40 Short Stories

40 Short Stories includes 40 chronologically- arranged, classic and contemporary fiction selections with reading and writing support built in.

In June 2010, the editors of The New Yorker announced to widespread media coverage their selection of "20 Under 40"—the young fiction writers who are, or will be, central to their generation. The magazine published twenty stories by this stellar group of writers over the course of the summer. They are now collected for the first time in one volume. The range of voices is extraordinary. There is the lyrical realism of Nell Freudenberger, Philipp Meyer, C. E. Morgan, and Salvatore Scibona; the satirical comedy of Joshua Ferris and Gary Shteyngart; and the genre-bending tales of Jonathan Safran Foer, Nicole Krauss, and Téa Obreht. David Bezmozgis and Dinaw Mengestu offer clear eyed portraits of immigration and identity; Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, ZZ Packer, and Wells Tower offer voice-driven, idiosyncratic narratives. Then there are the haunting sociopolitical stories of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Daniel Alarcón, and Yiyun Li, and the metaphysical fantasies of Chris Adrian, Rivka Galchen, and Karen Russell. Each of these writers reminds us why we read. And each is aiming for greatness: fighting to get and to hold our attention in a culture that is flooded with words, sounds, and pictures; fighting to surprise, to entertain, to teach, and to move not only us but generations of readers to come. A landmark collection, 20 Under 40 stands as a testament to the vitality of fiction today.

'Rich. . . eclectic. . . a feast' Telegraph This landmark collection brings together forty writers that reflect over a hundred years of Italy's vibrant and diverse short story tradition, from the birth of the modern nation to the end of the twentieth century. Poets, journalists, visual artists, musicians, editors, critics, teachers, scientists, politicians, translators: the writers that inhabit these pages represent a dynamic cross section of Italian society, their powerful voices resonating through regional landscapes, private passions and dramatic political events. This wide-ranging selection curated by Jhumpa Lahiri includes well known authors such as Italo Calvino, Elsa Morante and Luigi Pirandello alongside many captivating new discoveries. More than a third of the stories featured in this volume have been translated into English for the first time, several of them by Lahiri herself.

40 Short Stories, part of the highly successful Bedford/St. Martin's portable series of anthologies and guides, continues to offer a balanced mix of classic and contemporary short fiction for a low price. Editorial features — such as instruction on how to write about fiction and a glossary of literary terms — are located in the back of the book so the focus can remain on the stories. The stories themselves are arranged chronologically to help students trace the evolution of the short story genre. This book's small size, low price, and versatility make it the perfect anthology for a variety of classes, including introduction to fiction, composition, creative writing, or introduction to literature.

This is a series of short stories written by the Writer/Storyteller/Time Traveler sharing his findings after visiting five different Worlds. Each World is a Chapter. Chapter One, will be covering a period of time from 1937, through World War Two and into the new age of the 1950's. An only child's perception of the world around him. Chapter Two, will be stories about the beginning of the 50's into the 60's. The Time Traveler will be growing into a different person than he was in the beginning. Chapter Three, The Time Traveler is a State Trooper. This will be a series of Police & Investigation Stories as the Time Traveler/Writer begins to change his beliefs. The world of the Time Traveler will change and he begins his travels into yet, another world, one most do not realize it exists. Chapter Four and Five, in these Chapters the Time Travelers enters the world of Greed, Deception, and selfness. It will be about truths about life, what it is, and how it relates to each person.

Each night, syndicated radio host Alberto Sardiñas takes phone calls from listeners who look to him as a friend with whom to share their personal stories of uncertainty, sorrow, happiness, and hope. His faithful listeners are confident they will receive the words of encouragement they need to carry on, and the advice they would get from a true friend.In "The Power of Your Story", the author shares 40 of the most compelling, real-life short stories told to him by his listeners as well as intimate experiences of his own. Discover the twists and turns these captivating narratives take you on, from stories like "Seven Years of Marriage and Six Years Without Sex" to "Proud to Be the Mistress". Or find out how Sardiñas made the biggest embarrassment of his life in front of a mere 15,000 people. Relationships and infidelity, health and family issues are some of the topics featured. Each chapter is followed by a conclusion that emphasizes the lesson and offers a space for reflection — under "Find the Power of Your Story" — that helps people face their life's everyday challenges. "There is nothing more powerful that brings us together than the unforgettable experiences we all have in common," says Sardiñas.

At once funny, wistful and unsettling, Sum is a dazzling exploration of unexpected afterlives—each presented as a vignette that offers a stunning lens through which to see ourselves in the here and now. In one afterlife, you may find that God is the size of a microbe and unaware of your existence. In another version, you work as a background character in other people’s dreams. Or you may find that God is a married couple, or that the universe is running backward, or that you are forced to live out your afterlife with annoying versions of who you could have been. With a probing imagination and deep understanding of the human condition, acclaimed neuroscientist David Eagleman offers wonderfully imagined tales that shine a brilliant light on the here and now.