Short Story Collections

The French short story tradition is varied and innovative. Patrick McGuinness, editor of the Penguin collections, introduces five of the best, all of which "understand that the short story can be anything it wants, but it does actually have to be short." Ranging in content from the fantastic to the achingly banal, these gems of the genre will leave you pondering them for much longer than they took to read.

In the mood for a tall tale that will make you laugh? We've rounded up five of the best funny short story collections that will entertain you, surprise you, and maybe even shock you.

The short story form allows for instinctiveness in a way that novels don't, says Israeli writer Etgar Keret, whose stories have won a number of awards and been translated into dozens of languages. He talks us through some of his favourite short story collections of the 20th century (in English).

Short stories dive right into the middle of the matter and there's nothing about them that's inessential, argues American writer Jim Shepard. He chooses five of his favourite short story collections, from the 1980s through to the 21st century.

In Russia, it’s often fallen to writers to challenge conventions and speak the truth, says the translator and biographer Rosamund Bartlett. She makes a personal selection of some of the most exhilarating Russian short fiction.

Short stories are at the heart of a thriving science fiction community, where readers, writers and editors move between roles and raise each other up. R.S.A. Garcia, winner of the 2024 Nebula prize for Best Short Story, talks us through her five highlights: short takes on big themes, with community at their heart.

With careful literary crafting, Taiwan's writers have told the complex story of their country since World War II. Sabina Knight, a professor at Smith College and author of Chinese Literature: A Very Short Introduction, recommends five of her favourite short story collections.

Robert Chandler, one of the best known translators of Russian literature, recommends some of his favourite tales of Soviet Russia. There's the one about a dog in space and the one about the Soviet café which stocked nothing but champagne and Mars bars...