Prize Stories 1991: The O. Henry Awards

The O. Henry Prize Stories 1991 collects 20 of the best short stories of the year, selected from thousands published in literary magazines. The Sandstone Farmhouse by John Updike, which tells of a difficult relationship of a son and his mother over 50 years, takes the coveted top prize. The other stories in this collection are:

Joyce Carol Oates The Swimmers

Sharon Sheehe Stark Overland

Martha Lacy Hall The Apple-Green Triumph

Wayne Johnson Hippies, Indians, Buffalo

Perri Klass For Women Everywhere

Helen Norris Raisin Faces

Patricia Lear Powwow

Charles Baxter Saul and Patsy Are Pregnant

Sylvia A. Watanabe Talking to the Dead

T. Alan Broughton Ashes

Diane Levenberg The Ilui

Ursula K. Le Guin Hand, Cup, Shell

Alice Adams Earthquake Damage

Charlotte Zoe Walker The Very Pineapple

Ronald Sukenick Ecco

Dennis McFarland Nothing to Ask For

Millicent Dillon Oil and Water

Marly Swick Moscow Nights

Thomas Fox Averill During the Twelfth Summer of Elmer D. Peterson

This collection is both meritorious and diverse. The work ranges from plainly written stories brimming with resonant significance to full-blown extravaganzas… . Recommended. -Library Journal