The Best American Short Stories 2006 (The Best American Series)
After 16 years as the series editor, Katrina Kenison takes her gracious and polished leave of this always interesting, often electrifying anthology. Ann Patchett's introduction provides a graceful entry into the main event--the stories. This year, although all stories were published in American magazines and journals, they are set all over North America, with a sprinkling in Europe and Asia as well. There are some extraordinary voices in this collection. Aleksander Hemon's "The Conductor," set in Bosnia and America, and Thomas McGuane's bittersweet "Cowboy" join a masterful narrative of immigration to Canada by Alice Munro, "The View from Castle Rock." In addition to the stories, the editors provide contributor notes; the author, title, and bibliographic information for 100 additional distinguished stories; and a listing of the editorial addresses of magazines publishing short stories. Good story anthologies are like chocolate assortments--many choices of flavor, texture, and density. This year's selected tales are flavor filled, literate, and textually^Bcomplex. As is characteristic of this series, the mix affords a heady treat for lovers of short fiction.Ellen LoughranCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.