The New York Stories

by John O'Hara, Steven Goldleaf (Editor), E.L. Doctorow (Foreword)

Collected for the first time, the New York stories of John O'Hara, "among the greatest short story writers in English, or in any other language" (Brendan Gill, Here at The New Yorker)

Collected for the first time, here are the New York stories of one of the twentieth century’s definitive  chroniclers of the city—the speakeasies and highballs, social climbers and cinema stars, mistresses and powerbrokers, unsparingly observed by a popular American master of realism. Spanning his four-decade career, these more than thirty refreshingly frank, sparely written stories are among John O’Hara’s finest work, exploring the materialist aspirations and sexual exploits of flawed, prodigally human characters and showcasing the snappy dialogue, telling details and ironic narrative twists that made him the most-published short story writer in the history of the New Yorker.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, New York, American, Audiobook, The United States Of America

400 pages, Paperback

First published August 27, 2013

About the author

American writer John Henry O'Hara contributed short stories to the New Yorker and wrote novels, such as BUtterfield 8 (1935) and Ten North Frederick (1955).

Best-selling works of John Henry O'Hara include Appointment in Samarra . People particularly knew him for an uncannily accurate ear for dialogue. O'Hara, a keen observer of social status and class differences, wrote frequently about the socially ambitious.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_O&#...

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing my current love affair with Mr. O'Hara. One HELL of a writer!

O'Hara wrote hundreds of short stories. Ultimately, they found their way into collections, of course. The one I read recently - Library of America's 'John O'Hara: Stories' - pulled from his entire short story output. But this volume is limited in scope; it only covers stories set in New York. (O'Hara also wrote groups of stories set in Hollywood and 'Gibbsville', a stand-in for his hometown.)

Since the LOA edition had more freedom, its editor was able to select what he considered to be the best of everything. 'The New York Stories' is slightly less fortunate - but only slightly. By that I mean I find the subject matter of a handful of the stories less interesting. However...even the less-interesting stories are still very well-written as stories. (I'd say that's a particular talent and accomplishment.)

A few of the stories here are also included in the LOA edition - but, upon recognition, I didn't skip over them, I just read and enjoyed them again.

O'Hara's breadth of research/knowledge is staggering. Though sharp character portraits are always front-and-center, O'Hara always did his homework to make character background powerfully believable. (When it comes to covering the milieu of certain characters in particularly impressive detail, I just don't know how the guy did it.)

Most of these 32 stories are on the very short side. Some run to 10 pages. But none of them feel insignificant in terms of the territory they cover; you feel you're told just what you need to know for basic but complete satisfaction, and nothing more.

But, near the end of this volume, there is a 50+-page tale - long for a short story but too short for a novella: 'We're Friends Again'. It's probably my favorite in this collection, as it illuminates what happens between a pair of married couples (as well as some others on the periphery of their lives). In almost-snapshot-fashion, the story covers several decades and includes surprising storyline shifts (i.e., participation in Resistance efforts during WWII). This story showcases some of O'Hara's most layered character analysis... and it's simply marvelous.

[Joseph Sciuto · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly amazing collection of stories by John O'Hara depicting the 1930's through the 1950's in Manhattan... Many stories centering around older Hollywood actors who could not get any more work in films and so rather than be humiliated they move back to New York to work on Broadway or simply to become invisible and not have to answer to Hollywood actors, agents, producers, and fans about why they had not been seen in any movies in such a long time. Highly recommend. Mr. O'Hara is truly one of America's greatest writers.

[Takumo-N · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories are about has-beens, wannabes, cheaters, hustlers, drunks, people that married into money or at their wits ends and putting everything they've got left into this one oportunity. They're all horrible, out of touch characters. But the dialogue is so compelling and witty that even if you're reading about a married woman and man cheating on each other, you like them and want to know where everything is going. There is a lurking brutality on every story, and you'll never know how is going to conclude.

[Alta]

The New York Stories by John O’Hara (Penguin Classics, 2013)

Most of O’Hara’s stories have been published in The New Yorker, giving birth to a certain type of story that we now associate with the magazine. Though I am not a fan of this type of story, I find O’Hara’s stories among the most entertaining I’ve ever read.

Having worked as a journalist, the skills accumulated while reporting real facts have served him well and have helped him create punchy, fact-based stories often inspired by overheard conversations. An O’Hara story is often like a play, in that the setting is circumscribed, the period of time in which the events take place is very short (a day or even a few hours), and it sometimes starts and/or ends with dialogue. O’Hara’s characters are from all the walks of life—bartenders, showgirls, cops, doctors, widows (more or less wealthy), drunks, actors—and one can tell that he has a deep knowledge of all the American class structures. But the most idiosyncratic characteristic of his stories is that his characters are defined by/through their voices and way of speaking. His dialogues are so vivid and life-like, that even when you don’t know almost anything about his characters, you can see them. Some of the stories in this collection are nothing more than dialogues between a husband and a wife, or a man and a woman who have just met—but they draw you in from the first line. One of O’Hara’s techniques is to start a story in the middle of an ongoing dialogue, which makes the reader curious to find out the missing piece of information. Another technique is an intriguing, mysterious ending.

Some examples of O’Hara beginnings: “The alarm clock went off and she did not remember setting it.” (“The Assistant); “The famous actress went to the window and gazed down at the snow-covered park.” (“Can I Stay Here?”); “Miller was putting his key in the lock.” (“Good-Bye, Herman”); and some endings: “She knew it [her lawyer’s phone number] by heart.” (“The Assistant”); “‘That’s right,’ he said. ‘Me’.” (“It’s Mental Work”).

[Moesha Keswani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Need to get away from American Lit for a while because it’s so bloody miserable (but maybe that’s why I keep going back?)

[Patrick McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories set in New York city are about people on the fringes: has-beens, imposters, hustlers, drunks, gold diggers or those who seem to be in a tight spot. These are mostly desperate people looking for one last chance. The stories were written from the 30s to the 60s and notable for the lively, realistic dialogue. O’Hara is an underrated writer who chronicles the lives of the desperate in a lively and entertaining manner.

[Irina · Rating 3 out of 5]

1930s-1960s cooler than cool New Yorker stories about New Yorkers. In true New Yorker writing style, I found them too detached and too intellectual sometimes, the characters far removed from types I'd recognize: old showbizz has-been actors and the elder, richer strata of society. Amazing writing from the period and what I particularly liked was the author's knack of inserting you from the very beginning right inside the middle of the story, it was not hard to go from one to another as it so often can be with a collection of short stories. To be enjoyed with a stiff Martini and no emotions, darling.

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the fact that most of these stories appeared in the New Yorker magazine, I've come to the realization that O'Hara was a better novelist than a short story writer. Perhaps one should read these stories one at a time with breaks in between (might be true for many short story collections), otherwise they run together and your left with the feeling that your reading the same story over and over again.

[Michael Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories are very flavorful. Many have the feeling of being prompted by Dawn Powell. I was unfamiliar with the work of John O'Hara but have an idea that this was a good place to start because the stories a brief enough to absorb without getting hung up on the length of a novel and they taste like they came from the New Yorker magazine which apparently many of them did. Especially enjoyed Bread Alone, Family Evening, Frankie, John Barton Rosedale, Actors' Actor, The Sun-Dodgers among others. In fact, the only one I had any trouble with was Portistan on the Portis, and that may be because the slang used is too dated and doesn't seem to mean much today. Yes, the man was of another time and these tales are firmly of that time but still pertinent in many ways. If you have not yet discovered the voice of John O'Hara, this is as good a place to begin listening to one of the premier writers of the twentieth-century. There is one novella included called We're Friends Again, so one can get a taste of how O'Hara dealt with lengthier writing before jumping into his novels. Highly recommended.

[Karen Marcum · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of John O'Hara's short stories, most of them appearing in the The New Yorker magazine between the 1930s and 1960s, are all quite good. These stories cross-walk across the lives of the people who live in New York City and local environs, and typically are about the people of my parents' generation. Some of these stories are quite short (2-3 pages), and others are much, much longer; but they are all insightful and incisive. The plots tend to revolve people's cares, their hopes, their desires, their loves; in other words, the full range of human life and emotion. O'Hara uses his words carefully and makes the characters come alive on the page.

Some of my favorite stories include "We're Friends Again," "Sportsmanship," and "Pleasure," but quite frankly they were all very good.

This a great edition to my short stories collection. A solid 4.5 stars of 5 for me.

[Marilyn Getts · Rating 4 out of 5]

An audio book to savor. The stories are tightly written and wonderfully presented in this audio collection. In 2017 the stories bring you back to a different time and a whole cast of 1930s to 1950s characters. It's full of bars, cocktail parties, old dames, society women, lawyers, thugs, and clubs that no longer exist. I loved going through the doors and peeking in, even when things weren't pretty. It's a world that I'm glad no longer exists, but good to remember the way John O'Hara presented it at the time, without the filters of current day nostalgia. I can see the fedoras, the whiskey, the table full of reporters and the wiseguys at the the bar.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cynical, lonely characters on a backdrop of New York before and after ww2

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

O'Hara was a prolific short story writer -- this volume limits itself to his New York stories (duh.) Of all the writers I've read, he stands out as having a singular ear for dialogue. O'Hara faithfully duplicates speech patterns in a way that is as startling and evocative as hearing an old record crackle into sound. This renders some of his 1930s-era work nearly unintelligible as the reader is lost in pages of mob or barfly slang, but pulls even a modern reader closer to his characters. The stories rarely capture more than a moment, maybe a short period in his creations' lives, but they *feel* so intensely real. The mobsters, showgirls, bored housewives, and actors of O'Hara's New York drink, smoke, screw people they shouldn't, and relish casual cruelty in a way that flies off the page. I read a lot of midcentury fiction but felt like I learned so much about the personal and political currents of the era just from their everyday lives (the effects of Prohibition, a declaration that Roosevelt is Hitler and a class traitor from a disgruntled aristocrat, a husband fooling around with a women's auxiliary member, even more problematic elements that remind the reader what decade a story was penned in, and by whom).

Standouts:
The Assistant (1965)- a washed-up starlet has a startling discovery after reminiscing about the old days with a new acquaintance.
Can I Stay Here? (1964) - A woman prepares for lunch with a former lover's daughter, who doesn't quite meet her expectations.
The Nothing Machine (1962) - a female ad agency president has a business dinner with a colleague with a surprising chip on his shoulder.
The Portly Gentleman (1966) - A aging comic actor looking to break into film makes a proposition to a society woman.
The Sun Dodgers. (1962) - Annoying guy in the friend group shows up again decades later 1962
We're Friends Again (1960) - novella charting a friendship through Roosevelt to postwar

"At home, comfortable at last in her lavender-scented bath, she thought of lies and truth, and of a life she had not spent with a man who could be so unforgiving of a little thing that had happened thirty years ago. Humphreysville, Indiana. Good God!"

"It was said of her that she had originated the phrase 'fun party,' although she denied having used it to describe the San Francisco opening of the United Nations."

"The hall door closed and I looked at it, and then I saw that the key was being pushed under it. Twenty-three crowded years later, I still remember the angle of that key as it lay on the dark-green carpet. My passion was spent, but I was not calm of mind; by accident the key was pointed toward me, and I thought of the swords at a court-martial. I was being resentenced to that old frenetic loneliness that none of us would admit to, but that governed our habits and our lives."


Standous

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I came across John O'Hara through the New Yorker Podcast (which is excellent). I'd never heard of him, he seems to have fallen out of fashion after decades of popularity. This is more of a me problem than a problem with O'hara. I don't like reading an entire volume of short stories all in one go. Since this was a library book, I'd not much choice. I find I get bored, and start noticing an author's tics far too much when I need to read such a great volume of work all at once -- things I'd probably never notice if I'd had the time to read two or three stories between other things. For the most part these are great, and capture a certain time and mood in New York City mid-century. Its pre-feminism. Its pre-birth control. Women are limited to certain things, which doesn't mean they don't have power, it can only be exercised in a certain way. Appearance, marriage, affairs, all these things had social rules that wen (or those that live in my bubble) just don't think about anymore. His portrayal of male friendship was interesting too. Most of the married couples in the stories were not "friends". People, according to O'hara, seemed to seek out friendship with the same gender (though there were exceptions). I also had just read a collection of Bobbie Ann Mason's short stories - which were notable for the fact that they were much more like 'sketches,' in that they did not necessarily have a neat story arc, nor any arc whatsoever. Older short stories have, generally, a beginning, middle and end, current short stories are less likely to follow a traditional format. John O'hara's work seems to be in that transitional period. Some have the traditional arc (a few with a lovely twist at the end), but many are much more open ended like more modern writing.

[Bruno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pranzi al club, pittori di cui nessuno si ricorda più, attrici con una carriera in declino costrette a farsi pagare il taxi, autisti di Rolls-Royce, editori, giardinieri, baristi, guardarobiere, impresari, cameriere, un ex giocatore di baseball e poi persone stipendiate. Persone che dovevano far quadrare i conti. Persone da caffè istantaneo e un quarto di panna al negozio di alimentari.

Tra i preferiti:

Posso rimanere qui: un'ex attrice che ospita a pranzo la giovane figlia di un vecchio spasimante che però si presenta già alticcia.

Ellie: una coppia di fratelli texani trasferitisi a New York dopo la morte dei genitori.

Frankie: il barbiere che tormenta la ragazza che si occupa della manicure.

Arrivederci Herman: la visita da parte del barbiere del padre morto.

Harrington & Whitehill: due cugine e una casa editrice.

È energia mentale: Hickman il barista e la guardarobiera.

e poi A vita privata, La carriera pubblica del Signor Harrisburg, Amici di nuovo e La tua buuuf fabuuuf fafaccia.

[Bobby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "New York Stories" collected here are all about the dialogue. O'Hara's frank language, lack of moral judgment for the lifestyle choices of his characters, and their slang and speech patterns puts me in mind of an early 20th century Quentin Tarantino. The subjects are all about interrelations and span from high society through sports figures and gangsters, down to the bartenders and their lowliest drunks.

This volume isn't really meant to be read from cover to cover all at once, as many of the stories cover the same ground and can become a little tedious and overlapping with washed up actors and bored socialites. But at their best the stories are a vibrant eavesdropping on New York City of the 1920s-50s. Social media of its time.

[jjmann3 · Rating 3 out of 5]

If one writes about what they know, the New York Stories demonstrate that John O’Hara was an expert about mid-century social climbers, illicit affairs, fallen celebrities, and mixed drinks. The book sweeps the reader to mid-century New York -- the dazzling center of the universe -- and to a time of landline phones, missed encounters, social clubs among the well healed, high-rise offices, and the smokey blue-collar bar. References to Princeton, Harvard, Yale, and Brooks Brothers abound. I enjoyed just about all the 30 some-odd stories collected, with ‘The Brain;’‘Call Me, Call Me;’‘Can I Stay Here?;’ and ‘Ellie” being my favorites. Highly recommended for light reading.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the stories to be so dated but there were some surprising situations that harboured on the surreal and that always appeals to me. I think the following quotation sums up some of the sadness and streaks of bleakness that permeate the stories.

What did he know about me? What, really, can any of us know about any of us, and why must we make such a thing of loneliness when it is the final condition of us all? And where would love be with out it? We’re Friends Again

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I like the idea that these stories are from another era. It adds a poignancy to them, because just as we know that the characters in O'Hara's stories have seen better days, so, as a matter of fact, have we. O'Hara is a realist, and the gritty side of life is as much a part of his work as the university clubs, the penthouses and the formal dinner wear. Not all of these stories are winners, but there is something in almost all of them that makes for pleasurable reading.

[Chris Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this a while back because Elmore Leonard recommended it in an old interview and I can understand why as these are really dialogue heavy and quite sharp. Some don't really click either due to length or being about the Richest White Person Problems imaginable but there are some wonderful portraits of people in and around show business. One of the blurbs compared it to "Mad Men," which is accurate for mostly better and a little worse. Great cover.

[Ian McAuley · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a strong sense of place (New York) and time (the 1930s through to the 1960s) in these stories,. There's a strong focus on people on the fringes of 'respectable' society - actors, chorus girls, hustlers, 'has-beens', drunks, gangsters, gamblers - and their struggles in their relationships, divorces and affairs (much on these last two). It's not a happy world, on the whole. Largely 'hard-boiled', but sometimes sentimental. There's little sense of New York exteriors, of street life (most of the stories focus on characters' interactions behind closed doors or in bars, clubs and restaurants). As is the case with many 'comprehensive' collections of short stories by one author, the themes begin to get repetitious from maybe half way through the book. Also, the extended dialogues between characters can get tiring for the reader - some of these stories seem more like scripts for a radio show and aren't, in my view, particularly well structured as short stories for reading. Interesting, up to a point. I wasn't personally wild about this author - though he has clearly captured the zeitgeist of that period and of a certain set of people. I wavered between 3 stars and 4, but gave this book a 3 in the end. Just my view.

[Jillian Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the writing of John O'Hara, & some of these stories are wonderful. Others seem unfinished, like maybe they're actually a fragment of a larger piece that O'Hara never got around to completing. It certainly could be that I just don't "get" the point of some of the stories. But whatever the case, some of them left me unsatisfied.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful writing. Great stories and the emergence of our erudite, urban culture. It is easy to see the precursor to the New Yorker essays. A book for the 1% (maybe 10%) lovingly and longingly wishing for those presumably simpler times with clear class lines and hoity toity pretensions. The book has many similar themed stories.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Top notch dialog. O'Hara's skill is give characters accurate dialogs down to even the mutations or variations of words they would typically use.

A lot of characters are former actors who are now outside the limelight. I think perhaps this came from the fact that he did run into such characters in New York when writing his stories. The stories seem quite authentic.

[Jon Jurgovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shelby Foote was asked if he could meet any other who would it be. He answered "John O'Hara".

These short stories were great. Like a blend between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Amor Towles. Insane how he can so convincingly occupy the minds of any New Yorker from a WASP society type to a black mechanic from the Bronx. Need to read more of this guy.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Any one of these stories did a wonderful job creating characters and situations that were interesting and engaging. But as a collection, I found them to be so similar that reading them back to back became a chore.
So many were about older people reminiscing about their youth and it definitely became a bore.

[Lynn Cornelissen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A completely different take on reading, short simple stories you are thrown into - no beginnings, no middles, no ends. The eavesdrop-style of storytelling drew me into some stories more than others. Overall an enjoyable read.

[Christopher Renberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I was intrigued that he simply placed the stories alphabetically. Great glimpses of NYC. The author does well with dialogue and allowing it to carry the narrative. Glad I picked this up and it made me want to read more by him.

[Dan Hennessy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like reading an Edward Hopper painting! There were something Asylum-era Tom Waits about them too. Enjoyed these little slices of life. To nitpick, I'd say a great deal of these stories are well written but ultimately unmemorable - but maybe that was the point? Enjoyed regardless