BEST SHORT STORIES OF 1948

by Martha-Ed. Foley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 16, 1948

With for the first time in many years the recognition of a definite trend in the short story, Martha Foley- in her introduction- indicates the prevalence of ""terror, the specter of undefined guilt"" and above all the ""overwhelming tension"" in today's writing. And whereas this annual has in the past drawn largely from the little magazines, this year's stories have been selected largely from the popular magazines, partly because the little magazines have given little space to the short story, partly because the popular magazines have given access to more ""literary"" material. If there is ""tension"" here, there is also considerable bitterness and ironic disillusion, whether in John Cheever's play of fantasy, The Enormous Radio; M.F.K. Fisher's sophisticated postlude on married life; E.B. White's wry The Second Tree From the Corner, and even- from Today's Woman, Mary Brinker Post's sidelight on the suburban scene. Names include John Hersey, Wallace Stegner, Eudora Welty, Dorothy Canfield, Martha Gellhorn, and the audience for this is a predetermined one.

Pub Date: Sept. 16, 1948

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Houghton, Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1948

Categories: FICTION