O. Henry Memorial Award prize stories of 1927
by Unknown
Language: [en]
About this book
"O. Henry Memorial Award prize stories of 1927" by Society of Arts and Sciences et al. is a collection of short stories written in the early 20th century. The volume assembles prize-selected American magazine fiction with an editorial introduction that explains the judging process and spotlights trends and standouts. Expect a broad mix of realist, urban, war, folk, and regional tales—including pieces like The Killers and The Scarlet Woman—alongside commentary that frames their themes and craft. The opening of the anthology presents acknowledgments, a contents list, and Blanche Colton Williams’s introduction detailing the judges, how hundreds of stories were narrowed to the final fifteen, and which entries won top honors (Child of God first, The Killers second, The Scarlet Woman as best short short). Williams surveys themes—especially depictions of Black life, terse realism, and vivid settings—and supplies extensive ranked lists of notable stories and magazines. The first selection then begins: in Child of God, Willie Malone, a Black man condemned for killing a white landowner after a dispute over hogs, faces his hanging with calm faith, friendly banter with the jailer, and a desire to make a final speech; after the trap drops, he imagines a lavish heavenly journey (Gabriel’s trumpet, St. Peter, Little David’s harp, a kindly scarred angel) and tells the Great Lord God he was denied his speech, whereupon he’s sent back to the jail to deliver it—unseen as officials settle paperwork and the scene cuts off. (This is an automatically generated summary.)