The Best Short Story Writers of All Time
List of the best short story writers of all time. From Voltaire to George Saunders, a complete list of the greatest short story authors who have written works in English or whose works have been translated into English. Usually, short fiction features a small cast of characters and is focused on one incident or anecdote and one overall mood, such as romance, humor, or sadness. Complex stories with sweeping timelines and superfluous characters are not often written in the short story medium, because there is simply not enough time to develop more than one or two cohesive thoughts. The best short story writers think that writing short-fiction is a completely separate art form than writing a novel, but some would argue that writing short stories is great practice for writing a full length work of fiction.
Because of the constraints of page length, great short story writers have to use language that is descriptive and quickly sets the scene or develops their characters. Hemingway is notoriously good at short, pithy stories. One of his most famous is the world's shortest short story: “For Sale, Baby Shoes, Never Worn.” Very short stories are also known as flash-fiction.
Like Hemingway, the best short story authors can paint a picture with their words in a short amount of time. If you like books but don't have time to read novels, reading short stories could be a great option for you. Many of the best novelists of all time have also written good short stories. Often, this type of fiction is sold in short story collections or anthologies. Use this list to discover new authors of short-fiction and vote on your favorites.- The Lady with the Dog, The Bet, The Darling, Vanka, The Death of a Clerk, The Duel, A Boring Story
- The Library of Babel, The Other, The Circular Ruins, The Garden of Forking Paths
- The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Black Cat
- The Snows of Kilimanjaro, The Capital of the World, Indian Camp, The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber
- The Metamorphosis, In the Penal Colony, Description of a Struggle, The Village Schoolmaster
- A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Everything That Rises Must Converge, The Geranium, The River
- Boule de Suif, Deux Amis, Mother Savage, Mademoiselle Fifi
- The Three Questions, What Men Live By, Ivan the Fool, Father Sergius
- All Summer in a Day, There Will Come Soft Rains, The Pedestrian, The Last Night of the World
- Where I'm Calling From, Cathedral, Neighbors, So Much Water Close to Home
- The Overcoat, The Nose, Diary of a Madman, The Portrait
- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, The War Prayer, The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, Eve's Diary
- The Dead, Araby, The Sisters, Eveline, The Boarding House, An Encounter
- To Build a Fire, The Mexican, A Piece of Steak, Batard
- The Boy Came Over the Mountain, Deep Holes, The View from Castle Rock, Voices
- Youth, The Lagoon, The Idiot, Tales of Unrest, An Outpost of Progress
- A Rose for Emily, Barn Burning, Dry September, That Evening Sun, Red Leaves
- The Adventure of the Speckled Band, A Scandal in Bohemia, The Final Problem, The Man with the Twisted Lip
- The Lost Decade, Bernice Bobs Her Hair, A Diamond as Big as the Ritz, The Offshore Pirate
- A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, Eva Is Inside Her Cat, The Autumn of the Patriarch
- The Gift of the Magi, The Ransom of Red Chief, After Twenty Years, A Retrieved Reformation
- The Nightingale and the Rose, The Happy Prince, A House of Pomegranates
