The American Short Story since 1950 offers a reappraisal and contextualisation of a critically underrated genre during a particularly rich period in its history. It offers new readings of important stories by key writers including Flannery O'Connor, John Cheever, Donald Barthelme, Raymond Carver, Lorrie Moore and Grace Paley. These readings are related throughout to the various contexts in which stories are written and published, including creative writing schools, story-writing handbooks, mass market and 'little' magazines. A long introduction tells the story of the American short story before 1950. The first four chapters are roughly chronological, covering the major trends (such as realism, fabulism and minimalism) in short fiction from the 1950s to 2000. The fifth explores the implications for the short story of its association with creative writing education. The sixth deals with the short story sequence since 1950. A conclusion surveys the state of short fiction today. Key Features *explores a particularly rich period in the history of the short story *offers close-readings of important stories by major writers including Flannery O'Connor, John Cheever, William Gass, Donald Barthelme, Raymond Carver, Denis Johnson, Junot Diaz, Edward P. Jones, Grace Paley, Sherman Alexie, David Foster Wallace, Gish Jen, Lorrie Moore, David Bezmozgis and Lydia Davis * draws on previously unpublished interviews with many of these writers *explores the contexts in which stories are written and published, including story-writing handbooks, mass market and 'little' magazines, creative writing workshops *considers the short story in relation to a variety of literary modes and trends such as realism, metafiction and minimalism, and to other forms, especially the novel and the lyric poem