This anthology celebrates twelve such moments of discovery, and is the first volume of an annual collection--launched alongside PEN's new Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers--that recognizes outstanding fiction debuts published in North America. The dozen winning stories included here--selected this year by judges Kelly Link, Marie-Helene Bertino, and Nina McConigley--take place in South Carolina and in South Korea, on a farm in the eighteenth century and among the cubicles of a computer-engineering firm in the present day. They narrate ancient themes with current urgency: migration, memory, technology, language, love, ecology, identity, family. Together they act as a compass for contemporary literature; they tell us where we're going. Each work comes with an introduction by the editor who originally published it, explaining why he or she chose it. The commentaries provide insight into a process that often remains opaque to readers and aspiring writers, and offer a chance to showcase the vital work literary magazines do to nurture our boldest and most exciting new voices.

    Annie Proulx’s Accordion Crimes is a masterpiece of storytelling that spans a century and a continent. Proulx brings the immigrant experience in America to life through the eyes of the descendants of Mexicans, Poles, Africans, Irish-Scots, Franco-Canadians and many others, all linked by their successive ownership of a simple green accordion. The music they make is their last link with the past—voice for their fantasies, sorrows and exuberance. Proulx’s prodigious knowledge, unforgettable characters and radiant language make Accordion Crimes a stunning novel, exhilarating in its scope and originality.

    A man who loves to bowl rolls a perfect game--and then another and then another and then many more in a row until he winds up ESPN's newest celebrity, and he must decide if the combination of perfection and celebrity has ruined the thing he loves. An eccentric billionaire and his faithful executive assistant venture into America looking for acquisitions and discover a down and out motel, romance, and a bit of real life. These are just some of the tales Tom Hanks tells in this first collection of his short stories. They are surprising, intelligent, heartwarming, and, for the millions and millions of Tom Hanks fans, an absolute must-have!

    Magpies whisper to lonely drivers late at night. Trees can make wishes come true - provided you know how to wish properly first. Houses creak, fill with water and keep a fretful watch on their inhabitants, straightening shower curtains and worrying about frayed carpets. A teenager's growing pains are sometimes even bigger than him. And, on a windy beach, a small boy and his grandmother keep despair at bay with an old white door. In these stories, Cornish folklore slips into everyday life. Hopes, regrets and memories are entangled with catfish, wrecker's lamps, standing stones and baying hounds, and relationships wax and wane in the glow of a moonlit sea. This luminous, startling and utterly spellbinding debut collection introduces in Lucy Wood a spectacular new voice in contemporary British fiction. Lucy Wood has a Master's degree in Creative Writing from Exeter University. She grew up in Cornwall. Diving Belles is her first work.

    Featuring a gallery of ghostly characters, forbidding landscapes, gloomy country manors, and occult occurrences, this spine-tingling collection features works by such masters of the macabre as Bram Stoker (the creator of Dracula), J. S. LeFanu, Ambrose Bierce, and M. R. James.The ten classics included in this volume are: "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs, E. G. Swain's "Bone to His Bone," "The Rose Garden" by M. R. James, Dickens's "To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt," LeFanu's "Dickon the Devil," Stoker's "The Judge's Salt," "The Moonlit Road" by Ambrose Bierce, Amelia B. Edwards's "The Phantom Coach," "A Ghost Story" by Jerome K. Jerome, and E. F. Benson's "The Confession of Charles Linkworth."

    Across thirteen stories, this collection explores the thin border between magic and grief.

    But using her wit and guile, she begins a sequence of stories that will last 1001 nights: stories of 'ifrits and money-changers, prices and slave girls, fishermen and queens, and magical gardens of paradise. This volume also includes the well-known tale of 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'.Along with this landmark new translation, Robert Irwin's introduction discusses the many cultures The Arabian Nights has drawn on and the elaborate structure of the story-within-a-story that defines the collection, as well as the importance to the Nights of locked doors, sex, and the recurring themes of money, merchants and debts. This edition also contains suggestions for further reading, a glossary, maps and a chronology.

    Here are thirty-eight brief, brilliant flashes of fiction, both classic and contemporary. Each work is superb, intense, and speaks to the human condition in a profound, often provocative way–a truly outstanding collection by some of the worlds greatest authors.

    It’s how so many of our most beloved stories start.Fairy tales have dominated our cultural imagination for centuries. From the Brothers Grimm to the Countess d’Aulnoy, from Charles Perrault to Hans Christian Anderson, storytellers have crafted all sorts of tales that have always found a place in our hearts.Now a new generation of storytellers have taken up the mantle that the masters created and shaped their stories into something startling and electrifying.Packed with award-winning authors, this anthology explores an array of fairy tales in startling and innovative ways, in genres and settings both traditional and unusual, including science fiction, western, and post-apocalyptic as well as traditional fantasy and contemporary horror.From the woods to the stars, The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales takes readers on a journey at once unexpected and familiar, as a diverse group of writers explore some of our most beloved tales in new ways across genres and styles.

    Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics:All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.Virtually unknown during his lifetime, Franz Kafka is now one of the world’s most widely read and discussed authors. His nightmarish novels and short stories have come to symbolize modern man’s anxiety and alienation in a bizarre, hostile, and dehumanized world. This vision is most fully realized in Kafka’s masterpiece, “The Metamorphosis,” a story that is both harrowing and amusing, and a landmark of modern literature. Bringing together some of Kafka’s finest work, this collection demonstrates the richness and variety of the author’s artistry. “The Judgment,” which Kafka considered to be his decisive breakthrough, and “The Stoker,” which became the first chapter of his novel Amerika, are here included. These two, along with “The Metamorphosis,” form a suite of stories Kafka referred to as “The Sons,” and they collectively present a devastating portrait of the modern family.Also included are “In the Penal Colony,” a story of a torture machine and its operators and victims, and “A Hunger Artist,” about the absurdity of an artist trying to communicate with a misunderstanding public. Kafka’s lucid, succinct writing chronicles the labyrinthine complexities, the futility-laden horror, and the stifling oppressiveness that permeate his vision of modern life.Jason Baker is a writer of short stories living in Brooklyn, New York.

    Some are darkly humorous—from two mothers exchanging snide remarks through notes in their kids’ backpacks, to the young girl contemplating how best to notify her Facebook friends of her impending suicide—while others are devastatingly poignant—a new mother and funeral singer who is driven to madness with grief for the young black boys who have fallen victim to gun violence, or the teen who struggles between her upper middle class upbringing and her desire to fully connect with black culture.Thompson-Spires fearlessly shines a light on the simmering tensions and precariousness of black citizenship. Her stories are exquisitely rendered, satirical, and captivating in turn, engaging in the ongoing conversations about race and identity politics, as well as the vulnerability of the black body. Boldly resisting categorization and easy answers, Nafissa Thompson-Spires is an original and necessary voice in contemporary fiction.

    Its illustrative and popular material promote a deeper appreciation of different themes and approaches. Complete works that have become classics in the field, combined with ones from the modern era, make this collection rich in historical and theoretical context. Selections of non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and drama, include works by Paula Gunn Allen, Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, Carter Revard, Leslie Marmon Silko, Sherman Alexie, Kimberly Blaeser, Peter Blue Cloud, Louise Erdrich, Scott N. Momaday, Simon Ortiz, and many more. An effective introduction to Native American Literature for readers interested in this area of writing.Contents:Nonfiction. Postmodernism, Native American literature, and the real : the Silko-Erdrich Controversy by Susan Pérez CastilloThe American Indian fiction writers : cosmopolitanism, nationalism, the third world, and First Nation sovereignty by Elizabeth Cook-LynnIndian humor by Vine Deloria, Jr.The Ghost Dance War by Charles Eastman OhiyesaThe sacred hoop : a contemporary perspective by Paula Gunn AllenThe man made of word by N. Scott MomadayDecolonializing criticism : reading dialectics and dialogics in Native American literatures by David L. MooreTowards a national Indian literature : cultural authenticity in nationalism by Simon J. OrtizHistory, myth, and identity among Osages and other peoples by Carter RevardThe woman who loved a snake : orality in Mabel McKay's stories by Greg SarrisLanguage and literature from a Pueblo perspective by Leslie Marmon SilkoAn old-time Indian attack conducted in two parts : Part one, imitation "Indian" poemsbyPart two, Gary Snyder's Turtle IslandIntroduction : only the beginning by Brian Swann. Fiction. The approximate size of my favorite tumor ; This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona by Sherman AlexieSwimming upstream by Beth BrantA good chance ; The power of horses by Elizabeth Cook-LynnThe red convertible by Louise ErdrichUnfinished business by Eric GansworthAunt Parnetta's electric blisters by Diane GlancyDeer woman by Paula Gunn AllenSleeping in rain by Gordon HenryAunt Moon's young man by Linda HoganAs it was in the beginning by Pauline E. JohnsonBorders ; A seat in the garden by Thomas KingThe hawk is hungry by D'Arcy McNickleVeteran's dance by Jim NorthrupThe killing of a state cop by Simon J. OrtizBlessed sunshine by Louis OwensReport to the nation : repossessing Europe by Carter RevardHow I got to be queen by Greg SarrisThe man to send rain clouds ; Tony's story ; Yellow woman by Leslie Marmon SilkoThe disposal of Mary Joe's children by Mary TallMountainAll the colors of sunset by Luci TapahonsoThe warriors by Anna Lee WaltersThe soft-hearted Sioux by Zitkala-Sa. Poetry. The business of fancydancing ; Capital punishment ; Defending Walt Whitman ; The exaggeration of despair ; How to write the great American Indian novel ; Crazy Horse speaks by Sherman AlexieDear world ; Kopis'taya, a gathering of spirits ; Soundings by Paula Gunn AllenLiving history ; Rewriting your life ; Rituals : yours, and mine ; Where was I that day by Kimberly BlaeserBear : a totem dance as seen by Raven ; The old man's lazy ; Rattle ; To-ta Ti-om ; Turtle ; Yellowjacket ; Drum ; Reflections on milkweed by Peter Blue CloudAbove the line ; Blessing the waters ; Copal, red blood : Chiapas, 1998 by Joseph BruchacToday was a bad day like TB by ChrystosSalmon egg puller, $2.15 an hour by Nora DauenhaurCaptivity ; Indian boarding school : the runaways ; Jacklight ; Old man Potchikoo ; Dear John Wayne ; Turtle Mountain Reservation by Louise ErdrichShe had some horses ; Transformations ; I give you back ; Call it fear ; Eagle poem ; The woman hanging from the thirteenth floor window ; Grace ; The woman who fell from the sky by Joy HarjoBlessing ; Song for my name ; Bamboo ; Celebration : birth of a colt ; Drought ; The new apartment, Minneapolis ; The truth is ; Elk song ; Geraniums ; Heritage ; It must be ; Map ; Morning : the world in the lake by Linda HoganAkwesasne ; Legacy ; Sweetgrass ; The tell me I am lost ; Wild strawberry ; Wolf "aunt" by Maurice KennyWho am I by Joyce carlEtta MandrakeAngle of geese ; The bear ; At risk ; December 29, 1980 : Wounded Knee Creek ; The colors of night ; The eagle-feather fan by N. Scott MomadayBend in the river ; The creation, according to coyote ; Dry root in a wash ; My father's song ; A story of how a wall stands ; The boy and coyote by Simon J. OrtizAnd don't be deaf to the singing beyond ; Driving in Oklahoma ; In Kansas ; An eagle nation ; What the eagle fan says ; Wazhazhe grandmother by Carter RevardI expected my skin and my blood to ripen ; If I am too brown or too white for you ; Three thousand dollar death song by Wendy RoseIndian song : survival ; Untitled ; Untitled, from Ceremony ; Storytelling ; Story from Bear County ; Toe'osh : a Laguna coyote story ; When sun came to Riverwoman by Leslie Marmon SilkoGood grease ; The last wolf ; There is no word for goodbye ; Matmiya by Mary TallMountainBlue horses rush in ; In praise of Texas ; Light a candle ; Raisin eyes by Luci TapahonsoChristmas comes to Moccasin Flat ; Surviving ; Thanksgiving at Snake Butte ; Snow country weavers ; Riding the earthboy 40 by James WelchDream of rebirth ; For Heather, entering Kindergarten ; In the longhouse, Oneida Museum ; Black eagle child quarterly by Roberta Hill WhitemanThe first dimensions of skunk ; Winter of the salamander ; The language of weather ; Morning talking mother ; The significance of a water animal ; Nothing could take away the bear-king's image by Ray Young BearDrama. Harold of Orange : a screenplay by Gerald Vizenor

    These are some of the inhabitants of People From My Neighborhood. In their lives, details of the local and everyday—the lunch menu at a tiny drinking place called the Love, the color and shape of the roof of the tax office—slip into accounts of duels, prophetic dreams, revolutions, and visitations from ghosts and gods. In twenty-six “palm of the hand” stories—fictions small enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand—Hiromi Kawakami creates a universe ruled by mystery and transformation.

    Curated by Jay Rubin (who has himself freshly translated several of the stories) and introduced by Haruki Murakami this is a book which will be a revelation to many of its readers. Short story writers already well-known to English-language readers are all included - Tanizaki, Akutagawa, Murakami, Mishima, Kawabata, Yoshimoto - but also many surprising new finds. From Tsushima Yuko's 'Flames' to Sawanishi Yuten's 'Filling Up with Sugar', from Hoshi Shin'ichi's 'Shoulder-Top Secretary' to Yoshimoto Banana's 'Bee Honey', The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories is filled with fear, charm, beauty and comedy.

    19 poems. No sparkly vampires. There's a thin line between genius and insanity, and James Hutchings has just crossed it - but from which direction?