What The Story Prize Judges Had To Say About Steven MIllhauser's We Others

© Beowulf Sheehan

When the three judges for The Story Prize make their choices, they provide citations for the books. This year's judges were Sherman Alexie, Breon Mitchell, and Louise Steinman. We include the citations in congratulatory letters we present to each finalist, along with their checks ($20,000 to the winner, $5,000 to the other two finalists). To protect the confidentiality of the judges' votes and the integrity of the process, we don't attribute citations to any particular judge.

Here's what one judge had to say about Steven Millhauser's Story Prize winning collection We Others: New & Selected Stories (Knopf):

“This is a powerful and intriguing collection of stories, marked by page after page of beautifully written, intelligent, and sensitive prose. Millhauser’s world is filled with mysterious and enigmatic twists and turns, described so precisely and convincingly that even a boy’s flight on a magic carpet seems utterly believable. Tale after tale reveals a deep and clever mind, coupled with an unusual flair for opening up new realms of thought. The short stories of Edgar Allan Poe, Lovecraft, Kafka, and Calvino constantly come to mind—and Steven Millhauser is fully worthy of inclusion in that elevated realm.”