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The Pushcart Prize XXXII: Best of the Small Presses 2008 Edition
The most honored literary series in America marks its 32nd year of continuous publication.
619 pages, Paperback
First published December 10, 2007
About the author
Bill Henderson
130 books16 followersBill Henderson (born April 5, 1941) is an American author, editor and publisher best known for his memoirs and the Pushcart Prize series.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 19, 2018
This anthology never disappoints, but I thought this was a particularly good year for short fiction.
Some outstanding stories by short story writers like Rick Bass, Joyce Carol Oates, Steven Millhauser, Lauren Groff, Andrew Porter, Peter Orner, and Nam Le. Plus some great poetry and non-fiction.
Some outstanding stories by short story writers like Rick Bass, Joyce Carol Oates, Steven Millhauser, Lauren Groff, Andrew Porter, Peter Orner, and Nam Le. Plus some great poetry and non-fiction.
September 24, 2017
The essays / short stories are pretentious, written to satisfy some aesthetic that I don't share. Almost all of the poetry is unreadable.
May 19, 2008
This collection is filled with some wonderful stories, three or four great poems, and two amazingly written essays. Between these though, there are a number of dinky little stories that are too pulpy or rambling to be very memorable and handfuls of fractured dreck little poems that reek of pretentiousness. Still, this collection is ordered smartly and the pieces can be read two or three at a time. The following are some of the best works inside:
"Hyacinthe and the Bear" by Paul Zimmer, "Goats" by Rick Bass, "Nowhere" by Joyce Carol Oates, "Winged Mercury and the Golden Calf" by Rebecca Solnit, "Departure" by Andrew Porter, "A Genius for Grief: Memories of Saul Bellow" by Herbert Gold, "The Bridge" by Tiphanie Yanique, "Bicameral" by Linda Gregerson, "The Bunny Gives Us a Lesson in Eternity" by Mary Ruefle, "Pampkin's Lament" by Peter Orner, "Growing Wings" by Robert Bly, "Mercy" by Pinckney Benedict, and "The Dome" by Steven Millhauser.
If my underlines, circles, captions and stars scribbled across each page mean anything, then this book is full of striking imagery, hilarious one-liners and a whole galaxy of characters that seem textured and interesting.
"Hyacinthe and the Bear" by Paul Zimmer, "Goats" by Rick Bass, "Nowhere" by Joyce Carol Oates, "Winged Mercury and the Golden Calf" by Rebecca Solnit, "Departure" by Andrew Porter, "A Genius for Grief: Memories of Saul Bellow" by Herbert Gold, "The Bridge" by Tiphanie Yanique, "Bicameral" by Linda Gregerson, "The Bunny Gives Us a Lesson in Eternity" by Mary Ruefle, "Pampkin's Lament" by Peter Orner, "Growing Wings" by Robert Bly, "Mercy" by Pinckney Benedict, and "The Dome" by Steven Millhauser.
If my underlines, circles, captions and stars scribbled across each page mean anything, then this book is full of striking imagery, hilarious one-liners and a whole galaxy of characters that seem textured and interesting.
August 12, 2016
This volume seems to have mostly well known writers. Joyce Carol Oates, Rick Bass, Robert Pinsky, Dan Chaon, Ed Hirsch, Philip Levine, Steven Milhauser, Gerald Stern, Tony Hoagland. Usually they have more unknowns and even writer debuts. Some of the stories seems bit immature - young writers with promise but not quite delivering yet.
February 11, 2008
Not my favorite Puschart collection in terms of the short-story material on offer, albeit with the exception of "Cartegena" by Nam Le and "Sweethearts of the Rodeo" by Lydia Peelle. Much to go back to at another time, though.
April 10, 2008
I haven't read any of the other collections but this one is good. I read ten stories and 3 were very good, 4 pretty good, and 3 were not so good. The first story, Cartegenas, is almost worth buying the book for.
February 19, 2009
The
best anthology. Hands down. Even better than the Best American series. I can't live without these.
February 17, 2008
It's uneven. Mostly gritty, in your face fiction. Plenty of poetry, which almost unreadable and sounds and looks like word puzzles.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews