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The PEN / O. Henry Prize Stories 2009

Edited and with an introduction by Laura Furman with prize jury selections by A.S. Byatt, Anthony Doerr and Tim O’Brien

Anchor Books, 435 pages, $15

“Story writers don’t fumble through so many lonely hours for money or glory,” writes Doerr, on the selection jury for this year’s edition of stories, a dazzling array from prominent writers such as Ha Jin, Junot Diaz and Marisa Silver, plus some new voices. “They write for love, to figure things out, to practice going after the truth, to investigate hurt, guilt, complexity.”