Wideman Picks An Entertaining Canon for 1996

Since 1915 Houghton Mifflin has published a yearly collection of The Best American Short Stories, an anthology of short fiction published in magazines across the United States and Canada in the previous year. For each volume, one of the nation's most distinguished novelists is chosen to be the guest editor (recent past editors include Richard Ford, Louise Erdrich, and Jane Smiley). The editor is blindly presented with 120 stories, chosen by the series editor, Katrina Kenison. Blind presentation means that the authors names are concealed up until publication of the selection. This year's guest editor John Edgar Wideman (two time winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award 1984 and 1990) has selected an eclectic array of pieces written by both big name authors such as Alice Adams and Joyce Carol Oats as well as newcomers like Anna Keesey and William Lychack.

Naturally, any given editor will produce a selection reflecting his own passion and his particular vision. In his introduction, Wideman explains the binding theme that he has chosen for this year: "I was seeking and found in the stories I've selected some hint that imagination can change the world, that the world is unfinished," and true to these criteria each story seems to have an outlet for the fantastic or the unbelievable.

Wideman's selections complement his own work which relies strongly on the element of the imagination. The former Penn professor is the author of a number of provocative novels, most notably Brothers and Keepers, Philadelphia Fire and The Cattle Killing, all of which probe the depths of the imagination, creating a fantasy world where the past is recreated and shaped according to the author's unique vision. The stories selected by Wideman also tend to rely on the element of the fantastic and many look to the past, recreating historical narratives.

It is difficult to truly think of this collection as The Best American Short Stories. In fact, the stories come from both the U.S. and Canada. Secondly, and more imporantly, it is ridiculous to define the somewhat arbitrary selections of one editor as "the best" in American fiction. Thousands of stories deserving consideration were excluded.

Nevertheless, whatever the thread connecting Wideman's selections may be, it is certain that there are a number of great works included. The book is a quick read, an item to leave on the coffee table or next to the toilet, to be read during those long nights spent in hopeless procrastination fits. Buy the book and flip through it when you need a break. You will certainly not be disappointed.

Wideman is presenting the selection and introducing three of the featured authors on Tuesday, November 12 at the Brattle Theater at 5:30 p.m.