Remember Sudden Fiction International-that bounty of short-short stories from all over the world? Literary folks loved them. Students carried the book around with them. And people on the run found the length of each story (no more than 2000 words) perfect respites from their busy lives.

Responding to America's love affair with the short-short, editors Shapard and Thomas consulted nearly two-hundred magazines and chose the sixty stories, written in English or translated, that they considered best. Ranging across countries and cultures, the selection includes a number of new stories from the Pacific Rim.

Well-known writers-William Maxwell, Margaret Atwood, Don DeLillo, Mark Richard-join lesser-known writers-Molly Giles, Andrew Lam, Judy Troy-who will be (or should be) better known. Each story revels in its own element of surprise; each, whether traditional or experimental, proves that a tale told quickly offers pleasure long past its telling. Students and lovers of literature take note: this is serious writing that's fun to read.


About the Author
Robert Shapard directed the University of Hawaii MFA program and now lives in Austin, Texas. James Thomas, coeditor of all the Flash Fiction anthologies, lives in Xenia, Ohio.

Reviews
"With the noise of the contemporary world increasing . . . and people trying to drown you with words alone, these stories have managed a neat trick: they put up and shut up." -- Charles Baxter



Book Information
ISBN 9780393313420
Author Robert Shapard
Format Paperback
Page Count 312
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 388g
Dimensions(mm) 211mm * 140mm * 23mm