I must confess, as much as I love British writers, the ones that I always come back to are American. America really has dominated modern English literature – not just in the pulp fiction arena but in serious literature as well. From the moment that America found its voice in the world of writing, it has had an incredibly significant presence. This list looks at ten of the masters of the short story genre from the USA.
The author of “Fight Club” is not necessarily known as a “Short Story Writer,” however Palahniuk is a believer in the Ray Bradbury ritual of writing a short story every day. Many of his stories have ended up in his novels without the reader realizing they were originally independent tales. In one novel “haunted” he used a short story about a writers convention to bridge together 23 different short stories. This book features his infamous story “Guts” which has caused several people to faint when read aloud at book signings.
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle”, both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works include biographies of George Washington, Oliver Goldsmith and Muhammad, and several histories of 15th-century Spain dealing with subjects such as Christopher Columbus, the Moors, and the Alhambra.
Asimov is certainly one of the most prolific writers in the English language. He is known for many different works from his series “Foundation”, and “Fantastic Voyage”, to text books and everything in-between. He is primarily known as a science fiction writer, however he is one of the few people to have their writing span every major category of the Dewy Decimal System except Philosophy. He wrote an estimated 515 books in his lifetime. As far as writing short stories goes, he has 3 well known stories. “I, Robot”, “The Bicentennial Man”, and “The Last Question.” The first two have been turned into movies. He wrote 19 Short Story collections, spanning a total of 284.
Bradbury is a very well known Science Fiction writer. He is famous for writing a short story every day, a ritual that many other writers have attempted to follow. He has written 11 novels, 3 of which are made up of loosely connected stories, and over 40 short story collections, for a grand total of over 400 short stories and novellas. But it’s not just quantity that earns him a place on this list. His best known short story “A Sound of Thunder”, is the origin of a common science fiction theme called “the butterfly effect”, it is also the most republished science fiction story of all time.
King is one of the most popular authors in America, and a very prolific writer as well. He is a huge fan of the short story. “1408″, “The Mist”, and “Hearts in Atlantis” are just a few of the 35 short stories he wrote that have been made into movies, though perhaps the most famous is “Stand By Me”. He has written 8 story collections and a total of 124 short stories and 17 Novellas in his career. He was also selected to be the editor of The Best American Short Stories of 2007, and also won the O. Henry Award in 1996.
Salinger is known for his novel “Catcher in the Rye”, this is actually his only published novel. A very eccentric writer, he has written a great deal of material in his life, but much of it has never been seen by any one but him. He has 3 other books available to the public. “Nine Stories”, “Frannie and Zoey”, and “Raise High the Roof Beams, Carpenters and Seymour an Introduction”. All 3 of these books are short story collections. He also has about 2 dozen other uncollected short stories. Salinger is considered by many to be the greatest American writer of the 20th century.
Real name William Sydney Porter. O. Henry is known for writing flash fiction with wit and a strange twist ending. His most well known story is “The Gift of the Magi” which is a story about a young poor couple who each sells their most precious object in order to buy a Christmas gift for their partner, but in doing so they end up making each others gift worthless. This story has been retold in many different forms over the years. The O. Henry Award was established in his honor, it is a very prestigious award given to outstanding short story writers. Two writers on this list have won this award.
Updike was an extremely gifted short story writer, he published over 150 short stories in his career, his last collection “Tears of my Father” was published in June 2009, about 6 months after his death. He has also won over 30 different awards in his lifetime including: the Pulitzer, the Rea Award, the PEN/Falkner award, and the aforementioned O. Henry Award to name a few.
F. Scott Fitzgerald was an American writer of novels and short stories, whose works are evocative of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the twentieth century’s greatest writers. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the “Lost Generation” of the Twenties. He finished four novels, including The Great Gatsby, with another published posthumously, and wrote dozens of short stories that treat themes of youth and promise along with despair and age. If you want a recommendation for his greatest two short stories, I suggest reading “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” and “The Diamond As Big As The Ritz”. You won’t be disappointed.
Poe is probably the most famous English short story writer of all time. Poe only wrote one complete novel in his lifetime, and it is not very well known, however his short stories are. Most people can tell you the story of “The Tell Tale Heart”, “The Masque of the Red Death,” or “The Pit and the Pendulum”. Poe has over 65 short stories to his name. Poe is also considered to have invented the detective genre.
My list: Poe, Melville, Hemingway, Twain, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, O’Hara, O’Connor, London, Bierce.
Honorable mention: Thurber, Lardner, Runyon, Parker.
No Lovecraft? For shaaaame.
Kane92 – No one said American writers are the best ever. The author just said that in **modern** English literature, Americans have been more notable (which is not an inconceivable notion, since America is considerably more populated, ergo produces more writers).
Well, the lack of Philip K. Dick on this list AND in the comments makes me sad!
One of the greatest Sci-fi authors ever:
36 novels and 121 short stories, many which have been made into films: Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, Paycheck…… Even though he wrote in almost near poverty.
What? No female writers?
I am a huge Poe fan, love his short stories. Fitzgerald is really an interesting read too. I have read something from all of the above authors myself, but those two are my favorites.
Flannery O’Connor is THE greatest American short story writer. Her omission is ridiculous.
Another really under-rated short story writer is Kurt Vonnegut. Welcome To The Monkey House is an absolutely brilliant collection of stories.
F. Scott Fitzgerald is nothing compared to the others. He wasn’t even considered great until two college professors wrote a study on him, and ever sense every high school student has been subjected to his overrated book “The Great Gatsby”. After High School english class he isn’t mentioned much in literary circles at least ones with depth.
Almost Forgot. Contradiction?
http://listverse.com/2009/02/09/top-10-most-overrated-novels/
53 SallySweet
July 30th, 2009 at 6:47 am
“Guts” doesn’t need that apostrophe. Just remembering reading that makes me twitchy. It’s a good read, but definitely gross.
So what’s this story about? And why would it make me faint? Nothing makes me faint. Is he just grossing you out to get attention or can the guy actually write?
Is it like splatterpunk gross?
Wonderful list. I am a huge fan of short stories.
Perhaps some other enthusiast reading this list can help me with something I’ve been looking for for years. It was a story I read in the mid-nineties as part of a high school english curriculum. If I could just find the title or author I would be so happy.
This is what I remember of the story:
A middle-aged southern woman (it is from her point of view) and her husband are in the waiting room of a medical office. There are several people there, including an unhappy-looking teenage girl. As the people in the room chat, the conversation becomes more and more racist, with the girl staring at the woman more and more angry. Her husband jokes that when blacks move north and breed with white people, the result is “white-faced n*****s.” Everyone laughs except the girl. Eventually the woman makes some remark that so enrages the girl that she assaults the woman, calling her something like an “evil hog.” The woman is deeply shaken and confused, and when she gets back to her farm she tells her black workers what happened, they rush to comfort her. Even as they assure her that she is a good woman, she despises them and thinks they are being shifty. She walks out into a field alone and demands of God, “how am I an evil hog?”. She then has an epiphany about her immoral attitudes.
whew. Sorry to make such a long post, but I am really quite desperate to find this story again. If anyone could help me out I would be forever grateful.
Lame list. Carver, O’Connor, Cheever are glaring omissions. Obviously composed by a genre fiction fan.
130 – The story you are thinking of is “Revelation” by Flannery O’Connor, who should have been included on this list. One of the greatest American short story writers to ever live. I also second the people who said Hemingway and Carver deserved spots, although I do like th writers who were included.
is that what J.D. Salinger looks like.
Also, consider reading some Amy Hempel (one of Chuck Palahniuk’s favorite writers). Most of her stories are only a couple of pages long, but it’s because she occasionally says more in a sentence than some writers do in a chapter.
NO Robert Matheson?? Absurd.
I just googled “Guts” by Chuck Palahniuk. found it easily enough.
and you know what?
not as gross as you all say. but i also have been reading Stephen King novels since i was 10…my unsuspecting parents not even bothering to recognize the content of the paperbacks i was reading. if they only knew…
but after living in Florida for 13 years, and hearing of children actually getting their intestines sucked out by jacuzzi pumps on the Channel 7 shock news (which borders on the b***** imagery of Latin news reports, complete with images of human bodies covered in yellow tarps nightly, bloody victims of crime, and much, much worse); hearing stories my medical intern friends tell of emergency room visits and the amazing things without flanges people stick into any & all body orifices (my favorite story was the woman with a colostomy site that lost a racquetball in the opening because her husband wanted to stretch out the surgical opening to…well…you know), to having been a fan of *****ography for over 17 years, well…
very little grosses me out. i could tell you all exactly what does make retch, for such things DO exist…and in great, poetic detail…
but a story about horny teenage boys finding new ways to whack off? no…not hardly gross at all…just painfully sad…
rtr
H.P. Lovecraft?
Palahniuk is good. Guts is just one story from the book Haunted (I have the one with the scary glow-in-the dark cover)The other short stories in the book are good, too.
Him, King, and Poe have to be my favorite authors~~
Flannery O’Connor, Mark Twain, Kate Chopin, Hemingway, Shirley Jackson – where are they?
Stephen King? He’s fun, but hardly great literature.
Can’t believe you left out Henry James. He is of course less famous than these others, but “The Turn of the Screw” is at least well known.
J.G Ballard.
132 sakurakiss–thank you so much.
Good list. My husband convinced me to read “Guts” in an issue of Playboy years ago. I must say that it was imaginative. I love short stories because they cater to my undiagnosed Adult ADD!! I still love a great novel, but short stories give me a quick and satisfying fix. In fact, is there a list of great short stories? I’m in a reading mood… gone to check the archives!
So glad to see Asimov on the list. Seriously you must read The Last Question, the ending will stick with you forever. Don’t have time to look for the link now, but it’s on the internet somewhere and totally worth the time to find it.
Good list. I wouldn’t have put Salinger in myself–his reputation grows the longer he doesn’t write, it seems.
As was mentioned above, Ernest Hemingway should be there (certainly instead of Salinger, and perhaps instead of Scott Fitzgerald who lifted story ideas and plots from his wife’s writings). No Edith Wharton or Katherine Anne Porter? Carver? Chekhov? Flannery O’Connor? Alice Munro? Margaret Atwood? Borges?
Maybe a longer list might have been better.
Stephen King… Short story… I was like what.. those aren’t short stories .. for example “it” is in two books
some asimovs that I love but have not been mentioned:
Kid Stuff
Nightfall
The Ugly Little Boy
@samfishers (146): Huh?
I do not have any issues with this list, but I thought I would find Jeffery Archer somewhere there. I think he is one of the best story tellers of our times. People will remember him once he is no more the way they have done with Michael Jackson. And that I think is just no good.
Great list as always but no hp lovercraft???
This list was alright. Although a list of best terrible movies would be a good one. I hear The Room is so bad it’s amazing.
I dig the list. I think you should go ahead and make it a top thirteen and add Flannery O’Conner, Raymond Carver, and Tobias Wolff. But, I guess that would go against the whole “ultimate top 10″ thing.
Edgar Allen Poe. Cask of Amontillado.
That is all.
Like many others, I am shocked Flannery O’Connor isn’t on the list! Her name was the first I thought of when I saw “American short story writers.” Also, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote some great short stories (“My Kinsmen, Major Molineux,” “The Minister’s Black Veil,” and “Young Goodman Brown,” just to name a few). And what about Charles Chesnutt? William Faulkner? Jessie Fauset? Mark Twain? Nella Larsen?
Ok. One more time. Amy hempel. I can’t believe there is only one other person reading this list who has heard of her or even read her work. Oh and ringtailroxy, I think I am in love with you.
What? No Stephen Crane?
Cm’aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhn
john cheever and donald barthelme could also be considered
i love palahniuk… and his sweet sweet mutton chops.
i was expecting vonnegut to be on here, maybe my brain is messed up. i thought he was american… regardless, he still rocks my world.
Damon Runyon! Second only to my favorite O. Henry!
Donald Barthelme?
How can you include Asimov and not Barthelme, or even George Saunders. What about John Cheever, Raymond Carver?
What about the really great American Short story writers?
To begin with Chuck is not really a short story writer. Same as Updike, they are novelists that write short stories.
Seems more like a bad excuse to put PKR ads up to me.
Not a single woman writer in the list.
Asimov and King would be my 2 favourites on this list. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Twitch. Twitch.
HEINLEIN!
@msulli22 (52): Thank you a little.
Truman Capote really was a short story writer.
@chronic (155): with a name like chronic, i’d love you too!
how, o how, could i have forgotten H.P. Lovecraft? my entire junior summer of high school i spent reading his works…a bizarre little kitty was he…
as a matter of fact, i just went upstairs to my office, and grabbed my 2 paperback books of Lovecraft…one of which i blatantly STOLE from the school library that i went to summer school at…”The DreamQuest of the Unknown Kadath”
best Lovecraft shirt stories ever:
“The White Ship”
“The Strange High House in the Mist”
“The Outsider”
there where 2 other stories which i greatly enjoyed, but have forgotten the name of…
one was about a quiet seaside town that was slowly becoming inhabited by fish/humanoids…
the other was about an unattractive young man finding out the real reason for his appearance, that of his parents being, well, human & ape…
rtr
oh-thanks to my dark friend Olga, who sent me this wonderful link! http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/
Fitzgerald makes it but no Hemingway? I’ve always thought that F. Scott wrote better novels, and Hemingway excelled at his short stories.
Trying to remember a short story I read probably 25 years ago. I think it involved Navy officers. And one of them, Mr. ????, the protagonist, was not disliked, but did come off as a bit of a “know it all”.
During the course of conversation he claimed to know much about pearls, and remarked to another officer how much he admired the strand around his wife’s neck. The other officer scoffed and stated that the strand was a dime store purchase, and brought his wife over for closer inspection. As Mr. ??? started to examine the strand, he noticed the terrified look in the young lady’s eyes. Realizing the pearls were a gift from another man, he swallowed his pride and declared that he had been mistaken.
Anyone?
Thanks.
I think we can all agree that there are too many great short-storyists to pick only ten. Names that should be among these here are: Hemingway, Carver, Flannery O’Conner, Faulkner, Joyce Carol Oats, Stephen Crane, Tobias Wolf, Denis Johnson (I’ve never done drugs, but I felt stoned after reading “Emergency”), Edward P. Jones, and the list goes on….
xtopherp – actually, you named the story yourself in your posting. It is a Somerset Maugham story called “Mr Know-It-All”.
One of many superb stories by the great writer.
I thought I would find Jeffery Archer somewhere there. I think he is one of the best story tellers of our times.
ullas sharma – Archer is English, not American. And he is, at best, a hack (entertaining, I grant you…but, a hack).
People will remember him once he is no more the way they have done with Michael Jackson.
Words fail me…
Mabel, http://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/features/shorts/guts read it for yourself. I think it makes people uncomfortable because they can imagine what’s happening in the story to happen to them.
Fitzgerald and not Faulkner or Hemingway?!? F. Scott Fitzgerald was an overrated windbag. And if you are going to bring up the Lost Generation, how on Earth could you not mention Hemingway?
@kiwiboi (169):
Thanks kiwiboi! I had gotten some of the details wrong in my recollection, but that made the re-reading all the more satisfying.
1. Edgar Allan Poe
2. Chuck Palahniuk
3. Stephen King
my favourite writers ever!
No John Steinbeck?!
Where’s Mark Twain?
Having Stephen King on this list is an insult to writers everywhere. He is a plagerist! Secondly, where are Shirley Jackson, Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Flannery O’Connor – people who actually deserve to be on this list?
The crappiest nonsense of the year (with respect to the part about Stephen King)
Where are the women on this list? How about Shirley Jackson? Flannery O’Connor, Joyce Carol Oates?
Ok, I just realized that I said what everyone else was saying. I enjoy King’s work, and I think he’s an underrated writer who ought to be taken seriously. BUT–
I think you have been deservedly called out by these comments, sir. How can you justify creating a list full of white male writers, heavy on the genre fiction–Asimov, Bradbury, AND King?–while ignoring equally valid works by women and/or other ethnic groups??
One guy we all forgot to mention is Bret Harte. If we want to throw in genre fiction writers, how about Ellery Queen?