Prize Stories 1997: The O. Henry Awards

Established in 1918 as a memorial to O. Henry, this annual literary tradition has presented a remarkable offering of stories over its 76-year history. O. Henry first-prize winners have included Dorothy Parker, William Faulkner, Truman Capote, John Cheever, John Updike, and Cynthia Ozick as well as some lesser know writers such as Alison Baker and Cornelia Nixon. Many talented writers who were unknown when first chosen for an O. Henry Award later went on to become seminal voices of contemporary American fiction. Representative of the very best in contemporary American fiction, these are varied, full-bodied fictional creations brimming with life--proof of the continuing strength and variety of the American short story.

Larry Dark has been the director of the Story Prize, an award focused on short story collections, since its foundation in 2004. He served as series editor of the O. Henry Awards for five years, between 1997 and 2002. He has also edited and introduced several other literary anthologies.