PEN/ O. Henry Prize Stories 2009
(Pen/O. Henry Prize Stories)
Booklist And Kirkus Reviews
A collection of the twenty best contemporary short stories selected by
series editor Laura Furman from hundreds of literary magazines, The PEN/
O. Henry Prize Stories 2009 features unforgettable tales in settings as
diverse as post-war Vietnam, a luxurious seaside development in Cape
Town, an Egyptian desert village, and a permanently darkened New York
City. Also included are essays from the eminent jurors on their favorite
stories, observations from the winners on what inspired them, and an
extensive resource list of magazines.
Personal Review: PEN/ O. Henry Prize Stories 2009 (Pen/O.
Henry Prize Stories)
BOOKLIST REVIEW
The PEN/O.Henry Prize Stories, 2009
Furman, Laura (Editor) May 2009. 464 p. Anchor, paperback, $15.00.
(978030780350).

The 90th anniversary edition of this prestigious collection is a must-read for
both aspiring writers and devoted short story readers. Selected from
among short stories originally written in English and published in an
American or Canadian periodical during the past year, this year's
prizewinners reflect the increasingly robust, diverse, and international
flavor of the genre in general. While familiar literary stalwarts like Paul
Theroux ("Twenty-two Stories"), Nadine Gordimer ("A Beneficiary"),
Graham Joyce (An Ordinary Soldier of the Queen"), and John Burnside
("The Bell Ringer") are included, the collection is distinguished, as always,
by an array of fresh-voiced newcomers such as Caitlin Horrocks ("This Is
Not Your City"), L.E. Miller ("Kind"), Manuel Munoz ("Tell Him about
Brother John"),and Mohan Sikka ("Uncle Musto Takes a Mistress"). Most
illuminating are the authors' own reflections on their stories and incisive
essays by jurors A.S. Byatt, Anthony Doerr, and Tim O'Brien on their
favorites.
--Margaret Flanagan
KIRKUS REVIEW (March 15, 2009)
Furman, Laura-Ed.THE PEN/O. HENRY PRIZE STORIES 2009
The 90th-anniversary edition of the annual prize awarded in recognition of
short stories published in the United States and Canada.Time was, and not
so long ago, that the story writers had to be American or Canadian, but the
prize has since opened to those writing in English elsewhere. The present
collection is broadly multicultural, with a particularly strong showing by
Asian and Asian American writers such as Ha Jin, who turns in a smart,
fugitive piece about the sex trade; Mohan Sikka, who traverses from light
family comedy to bittersweet drama; and Paul Yoon and Viet Dinh, who
write, respectively, about the wars in Korea and Vietnam. Indeed, perhaps
as a marker of the zeitgeist, many of the pieces touch on war. The
strongest of them, selected by two of the three volume judges, Tim O'Brien
and A.S. Byatt, opens the book; written by the British novelist Graham
Joyce, "An Ordinary Soldier of the Queen" is an attention-getting but never
showy blend of rigorous military realism with fantasy--but fantasy of the
darkest sort. Says the narrator of that story, who has been to the
Falklands, Bosnia and now the Persian Gulf: "War is normal. That's why
it's a paid job...You don't argue with the Queen. You form up. Move out.
Press on." So it is, and with memorable results. None of the other pieces in
the book quite matches the power of "Ordinary Soldier," which Byatt likens
to the work of Rudyard Kipling. There is a pleasing mix of familiar and
emerging voices, with particularly strong showings by the stately Nadine
Gordimer and Junot Díaz and, among the latter group of writers, a
sensitive piece by Manuel Muñoz on belonging and longing.A solid
collection of interest to general readers but especially to aspiring short-
story writers, thanks to the judges' end-of-book notes on their choices.
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