"Widely regarded as the nation's most prestigious award for short fiction."-The Atlantic Monthly Established in 1918 as a memorial to the master of the short story genre, O. Henry,Prize Storieshas long been recognized as the premier forum for the contemporary story. The volume for 1993 carries forth the time-honored literary tradition in 23 selections as original and varied as the current trends in short fiction. The top prize for 1993 is awarded to Thom Jones's "The Pugilist at Rest," which explores the interior depths of depression through the eyes of Vietnam vet and former Marine boxing champion. Other stories in this collection include- Andrea Lee "Winter Barley" William F. Van Wert "Shaking" Joyce Carol Oates "Goose-Girl" Charles Eastman "Yellow Flags" Cornelia Nixon "Risk" Rilla Askew "The Killing Blanket" Antonya Nelson "Dirty Words" John H. Richardson "The Pink House" Diane Levenberg "A Modern Love Story" John Van Kirk "Newark Job" Alice Adams "The Islands" Stephen Dixon "The Rare Muscovite" Lorrie Moore "Charades" Kate Wheeler "Improving My Average" Peter Weltner "The Greek Head" C. E. Poverman "The Man Who Died" Jennifer Egan "Puerto Vallarta" Charles Johnson "Kwoon" Linda Svendsen "The Edger Man" Daniel Stern "The Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka- A Story" Josephine Jacobsen "The Pier-Glass" Steven Schwarz "Madagascar"