2012 Pen/O. Henry Prize Authors

by Dagoberto Gilb

Gilb gets excellent mileage from simple elements. Though the men in these stories have common concerns, each feels distinct... Full review >

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by Alice Mattison

Bracingly serious but without pretension, Mattison’s voice is like that of no one else writing today: the demands she makes... Full review >

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by Wendell Berry

An eloquent distillation of Berry’s favorite themes: the importance of family, community and respect for the land. Full review >

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by Kevin Wilson

A fantastic first novel that asks if the kids are alright, finding answers in the most unexpected places. Full review >

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by Hisham Matar

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by Ann Packer

Touching, tender and true—short fiction nearly as rich and satisfying as Packer’s two fine novels (Songs Without Words,... Full review >

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by Miroslav Penkov

This debut collection from Penkov spotlights the best of the young (he was born in 1982) writer’s output, much of which has... Full review >

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by John Berger illustrated by John Berger

Berger’s readers will see with fresh eyes. Full review >

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by Yiyun Li

Further proof that Li deserves to be considered among the best living fiction writers. Full review >

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by Steven Millhauser

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by Jim Shepard

The narrator of one story in this collection writes that, when the weather rages, communication is “reduced to hand signals... Full review >

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by Mark Slouka

An eloquent testament to the power of storytelling. Full review >

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by Lauren Groff

As a follow-up to Groff’s well-received debut (The Monsters of Templeton, 2008), this novel is a structural conundrum,... Full review >

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by Keith Ridgway

Disreputable lives raised to the level of Literature. Full review >

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by Anthony Doerr

Doerr (Four Seasons in Rome, 2007, etc.) moves the reader gracefully from place to place (the stories span four continents),... Full review >

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by Salvatore Scibona

A demanding but rewarding novel likely to appeal to a very small audience. Full review >

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by Alice Munro

As Munro explains in her acknowledgements, it’s a story based on the final days of Sophia Kovalevski, a brilliant Russian... Full review >

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