Prize Stories 1985: The O. Henry Awards

Widely regarded as the nation's most prestigious awards for short fiction.-The Atlantic Monthly



The O. Henry Prize Stories 1985 gathers 21 of the best short stories of the year, selected from thousands published in literary magazines.



Stories include:

Jane Smiley Lily (first prize, jointly awarded)

Stuart Dybek Hot Ice (first prize, jointly awarded)

Ann Beattie In the White Night

Helen Norris The Quarry

Susan Minot Lust

Claude Koch Bread and Butter Questions

Wright Morris Glimpse into Another Country

Louise Erdrich Saint Marie

R. C. Hamilton Da Vinci Is Dead

Joseph McElroy Daughter of the Revolution

Steve Heller The Crow Woman

Ward Just About Boston

Tobias Wolff Sister

Gloria Norris Holding On

Peter Cameron Homework

Ilene Raymond Taking a Chance on Jack

Eric Wilson The Axe, the Axe, the Axe

Joyce Carol Oates The Seasons

Rolaine Hochstein She Should Have Died Hereafter

Josephine Jacobsen The Mango Community

John Updike The Other

Born in 1919, William Abrahams published four successful novels and a number of poems before finding his true calling as an editor. He presided over the O. Henry Awards for more than 30 years starting in 1965. Abrahams also worked as the west coast editor of Atlantic Monthly Press and collaborated on nonfiction books with his partner, Peter Stansky. He passed away in 1998.

About William Abrahams