Prize Stories 2001: The O. Henry Awards (The O. Henry Prize Collection)

The seventeen stories in this collection evidence that good writing in North America has not been forgotten. The story that I most enjoyed was David Schickler's enchanting "The Smoker" with its character evolvement and startling twist. The first prize winner, Mary Swan's "The Deep" holds magnificent writing that presents images that will remain with you for days. Stories of humor and fantasy are represented by Pinckney Benedict's "Zog-19: A Scientific Romance" and George Saunders's "Pastoralia". Alice Munro, T.C. Boyle, Joyce Carol Oates, Antonya Nelson, and Ron Carlson maintain their renown with their short fiction in this collection.

Unlike many volumes claiming to have the best short stories of the year, this one may actually be able to claim it. Of the 17 stories here, only three weren't very good (unfortunately the first prize my Mary Swan is one of those three). The rest were good, and there were three that stood out as phenomenal: T. Coraghessan Boyle's story of a young couple throwing their child away; Joyce Carol Oates's story of abduction, rape, and abuse; and David Schickler's story "The Smoker" which is so bizarre and so good that I will pick up his first collection of stories, which this one is included in. Most of the stories in this anthology are of a darker nature, but they are also very well written.

Since I live in NYC and most of my read time is on the subway, i prefer to read anthologies. This is the first in a long time that i have enjoyed all the stories for various reasons. Especially David Schickler's "the Smoker." (I was so engaged in this story, i ordered his current book). The stories in this book are well written with likeable characters. And there are also some surprises in store.

Outstanding collection. Best collection of its type I've read in recent months.