly around the bygone logging days between the turn of the century and the end of the first World War. To that, Johnson loads the story with secondary tales that create a pleasing novel-like sense of things learned, while also complicating it, causing the reader to wonder what conclusions can be drawn--What would I want to happen?
If I could, I would give these last two stories five stars and the rest of the book two.
July 28, 2010
I was so excited to find this anthology of the 20 best short stories from 2003. Each year, a panel of authors reads over a thousand published short stories to pick the 20 best.
I enjoyed many of the short stories. I had two favorite, both G-rated, that I would recommend to anyone:
*God's Goodness, by Marjorie Kemper
Whether she's traveling in a boat to America or going to bed on an empty stomach, Ling prays to God and thanks him for his miracles in her life. When she takes a job caring for a terminally ill boy, she is certain that God will give him a miracle. 16 pages.
*The Story, by Edith Pearlman
I can't describe what this is about without giving it away. Edith Pearlman says it is a true story of heroic denial. She has spent many years trying to figure out how to tell the story, and in this story she finally does it, but reluctantly. Each piece of the story is slowly revealed. 6 pages.
Each of the authors was asked to write a brief (1-2 paragraph) commentary on their stories. I really enjoyed reading these.
Unfortunately, several of the stories were explicit: primarily in their language, occasionally sex and violence. I'd have to give this collection an R rating and I probably won't read any more of the O. Henry Prize Stories.
I enjoyed many of the short stories. I had two favorite, both G-rated, that I would recommend to anyone:
*God's Goodness, by Marjorie Kemper
Whether she's traveling in a boat to America or going to bed on an empty stomach, Ling prays to God and thanks him for his miracles in her life. When she takes a job caring for a terminally ill boy, she is certain that God will give him a miracle. 16 pages.
*The Story, by Edith Pearlman
I can't describe what this is about without giving it away. Edith Pearlman says it is a true story of heroic denial. She has spent many years trying to figure out how to tell the story, and in this story she finally does it, but reluctantly. Each piece of the story is slowly revealed. 6 pages.
Each of the authors was asked to write a brief (1-2 paragraph) commentary on their stories. I really enjoyed reading these.
Unfortunately, several of the stories were explicit: primarily in their language, occasionally sex and violence. I'd have to give this collection an R rating and I probably won't read any more of the O. Henry Prize Stories.
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September 12, 2011A must for short story lovers (like moi!). At the moment, I've read only one story, Tim Johnston's "Irish Girl". I'm still not used to the idea of short stories as "impressions" of life, i.e instead of having an obvious story curve, the author gives you a scene in life and lets it take of from there, regardless of whether is even makes a story or not. "Irish Girl" is not revolutionary. It was, by no means, a new story nor does it try to be one. It's more of a study of one family; an ordinary family, relatable in its mundaneness that you end up being emotionally attached to the story even if there isn't much of it. Strangely, it's the sort of intellectual fiction that matters because of the emotional ties it creates. Good for some light reading, I suppose.
I'm excited to read the others.
*Edit: I've recently just read AS Byatt The Thing in The Forest . This is the first time I've read Byatt and already I'm a fan. Set during WWII, the story follows two little girls in the Kinder Train who experiences that thing in the forest. Part nostalgic, part horror, all good to me.
I'm excited to read the others.
*Edit: I've recently just read AS Byatt The Thing in The Forest . This is the first time I've read Byatt and already I'm a fan. Set during WWII, the story follows two little girls in the Kinder Train who experiences that thing in the forest. Part nostalgic, part horror, all good to me.
July 5, 2007
I believe that O.Henry Award is a guarantee for amazing short stories.
I was stunned by 'Bleed Blue in Indonesia', written by Adam Desnoyer. A dark love story about the 'Big Unrequited Moment' i.e the idea that everybody has "something" that they wish they'd done in their past that would have made their lives drastically different. (Like what if I chose to work in Jakarta instead of become a dosen in Bandung).
If you want to know how a very short story (no more than 2 pages) can really impressed you, just read "Kissing" by William Kittredge.
Another outstanding story is written by Ann Harleman ("Meanwhile"). She use wide range of written expression. She have shown that a story not neccessarily consists of only paragraphs, sentences, and even words. One of the most innovative short stories I've ever read (The other are, so far, 'There some things he should keep to himself' by Dave Eggers and 'Godlob' by Danarto)
I was stunned by 'Bleed Blue in Indonesia', written by Adam Desnoyer. A dark love story about the 'Big Unrequited Moment' i.e the idea that everybody has "something" that they wish they'd done in their past that would have made their lives drastically different. (Like what if I chose to work in Jakarta instead of become a dosen in Bandung).
If you want to know how a very short story (no more than 2 pages) can really impressed you, just read "Kissing" by William Kittredge.
Another outstanding story is written by Ann Harleman ("Meanwhile"). She use wide range of written expression. She have shown that a story not neccessarily consists of only paragraphs, sentences, and even words. One of the most innovative short stories I've ever read (The other are, so far, 'There some things he should keep to himself' by Dave Eggers and 'Godlob' by Danarto)
March 5, 2010
These types of anthologies are usually hit and miss, and this one is no different. Amid the mediocrities and pleasantly readable stuff, though, are a handful of great stories by Denis Johnson, Alice Munro, A.S. Byatt, and Tim O'Brien, and a story by Adam Desnoyers called "Bleed Blue in Indonesia" that is so good it made me want to read everything by him immediately. Unfortunately, there isn't much. His story in this anthology was his first to be accepted for publication, and he has yet to publish a book in the seven years since this collection came out. I really hope that changes soon.
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August 7, 2011A wonderful collection of short stories that would definitely encourage me to read the other years' collections. Two or three I passed over, but that is to be expected with such a wide array of subjects and styles. Pieces like The Thing in the Forest, The Shell Collector, Irish Girl, and Train Dreams are as satisfying ...as novels while pieces such as God's Goodness and The American Embassy are glimpses into humanity as telling as a report from Frontline or On Point. This is literature not as entertainment, but as thought-provoking art.
January 10, 2008
Favorites:
The Shell Collector - Anthony Doerr
Burn Your Maps - Robyn Joy Leff
Lush - Bradford Morrow
God's Goodness - Marjorie Kemper
Bleed Blue in Indonesia - Adam Desnoyers
The Story - Edith Pearlman
Swept Away - T. Coraghessan Boyle
Meanwhile - Ann Harleman
The High Road - Joan Silber
Election Eve - Evan S. Connell
Irish Girl - Tim Johnston
What Went Wrong - Tim O'Brien
Two Words - Molly Giles
Fathers - Alice Munro
The Shell Collector - Anthony Doerr
Burn Your Maps - Robyn Joy Leff
Lush - Bradford Morrow
God's Goodness - Marjorie Kemper
Bleed Blue in Indonesia - Adam Desnoyers
The Story - Edith Pearlman
Swept Away - T. Coraghessan Boyle
Meanwhile - Ann Harleman
The High Road - Joan Silber
Election Eve - Evan S. Connell
Irish Girl - Tim Johnston
What Went Wrong - Tim O'Brien
Two Words - Molly Giles
Fathers - Alice Munro
January 8, 2012
I picked up this book because I wanted to read the novella, "Train Dreams"' about a man growing up and growing old in Idaho and this was a cheaper way to read it (0.99 paperback vs 9.99 Kindle for the novella) and it was fabulous. Unfortunately the rest of this collection (with some exceptions -- who doesn't love T.C. Boylle?) wasn't up to its level.
August 29, 2012
As a few others have mentioned, not every story here is a gem, though very few felt like time wasted. Here are a few specific stories I'd highly recommend:
“Lush” by Bradford Morrow
“Bleed Blue in Indonesia” by Adam Desnoyers
"Three Days. A Month. More." by Douglas Light
and definitely:
"Burn Your Maps" by Robyn Joy Leff.
“Lush” by Bradford Morrow
“Bleed Blue in Indonesia” by Adam Desnoyers
"Three Days. A Month. More." by Douglas Light
and definitely:
"Burn Your Maps" by Robyn Joy Leff.
April 24, 2008
It was a good read. My favorites were:
God's Goodness by Marjorie Kemper, Swept Away by TC Boyle and Lush by Bradford Morrow.
Like any collection with multiple authors, there will be good and there will be bad and you need to pick through and see what you like and what you don't.
God's Goodness by Marjorie Kemper, Swept Away by TC Boyle and Lush by Bradford Morrow.
Like any collection with multiple authors, there will be good and there will be bad and you need to pick through and see what you like and what you don't.
February 12, 2009
While I contend there's no such thing as a 'bad' O. Henry Prize story collection, this one is superb. My favorite story in here is definitely 'Election Eve,' which was always in the back of my mind during my political awakening in 2004.
December 1, 2011
Loved Marjorie Kemper, Tim Johnston, and Joan Silber's stories.
July 1, 2019
I've read enough of these collections to condemn the O. Henry stories as some of the worst. From the twenty, I only particularly enjoyed one: Marjorie Kemper's "God's Goodness," which is a wonderfully written tale of an immigrant who becomes a hospice care nurse to a dying young boy. The rest are what you'd typically expect (Byatt, T.C. Boyle, Munro, Denis Johnson, etc.), though the only two missing in a typical round-up like this would be Erdrich (who gets an honorable mention) and Joyce Carol Oates.
August 8, 2020
An all round satisfying collection. But one story which stands out from all the others is worth 5 stars on its own. Denis Johnson's 'Train Dreams' is the best story I have read in many years. Beautifully, sensitively told, it's a perfect example of how skilful use of language and narrative can bring you into a life, one completely unlike your own experience, and let you live it as you read.
October 10, 2022
Pretty dope - there were some real standouts here...it's always nice to really enjoy something and find out that it's the author's first published story. There's alot of stuff here by extablished giants like Denis Johnson and Alice Munro, but my faves were by people I had never heard of.
Highly Reccommended.
Highly Reccommended.
November 18, 2023
Checked this out from lib to try different genre (short stories) and time period (00s) from what I normally read. Some stories much stronger than others so was hard to maintain sustained interest, but was fine to pick at when I had time. Standouts for me were probably A.S. Byatt’s “The Thing in the Forest,” Bradford Morrow’s “Lush,” Chimamanda Adichie’s “The American Embassy.”
April 7, 2024
the shell collector by anthony doerr was super!! train dreams was good
but the other stories were skippable and forgettable. good book for reading on the train. glad i got this book for 2€ only so i could stuff it in my bag
but the other stories were skippable and forgettable. good book for reading on the train. glad i got this book for 2€ only so i could stuff it in my bag
May 27, 2025
1 or 2 of the inclusions didn't entirely resonate, but on balance this is a rich collection, a random find on my shelves that has inspired me to seek out this collection across the years of publication. I particularly liked The Shell Collector, Lush, The High Road, Irish Girl and Train Dreams.
April 12, 2018
I just love short stories. Some more than others, but a great selection.
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May 20, 2007This one made the list solely on the basis of Denis Johnson's "Train Dreams," definitely one of my five favorite short stories of all time.
Now that I look at the table of contents though, I think there are even more reasons to check out this anthology. "Fathers," "The American Embassy," "The Thing in the Forest," "The Shell Collector," "Burn your Maps," and "Sacred Statues" are also great. A good year for O'Henry.
Now that I look at the table of contents though, I think there are even more reasons to check out this anthology. "Fathers," "The American Embassy," "The Thing in the Forest," "The Shell Collector," "Burn your Maps," and "Sacred Statues" are also great. A good year for O'Henry.
July 18, 2007
Picked this book up because i read it had a great Denis Johnson story. And it -- "Train Dreams" -- was a great story, full of fascinating historical detail, american magickal realism, tall tale swagger, and humor, sadness and wisdom.
Right now I'm in the midst of reading what seems to be another great story by A.S. Byatt. Don't know about the rest of the stories yet, but based on these two stories, this book is worth it. IMHO.
Right now I'm in the midst of reading what seems to be another great story by A.S. Byatt. Don't know about the rest of the stories yet, but based on these two stories, this book is worth it. IMHO.
March 20, 2008
Pretty dope - there were some real standouts here...it's always nice to really enjoy something and find out that it's the author's first published story. There's alot of stuff here by extablished giants like Denis Johnson and Alice Munro, but my faves were by people I had never heard of.
Highly Reccommended.
Highly Reccommended.
December 26, 2007
I love these O. Henry prize winners books. They have always been my favorite. If you love short stories, or have limited time to get engrossed in a book, these are for you!
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June 30, 2010The O. Henry Prize Stories 2003 (Prize Stories (O Henry Awards)) by Laura Furman (2003)
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June 17, 2007Series design by John Gall
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