The Best Short Stories of 1916

Theodore Dreiser was a major American novelist of the early 20th century. He's best known for his powerful social realism, particularly in his novel An American Tragedy. Dreiser's work often explored the struggles of ordinary people against societal forces.

Fannie Hurst was born in Hamilton, Ohio, the daughter of a successful shoe manufacturer. Her parents were Bavarian-Jews who had immigrated to the U.S. in 1860. Hurst was raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and received her A.B. degree from Washington University in 1909. She went to Columbia University in New York for graduate courses in 1910. She wanted to be a writer, both to support herself and to study people, she worked as a waitress and as a salesgirl. She also did bit acting roles in the theate...