Best Short Story Collections Everyone Should Read
If you are on the lookout for great storytelling but don’t want to commit to a full-length novel, then short story collections are the answer. Here we have gathered four of the best short stories and collections, from all sorts of backgrounds and sources, to help you grow your“To Be Read”pile.
Runaway by Alice Munro
This award-winning collection features eight stories by the Canadian author Alice Munro. With straightforward and accessible prose(散文),Munro tells stories of women and their relationships——with strong themes of love, friendship, and motherhood, among others. The idea of running away is another theme found throughout these stories.
The Complete Stories by Flannel O’Connor
Published in 1972,The Complete Stories actually won the National Book Award that same year. This collection includes 31 stories, twelve of which had never been included in any of O’Connor’s previous collections. They are told from the perspective of characters from the American South, as they deal with social issues like racism, gender roles, and more.
The Refugees by Vied Thanh Nguyen
From Thanh Nguyen comes this Pulitzer Prize winning collection of eight short stories that are all about Vietnamese refugees(难民)who have moved to the US. However,instead of describing the hardships of their trips, Nguyen focuses on the lives they’ve established in their new country. Each story demonstrates a unique immigrant experience as characters move between cultures, countries, relationships, memories, and emotions.
Flowers for Alger-non by Daniel Keys
This classic short story is about the journals of Charlie Gordon, a cleaner with an IQ of 68. Charlie’s luck changes when he is selected for an experiment that purports to turn him into a genius——but everything that goes up must come down in the end.Flowers for Alger-non won the Hugo Award in 1960 for its groundbreaking presentation. Heartbreaking and rich with subtle poignancy,it is likely to remain a staple for centuries to come.
1. Whose collection should you choose if you are interested in the topic on racial discrimination?
A.Alice Munro. | B.Flannery O’Connor. |
C.Daniel Keys. | D.Vied Thanh Nguyen. |
2. What do we know about The Refugees?
A.Its eight stories share the same characters. |
B.It focuses on women and their relationships. |
C.It is about the Vietnamese immigrants’ lives in the US. |
D.It mainly describes the hardships of Vietnamese refugees’ trips. |
3. What do these short stories and collections have in common?
A.They consist of eight stories. |
B.They have won certain award. |
C.They are told from an immigrant’s perspective. |
D.They demonstrate the hardships of Canadian authors. |