A Literary Christmas: Great Contemporary Christmas Stories

by Lilly Golden (Editor)

Throughout the centuries, many authors have graced readers with their literary visions of Christmas. This collection features stories by Anne Beattie, Raymond Carver, Italo Calvino, Tobias Wolff, and other contemporary authors that celebrate the spirit of Christmas present. "Wonderful to read aloud or savor quietly."--Booklist.

Genres: Christmas, Short Stories, Fiction

321 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1992

Reviews

[Marilyn]

Christmas Morning - Frank O’Connor
Aggie Wren’s Christmas Story - Paul Auster
Champagne - Tobias Wolff
The Birds for Christmas - Mark Richard
Christmas for Sassafras’s, Cypress & Indigo - Ntozake Stange

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[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

I revisit this wonderfully diverse collection of Christmas stories each and every year; it delights me every single time. Merry Christmas.

[Scott Delgado · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I'd give this 2.5 stars. Most of the stories are downers and forgettable. The best ones were excerpts from To Kill A Mockingbird and This Boy's Life.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although some of the stories in this book might be described as "downers," they're all good. Authors include Italo Calvino, Annie Dillard, and Raymond Carver. But my two favorites are by lesser-known (at least to me) authors: The H Street Sledding Record by Ron Carlson, and The Birds for Christmas by Mark Richard. (The title of the latter story refers to the Alfred Hitchcock movie, which might give you some idea of what it's like.) I heartily recommend this book to anyone looking for some seasonal reading (many of the stories, such as The H Street Sledding Record, are quite suitable for reading aloud to adults or teenagers) that is different from the usual fare.

[Les · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Original Notes (1997):

So-so. So many of the short stories were depressing! I enjoyed these, though:

Bless Me, Father, for I Have Sinned by Ray Bradbury

Auggie Wren's Christmas Story by Paul Auster

Christmas for Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo by Ntozake Shange

Christmas by Harper Lee

Where You'll Find Me by Ann Beattie

The Night of the Magi by Leo Rosten

The H Street Sledding Record by Ron Carlson

My Current Thoughts:

I no longer own this book, so I can't go back and re-read these stories. After 20 years I have absolutely no recollection of any of them!

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent collection of Christmas/ winter stories although it was missing a few modern favorites (such as Capote's "A Christmas Memory" which is so darn good).

I skimmed through some but really loved (unsurprisingly) Annie Dillard's folky legend holiday feast, Ray Bradbury's surprise sci-fi twist, and Raymond Carver's unsettling characters (he wrote one of my favorite short stories "A Small, Good Thing" and this reminded me to read more of him).

[Jen]

I forgot who bought me this book many years ago, but I picked it up and have already read Tobias Woolf, Ray Bradbury, and Raymond Carver stories. Good stuff.