The Best American Short Stories 1984 – The Book and the Contents

The physical condition of this volume of the BASS is quite good. It does appear that there was a previous owner who read some of the stories because of the crease marks along the spine. There is almost no wear on the book around the outside edges and there are only a couple of pages in the back of the book that have been accidentally dog eared – probably during shipping. The pages look tight and I won’t have a problem with this volume as I did with the last of having pages slide out on me.

Contents below.

The Best American Short Stories 1984 ed. John Updike & Shannon Ravenel (Houghton Mifflin, 1984)

xi Introduction John Updike

1 The Final Proof of Fate and Circumstance · Lee K. Abbott Georgia Review, 1983

13 The Naked Lady Madison Smartt Bell The Crescent Review, 1983

19 Unknown Feathers Dianne Benedict MSS, 1982

35 In the Red Room Paul Bowles Antæus, 1981

45 The Cure Mary Ward Brown Ascent, 1983

56 Gent Rick DeMarinis Cutbank, 1983

72 A Father’s Story Andre Dubus · nv, 1983

95 Lena · Mavis Gallant New Yorker Oct 31 ’83

106 Inexorable Progress Mary Hood Georgia Review, 1983

123 The Artificial Moonlight Donald Justice Antæus Spr/Sum ’83

140 Morrison’s Reaction Stephen Kirk Greensboro Review, 1983

150 Thorofare Susan Minot New Yorker Jun 27 ’83

161 Glimpse Into Another Country Wright Morris New Yorker Sep 26 ’83

177 Nairobi Joyce Carol Oates The Paris Review, 1983

184 Rosa Cynthia Ozick New Yorker Mar 21 ’83

223 The Cold Room Lowry Pei Stories, 1983

238 Things to Be Thrown Away Jonathan Penner The Yale Review Spr ’83

243 Bruins · Norman Rush New Yorker Apr 4 ’83

255 Foreign Shores · James Salter Esquire Sep ’83

271 Caddies’ Day · Jeanne Schinto Greensboro Review, 1983

The Best American Short Stories 1983 – Complete!

This was a tough one. I just did not have the will to push through the reading of these stories.

Honestly, I thought that this was a bland collection.

Tyler in her introduction said that this anthology “would almost bounce; it would almost shout”.

I’d have to strongly disagree with that statement.

Favorites and their authors -

Carolyn Chute - “Ollie, Oh...”

Joseph Epstein - The Count and the Princess

John Updike - Deaths of Distant Friends

The anthology introduced me to Chute which was pleasant. I like to see a writer like her appear and I look forward to reading more by her in future collections.

The inclusion of Updike, and knowing that he is the editor for the next collection pushed me towards starting research on him and taking on an excitement similar to that of how I felt when dealing with Gardner.

Now with the numbers – I really don’t feel like spending a minute more with this year.

Time to read the book and to finish posts about the collection:

1 month 18 days

which is

6 weeks and 6 days

which

48 days

and this works out to:

1 story every 2.4 days.

Gender profile of authors:

11 Female – 9 Male

And finally, there were 8 stories from authors that had their story originally appear in the New Yorker.

I spent too much time with this book, and I will be happy to place it back up on my bookshelf.

Addresses of American and Canadian Magazines

I've never made a post dealing with this section of the anthology because I never really paid much attention to it.

Searching for something to give me hint as to who the previous owner was, I scoured this book with extra care in an attempt to pick up any clues.

I mentioned in one of the first posts that I felt that this book sat on a book shelf for an extended period of time and that particular shelf had to be facing the sun due to the discoloration of the book spine.

I wonder how this book found its way off that shelf where it sat for years and to a deal who then sold it to me.

So, as the picture above shows, the previous owner of this book made notations next to many magazines throughout the listings.

Were these magazines that manuscripts were sent to? Were they magazines that the owner subscribed to? It could be anything really.

But someone did take the time to make these marks, and I like to think that someone spent a good deal of time considering where to place those marks.

Firstborn – Larry Woiwode

Larry Woiwode - October 30, 1941

Another appearance by Mr. Woiwode.

Shit man...I didn’t need to read this story with a pregnant wife and my firstborn on the way.

I try not to draw connections between an invisible hand presenting these stories to me at certain times... because of times...well...like this.

I do not need to read about difficulties in pregnancy and the loss of a child during childbirth.

And, I do not need to read the above from an author that does it with such skill.

Damn, he’s good.

I mean, he had me really reading at a nice little clip.

I know that it is normal for couples to be nervous about their unborn child, and it seems that with all the advancements in technology, the parents are made even more nervous about the health of their child months before the baby is even born.

All sorts of test for various diseases that my mother, and M’s mother, never had to deal with... but it still does not take away from the fact that they worried about the baby growing inside of them.

I have thoughts that I am reading all of these stories in these collections and in magazines so that I will be prepared for the events that I am soon to face. Events that could be similar to what I am reading.

Will M have a difficult time during labor? Will our child be normal? Will the delivery be smooth?

I suppose that I am extra sensitive to these things just because at this time in my life I am in a position where these things are at least a possibility.

How would I have digested this story, if for example, I had read it 15 years ago in college?

I doubt that it would have had the same emotional impact that it does now.

Shit – I just can’t help but think that I am being prepared for something.

I hate this feeling.

Please...please...please let everything be OK.