Great short stories of the masters

Sholem Aleichem was a celebrated author whose work, including the influential "World Literature 1999," explored the human condition with wit and warmth. His stories often touched on themes of everyday life, family, and community, making him a beloved figure in literature.

Honoré de Balzac was a French novelist and playwright. His magnum opus was a sequence of almost 100 novels and plays collectively entitled La Comédie humaine, which presents a panorama of French life in the years after the fall of Napoléon Bonaparte in 1815. ([Source][1].) [1]:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor%C3%A9_de_Balzac

Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin (Russian: Ива́н Алексе́евич Бу́нин) was the first Russian writer awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was noted for the strict artistry with which he carried on the classical Russian traditions in the writing of prose and poetry. The texture of his poems and stories, sometimes referred to as "Bunin brocade", is considered to be one of the richest in the language.

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Russian: Антон Павлович Чехов) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. Along with Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg, Chekhov is often referred to as one of the three seminal figures in the birth of early modernism in the theatre. Chekhov was a physician by profession. "Medic...

Daniel Defoe, born Daniel Foe, was an English writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained enduring fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain, and is even referred to by some as among the founders of the English novel. A prolific and versatile writer, he wrote more than 500 books, pamphlets, and journals on various topics (including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology a...

An English essayist, best known for his <i>Confessions of an English Opium-Eater</i> (<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_De_Quincey>Wikipedia</a>).

Russian novelist Fyodor Mikhailovitch Dostoyevsky was a journalist and short-story writer, whose psychological penetration into the human soul profoundly influenced the 20th century novel. Dostoevsky's novels have much autobiographical elements, but ultimately they deal with moral and philosophical questions. He presented interacting characters with contrasting views or ideas about freedom of choice, Socialism, atheisms, good and evil, happiness and so forth. Dostoevsky's central obsession was G...

William Faulkner was a Nobel Prize-winning American author. One of the most influential writers of the 20th century, his reputation is based on his novels, novellas and short stories. He was also a published poet and an occasional screenwriter. ([Source][1].) [1]:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Faulkner

Gustave Flaubert was a French writer who is counted among the greatest Western novelists. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary (1857), and for his scrupulous devotion to his art and style. ([Source][1].) [1]:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Flaubert

André Paul Guillaume Gide (22 novembre 1869 – 19 février 1951) était un écrivain et auteur français dont les œuvres couvraient une grande variété de styles et de sujets. Il a reçu le prix Nobel de littérature en 1947. La carrière de Gide s'étendait de ses débuts dans le mouvement symboliste à la critique de l'impérialisme entre les deux guerres mondiales. Auteur de plus de 50 livres, il a été décrit dans sa nécrologie du New York Times comme « le plus grand homme de lettres contemporain de Fra...

Oliver Goldsmith compiled this collection of Great Short Stories of the Masters. He was a writer known for his keen eye for human nature and his skill in crafting engaging narratives. This book showcases some of the finest examples of the short story form.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a 19th century American novelist and short story writer. He is seen as a key figure in the development of American literature for his tales of the nation's colonial history. Shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College, Hathorne changed his name to Hawthorne. Hawthorne anonymously published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828. In 1837, he published Twice-Told Tales and became engaged...

German poet, journalist, essayist, and literary critic

Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American writer and journalist. During his lifetime he wrote and had published seven novels; six collections of short stories; and two works of non-fiction. Since his death three novels, four collections of short stories, and three non-fiction autobiographical works have been published. Hemingway received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. Hemingway was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois. After high school he worked as a reporter but within months he left...

Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann was a German Romantic author of fantasy and Gothic horror, a jurist, composer, music critic and artist. His stories form the basis of Jacques Offenbach's opera The Tales of Hoffmann, in which Hoffmann appears (heavily fictionalized) as the hero. He is also the author of the novella The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, on which Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker is based. The ballet Coppélia is based on two other stories that Hoffmann wrote, while Schuma...

American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent" (<a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Irving>Wikipedia</a>).

Henry James, was an American writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James. ([Source][1].) [1]:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_James

James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde and is regarded as one of the most influential and important authors of the 20th century. Joyce is best known for Ulysses (1922), a landmark work in which the episodes of Homer's Odyssey are paralleled in an array of contrasting literary styles, perhaps most prominent among these the stream of consciousness technique he utilised. Other well-known works are the short-story collection Dubl...

Franz Kafka (gelegentlich tschechisch František Kafka, 3. Juli 1883, Prag, Österreich-Ungarn-3. Juni 1924, Kierling, Österreich) war ein österreichisch-tschechoslowakischer Schriftsteller. Er gilt als einer der bedeutendsten Vertreter der Prager deutschen Literatur und der deutschsprachigen Literatur des 20. Jahrhunderts. Seine Werke – darunter die drei Romanfragmente Der Process, Das Schloss und Der Verschollene sowie zahlreiche Erzählungen – gehören zum Kanon der Weltliteratur. Kafkas Werk...

Heinrich von Kleist was a master of the short story, known for his intense and often tragic tales. His work explores the complexities of human nature with a sharp, unflinching eye. You'll find some of his best stories in our collection of the masters.

Swedish writer of fiction, Nobel Prize winner in 1909.

D.H. Lawrence was an English author, poet, playwright, essayist and literary critic. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation. In them, Lawrence confronts issues relating to emotional health and vitality, spontaneity, human sexuality and instinct. ([Source][1].) [1]:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._H._Lawrence

Lu Xun is a giant of modern Chinese literature, best known for his sharp, insightful short stories. His work offers a powerful look at Chinese society and the human condition. If you're looking for classic, impactful fiction, his stories are a must-read.

Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911. The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life. His plays form an important part of the Symbolist movement.

Thomas Mann was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and 1929 Nobel Prize laureate, known for his series of highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novellas, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual. His analysis and critique of the European and German soul used modernized German and Biblical stories, as well as the ideas of Goethe, Nietzsche, and Schopenhauer. His older brother was the radical writer Heinrich...

Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist and poet who is often classified as part of dark romanticism. He is best known for his novel Moby Dick and novella Billy Budd, the latter of which was published posthumously. ([Source][1].) [1]:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Melville

Danish writer and communist.

Luigi Pirandello was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power to turn psychological analysis into good theatre." Pirandello's works include novels, hundreds of short stories, and about 40 plays, some of which are written in Sicilian. Pirandello's tragic farces are often seen as forerunners of the Theatre of the Absurd.

Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction.[1] He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in...

"Katherine Anne Porter was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. Her 1962 novel Ship of Fools was the best-selling novel in America that year, but her short stories received much more critical acclaim. She is known for her penetrating insight; her work deals with dark themes such as betrayal, death and the origin of human evil." - Wikipedia

Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust était un romancier, critique littéraire et essayiste français surtout connu pour son roman À la recherche du temps perdu, publié en sept volumes entre 1913 et 1927. Il est considéré par les critiques et les écrivains comme l'un des auteurs les plus influents du XXe siècle. ---------- Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, literary critic, and essayist best known for his novel À la recherche du temps perdu (tra...

Алекса́ндр Серге́евич Пу́шкин (26 мая [6 июня] 1799, Москва — 29 января [10 февраля] 1837, Санкт-Петербург) — русский поэт, драматург и прозаик, заложивший основы русского реалистического направления литературный критик и теоретик литературы, историк, публицист, журналист[3], редактор и издатель. Один из самых авторитетных литературных деятелей первой трети XIX века. Ещё при жизни Пушкина сложилась его репутация величайшего национального русского поэта. Пушкин рассматривается как основоположн...

Polish novelist and the 1924 laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature

Rainer Maria Rilke (* 4. Dezember 1875 in Prag, Österreich-Ungarn; † 29. Dezember 1926 im Sanatorium Valmont bei Montreux, Schweiz; eigentlich René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke) war ein österreichischer Lyriker deutscher und französischer Sprache. 1905 erschien sein Stundenbuch mit nachdenklichen, nicht selten religiösen Gedichten, wodurch er bald eine große Popularität erreichte. Die zumeist eingängigen, teils ekstatischen, teils melancholischen Verse prägten das Bild vom prophetisc...

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (29 June 1900—31 July 1944) was a French writer and aviator. He is best remembered for his novella The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince), and for his books about aviation adventures, including Night Flight and Wind, Sand and Stars. He was a successful commercial pilot before World War II, joining the Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) on the outbreak of war, flying reconnaissance missions until the armistice with Germany. Following a spell of writing in the United Stat...

A French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, existentialism, and Marxism, and his work continues to influence fields such as Marxist philosophy, sociology, and literary studies.

Secondino Tranquilli (1 May 1900 – 22 August 1978), known by the pseudonym Ignazio Silone), was an Italian political leader, novelist, and short-story writer, world-famous during World War II for his powerful anti-fascist novels. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature ten times.

Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as Treasure Island, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kidnapped and A Child's Garden of Verses.

Aron Ettore Schmitz (December 19, 1861 – September 13, 1928), better known by the pseudonym Italo Svevo, was an Italian businessman and author of novels, plays, and short stories. Born in Trieste (then in Austria-Hungary) to a Jewish family, Italo Svevo (literally swabian Italian) wrote the classic novel La Coscienza di Zeno (rendered as Confessions of Zeno, or Zeno's Conscience) and self-published it in 1923. The work, showing the author's interest in the theories of Sigmund Freud, is writte...

Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of "Gitanjali" and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse" (The Nobel Foundation), he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature.

Лев Николаевич Толстой (9 сентября 1828 – 20 ноября 1910) – русский писатель. Он считается одним из величайших и самых влиятельных авторов всех времён. Среди наиболее известных произведений Толстого – романы «Война и мир» (1869) и «Анна Каренина» (1878), которые часто называют вершинами реалистической прозы и двумя величайшими книгами всех времён. ---------- Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (Russian: Лев Николаевич Толстой, 9 September 1828 – 20 November 1910), usually referred to in English a...

Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (Russian: Ива́н Серге́евич Турге́нев) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, translator and popularizer of Russian literature in the West. His first major publication, a short story collection titled A Sportsman's Sketches (1852), was a milestone of Russian realism. His novel Fathers and Sons (1862) is regarded as one of the major works of 19th-century fiction.

Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was a prolific American author and humorist. Twain is best known for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), which has been called "the Great American Novel", and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). He is extensively quoted. Twain was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty. ([Source][1].) [1]:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain

Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (Bilbao, 29 de septiembre de 1864 - Salamanca, 31 de diciembre de 1936) fue un escritor y filósofo español perteneciente a la generación del 98. En su obra cultivó gran variedad de géneros literarios, incluyendo novela, ensayo, teatro y poesía. Rector de la Universidad de Salamanca a lo largo de tres periodos, también fue diputado de las Cortes constituyentes de la Segunda República, de la que se fue distanciando hasta el punto de secundar la sublevación militar que dio...

Virginia Woolf was an English novelist, essayist, diarist, epistler, publisher, feminist, and writer of short stories, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century. ([Source][1].) [Comment from Ursula Le Guin on The Guardian][2]: > You can't write science fiction well if you haven't read it, though not all who try to write it know this. But nor can you write it well if you haven't read anything else. Genre is a rich dialect, in which you can say cer...

Saul Bellow was a Canadian-born American writer. For his literary contributions, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts.[2] He is the only writer to have won the National Book Award three times, and the only writer to have been nominated for it six times. Source and more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Bellow

Bernard Malamud (April 26, 1914 – March 18, 1986) was an American novelist and short story writer. Along with Saul Bellow, Joseph Heller, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Norman Mailer and Philip Roth, he was one of the best known American Jewish authors of the 20th century. His baseball novel The Natural was adapted into a 1984 film starring Robert Redford. His 1966 novel The Fixer (also filmed), about antisemitism in the Russian Empire, won both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (Russian: Влади́мир Влади́мирович Набо́ков; 23 April [O.S. 10 April] 1899c – 2 July 1977) was a multilingual Russian-American novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist. He also made contributions to entomology and had an interest in chess problems. Nabokov's Lolita (1955) is frequently cited as among his most important novels and is his most widely kn...

O'Connor was American writer, particularly acclaimed for her stories which combined comic with tragic and brutal. Along with authors like Carson McCullers and Eudora Welty, Flannery O'Connor belonged to the Southern Gothic tradition that focused on the decaying South and its damned people. O'Connor's body of work was small, consisting of only thirty-one stories, two novels, and some speeches and letters. ([Source][1].) [1]: http://kirjasto.sci.fi/flannery.htm

Charles Neider curated a fantastic collection of "Great Short Stories of the Masters," showcasing some of the best in the genre. He had a knack for bringing together powerful narratives from across different authors.