The Best American Short Stories 1985
| Editor | Gail Godwin and Shannon Ravenel |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | The Best American Short Stories |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| ISBN | 978-0395390580 |
| Preceded by | The Best American Short Stories 1984 |
| Followed by | The Best American Short Stories 1986 |
The Best American Short Stories 1985, a volume in The Best American Short Stories series, was edited by Shannon Ravenel and by guest editor Gail Godwin. The volume was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.[1][2]
Background
The series is considered one of the two "best-known annual anthologies of short fiction"[3] and has anthologized more than 2,000 short stories, including works by some of the most famous writers in contemporary American literature, curated by well-known guest editors since 1915.[4] In particular, the Willa Cather Review wrote that The Best American Short Stories series "became a repository of values" for creative writing programs and literary magazines, specifically with considerable "influence" in college libraries, short fiction courses, and fiction workshops.[5]
Critical reception
Kirkus Reviews stated that "nothing dramatically robs you of breath in this year's selection" but noted the prestige of the names included in this year's line-up. They particularly liked "Sarah Cole: A Type of Love Story" by Russell Banks as the "Best of the realism" and lauded Michael Bishop's "Dog Lives" as the "most artful" of the "academic fiction."[6]
Amy Hempel, writing for Los Angeles Times, found some entries weak, such as E. L. Doctorow, Joyce Carol Oates, and Banks' stories, while lauding Beth Nugent's "City of Boys" and Sharon Sheehe Stark's "The Johnstown Polka."[7]
Short stories included
| Author | Story | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Russell Banks | "Sarah Cole: A Type of Love Story" | The Missouri Review |
| Michael Bishop | "Dogs' Lives" | The Missouri Review |
| Ethan Canin | "Emperor of the Air" | The Atlantic Monthly |
| E. L. Doctorow | "The Leather Man" | The Paris Review |
| Margaret Edwards | "Roses" | Virginia Quarterly Review |
| Starkey Flythe | "Walking, Walking" | Northwest Review |
| H. E. Francis | "The Sudden Trees" | Prairie Schooner |
| Bev Jafek | "You've Come a Long Way, Mickey Mouse" | Columbia |
| John L'Heureux | "Clothing" | Tendril |
| Peter Meinke | "The Piano Tuner" | Atlantic Monthly |
| Wright Morris | "Fellow-Creatures" | The New Yorker |
| Bharati Mukherjee | "Angela" | Mother Jones |
| Beth Nugent | "City of Boys" | North American Review |
| Joyce Carol Oates | "Raven's Wing" | Esquire |
| Norman Rush | "Instruments of Seduction" | The Paris Review |
| Deborah Seabrooke | "Secrets" | Virginia Quarterly Review |
| Marjorie Sandor | "The Gittel" | The Georgia Review |
| Jane Smiley | "Lily" | The Atlantic Monthly |
| Sharon Sheehe Stark | "The Johnstown Polka" | West Branch |
| Joy Williams | "The Skater" | Esquire |
References
- ^ Ravenel, Shannon and Godwin, Gail (1985). The Best American Short Stories 1985. Houghton Mifflin (published October 1, 1985). ISBN 978-0395390580.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Miller, Laura (2024-06-29). "The Fall". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ "Short and Sweet" by Mark Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 11/05/99, issue 511, page 73.
- ^ "The Best American Short Stories of the Century," Publishers Weekly, 3/8/1999, volume 246, issue 10, page 47.
- ^ "'Long-Cellared Wine': 'Double Birthday,' Edward J. H. O'Brien, and the Best American Short Stories Series" by Timothy W. Bintrim and Scott Riner, Willa Cather Review, spring 2023, volume 64, issue 1, page 18.
- ^ THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES, 1985 | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ Hempel, Amy (1986-02-09). "The Best American Short Stories 1985 : edited by Gail Godwin with Shannon Ravenel (Houghton Mifflin; $14.95, hardcover; $8.95, paperback; 300 pp.)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-04-08.