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Daniel Halpern
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The Art of the Tale: An International Anthology of Short Stories Paperback – November 3, 1987

by Daniel Halpern (Editor)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 103 ratings
See all formats and editions
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Eighty-one masterpieces by the world's best writers—a surprising, irresistible collection of short stories from around the world.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    832 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Books
  4. Publication date
    November 3, 1987
  5. Grade level
    12 and up
  6. Reading age
    18 years and up
  7. Dimensions
    9.28 x 6.06 x 1.85 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    9780140079494
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0140079494
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Daniel Halpern is the author of eight collections of poetry, and has received numerous grants and awards (including fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the 1993 PEN Publisher Citation). For twenty-five years he edited the literary magazine Antaeus. He is currently Editorial Director of The Ecco Press/HarperCollins and divides his time between Princeton, New Jersey and New York City.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0140079491
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books (November 3, 1987)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 832 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780140079494
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140079494
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.94 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.28 x 6.06 x 1.85 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 103 ratings

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Daniel Halpern

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
103 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jeanne
5.0 out of 5 stars A tribute to the art and craft of the short story.
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
The recommended book for a literature class, it's impressive with the collection of short stories/authors
covering almost half century since WW11. Variety of international authors, styles & themes which convince me of the impact of the short story itself.

A terrific value selected from Amazon's used books.
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jjstiv02
5.0 out of 5 stars Kept it after the course ended.
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2012
Verified Purchase
This is such a great collection. I bought it for a 20th century literature course and we covered a decent amount of it. I found myself reading stories that were not assigned and it really turned me onto writers I may not have found otherwise. My favorite was definitely "Action Will Be Taken" by Heinrich Böll. It's a great resource for teaching and my prof said it was the best collection he'd found. I liked mine so much that I kept it after the course ended so I could keep reading, which is saying something since I'm a poor college student and could have sold it back to Amazon. :-) It's a fantastic set of literary works and I highly recommend it to all readers!
9 people found this helpful
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adequatemars237
5.0 out of 5 stars Easy read
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2020
Verified Purchase
College required English textbook however a great recommend for a read for short stories. Very entertaining and all the stories are put together so well.
3 people found this helpful
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Denver Dilettante
5.0 out of 5 stars Stories from Lots of Places
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2016
Verified Purchase
Mostly post-War stories. Not sure why it's called "The Art of the Tale;" the stories aren't exactly plot-heavy, being fairly modern. But there aren't too many anthologies of international short stories out there, and this has some great ones!
3 people found this helpful
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Greta Cohan
4.0 out of 5 stars rich collection of stories
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2007
Verified Purchase
Although I haven't yet read all the stories in this collection of international short fiction, those I've read are very good. I don't expect to enjoy all of them, of course, but so far, the stories that I've read are well-chosen and fine examples of literature by authors from many different places in the world. Our book club is using the text, and every two weeks we discuss another two stories. It will keep us busy and happy for a long time! Not only are we enjoying the quality of the works, we are fascinated by the variety of the cultural experiences to which we are introduced.
6 people found this helpful
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mmk310
5.0 out of 5 stars The selection of stories is superb and unexpected. Two ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2014
Verified Purchase
The selection of stories is superb and unexpected. Two examples: "The Mother" by Natalia Ginzburg and Graham Greene ' s apparently modest "Two Gentle People." These are true literary masterpieces of the human soul told with economy of words--revealing the unsaid.
4 people found this helpful
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Joanne T. Lewis
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2016
Verified Purchase
I tried to like these short stories more but I just didn't.
One person found this helpful
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Angieeelalas
5.0 out of 5 stars This is an awesome book!
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2017
Verified Purchase
I got this for creative writing, and i am just totally amazed! I love the stories! Thanks :D
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars BEWARE! Exact same stories as in "The Penguin Book of International Short Stories: 1945-1985"
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
Both edited by Daniel Halpern. Even the Introduction by Halpern is identical.

The stories are great. No problem there. The problem is with Penguin - reissuing the book under a different title.

And the ISBNs won't tell you anything as they are different.

So, if you have one don't buy the other. Lesson to be learned: if two penguin books have the same editor and seem of a similar bent beware until you've checked it out in a shop. If either is secondhand you may not be able to do this.

We could look out for each other when writing reviews by mentioning some of the actual stories. Somebody did that in a review but I didn't notice it in time.

Or maybe booksellers should write the list of contents when selling books online. Just an idea.
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Caroline Harris
3.0 out of 5 stars Oh for a happy ending!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2016
Verified Purchase
bought for a course. I felt all the tales were really gloomy. Oh for a happy ending!
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Tazzy
4.0 out of 5 stars Good collection of short stories
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
Good introduction to some new writers.
Lost a star for poor packaging, packet was open at one end when delivered.
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