A charity compendium is one of a new brace of books breathing fresh life into an underappreciated genre -- the short story. June Lee offers a briefing 

Readers are divided into two camps: those who love and collect anthologies and short-story works, and those bored silly by them. Short stories are intense nuggets containing the same vital ingredients as their longer counterparts – characters, settings, timing, plot – and that special ingredient that makes all the elements fall into place. Yet the genre suffers when writers fail to inject it with the zingy treatment it needs, and it’s rare to come across commendable collections nowadays. That’s a shame, as the genre suits readers with little time or inclination to delve into a 200-page novel; short stories are a handy way of becoming acquainted with a writer’s style, while allowing for busy lives or short attention spans. Luckily, the Zadie Smith-curated The Book of Other People, is sure to reinvigorate the genre. Better still, it might just bridge the gap; it’s a collection of thoughtful creations by well-known novelists keen to try their hand at the short story, ranging in tone from comic and sexy to tragic and spooky. Here, we take a closer look at this highly anticipated release and a batch of other compendiums hot off the press. 

The Book of Other People, edited by Zadie Smith (Penguin Putnam, $22) 
Twenty-three writers and illustrators contributed to this book, in aid of author Dave Eggers’s charity 826 New York, which inspires young students to write. Each story in this collection is a character study bearing its subject’s name and bringing them to life in the style of the author. A L Kennedy, a new master of the genre, offers ‘Frank’, a nondescript and peculiar man about to be divorced; Hari Kunzru conjures up the fantastical ‘Magda Mandela’, standing in her neon green thong and growling her needs. George Saunders has a ‘Puppy’ to introduce, bringing sharp contrast to the lives of people from opposite sides of a town. Nick Hornby, with Posy Simmonds, tells of the somewhat illusionary life of a writer in ‘J Johnson’, while Chris Ware’s ‘Jordan Wellington Lint’ is a stunningly delineated tragedy. Each story is a unique piece to chew on, with no particular linking theme save for the sheer joy of introducing characters, whose flaws and foibles mark them as beautiful and human. 

Bang Crunch Stories by Neil Smith (Orion, $30.79) 
Venturing into new territory, rising Canadian author Neil Smith has created nine stories that are relatively lengthy as well as intense. With a sharp eye for delving into the human condition, his creations stop just short of the impossible and the sublime. The titular story refers to a girl whose age expands and contracts; another follows a store detective’s quest to save a pair of pink calfskin gloves; a third traces a boy’s coming of age after witnessing a day-glo pig. If they sound surreal – well, they are. 



Collected Stories by Cynthia Ozick (Orion, $23.32)Hailed for her deft wit and sharp prose, Ozick is a leading light of shortstory fiction. Winning first prize in the annual O Henry Prize, and often compiled in the Best American Short Stories of the Century anthology, she also scooped the inaugural Michael Rea Award for career contributions to the genre. All of which makes this ‘best of’ selection a real must-have, with classics such as ‘The Pagan Rabbi’, first published in 1971. Addressing the Jewish identity and interweaving issues of marriage and faith, Ozick creates the tale of a rabbi, apparently seduced by a tree sprite, who eventually hangs himself with a prayer shawl. Other stories resonate with brutal dissections of envy, superstition, family obligation and religion. 



Madame B’s Stories of Seduction by Ann Summers (Ebury Press, $17.71) The short-story genre is perfectly suited to the art of foreplay. Ann Summers is an infamous British chain of highstreet sex shops rather than the name of a writer per se, but is used here as the eye-catching fictional ‘author’ of these sexy tales, which are written in turn under another nom de plume, the mysterious ‘Madame B’. Confused yet? It matters not. If you’re feeling raunchy, just pick up this third volume of explicit fantasies, which bring to the page the same wanton glee that Ann Summers stores bring to the world of retail. There are mile-high high-jinks in ‘Jet’; a rendezvous on a cruise ship in ‘The Captain’s Table’; that sex-story staple, the threesome, is given a neighbourly twist in ‘Ménage à Trois’; and a shoplifter is punished by a security guard in ‘Shopped’. 


I Love Dollars: And Other Stories of China by Zhu Wen (Columbia University Press, $21) 
In his career as a filmmaker and writer, the vagaries of life in China have given Zhu Wen ample material to tap into a rich vein of comedy. In this first English translation by Julia Lovell, he takes on the materialism of new China, exposing the current socio-economic landscape. In the eponymous lead-off story, a son procures a prostitute for his father as part of his filial duty, but bargains too much in the process. Whether Zhu casts his gaze over hospitals, factories, restaurants or the marketplace, he imbues each with a comic and provocative touch. 




Maps and Legends by Michael Chabon (McSweeney’s, price TBA) 
As maddeningly entertaining as only a Michael Chabon work can be, his first non-fiction collection is a ‘love song in 16 parts’ (as the press release poetically puts it). Featuring a selfindulgent series of essays in praise of reading and writing, Chabon traces his personal history to offer fresh insights into how he penned the award winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. Along the way he humorously pokes fun at Sherlock Holmes, procrastination, and ghost stories and comic books. You can bet the McSweeney’s imprint is a mark of distinction; the quirky publishing house founded by Dave Eggers has a knack for publishing the best short-story features in America. Check out the literary journal Timothy McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, which showcases both emerging and established voices. 

All collections are available in January, except I Love Dollars and Maps and Legends, which hit the shelves in March.