Steven Millhauser on a Form 'Second to No Other'

© Beowulf Sheehan

Steven Millhauser's acceptance speech was eloquent and very much in keeping with our aim of supporting the short story form, so, with his permission, we thought we'd share his words. 

"My strong thanks for this honor. I particularly want to thank Larry Dark and Julie Lindsey for selecting the three final collections, and Sherman Alexie, Breon Mitchell, and Louise Steinman for choosing We Others. In addition, I wish to thank my editor, Robin Desser, who fought for the idea for a New and Selected Stories against my skeptical protest – I feared that such a book could only be a tombstone – and my agent, Amanda Urban, who has been unfailingly supportive for more than twenty-five years and whom I would trust with anything.

"Most American writers begin with the short story and then become novelists – for them, the short story is a kind of apprenticeship. My own history is backward: I began as a novelist and later turned to the short story. Exactly why this is so remains mysterious even to me. But the crucial thing is that I didn’t turn to the story as a form of preparation for something larger or more important – on the contrary, it’s as if the novel were a kind of preparation for the rigorous pleasures of the shorter form. For me, the shortness of a great story is part of its greatness. In any case, I love and revere this form of writing, and hold it second to no other form; and I’m grateful, deeply grateful, that the short story should be recognized on an occasion such as this. Thank you."

Video of the March 21 Story Prize event at The New School

 In case you missed it:

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.”

What The Story Prize Judges Had to Say About Don DeLillo's The Angel Esmeralda

© 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 Story Prize finalist Don DeLillo's The Angel Esmeralda (Scribner):

“How can stories be so beautiful—the structure stripped of plot, the characters unmoored from recognizable routines? These are elegiac tales for our troubled times—whether the protagonist is looking at our fragile Earth from outer space or contemplating the face of a murdered feral child on a billboard in the Bronx where highways and rail tracks meet. The unsaid and the undefined all contribute to the mysterious clarity of these stories. Miracles might still happen to lift us out of our terror. Moments of tenderness in empty galleries or darkened theaters or in the cockpit of a death-dealing space ship still speak to our humanity, to possibility, to hope. Every story in this curated collection is a gem.”

What The Story Prize Judges Had to Say About Edith Pearlman's Binocular Vision

© 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 the judges had to say about Story Prize finalist Edith Pearlman's Binocular Vision (Lookout Books):

“Edith Pearlman compresses a lifetime of learning and listening into these masterful stories. Though often set in a particular geographical locale, they encompass the vast landscape of our messy lives and noble intentions, our ache to be understood. I agree with Ann Patchett that this volume is the work of a "stunning intelligence"—the stories reverberate in my mind for days. Structure, rhythm, insight—they're all there. Not a sentence is wasted. Binocular Vision is the book of stories I'd seal into a time capsule and feel confident that when it was unearthed in a century or two, the essence of what it means to live and die and love as a human being would be communicated.”

The Story Prize Event: We've Got It Covered

Steven Millhauser accepts The Story Prize.                        (© Beowulf Sheehan)

Here's some of the coverage that Wednesday night's Story Prize event has gotten so far:

Reuters

AP

L.A. Times Jacket Copy

Shelf Awareness

Poets & Writers

The Outlet

Like Fire

New York Times Arts Beat

GalleyCat

CBC

Alfred A. Knopf

Skidmore Unofficial

You Idiot! Saratoga Springs

Capital New York

Fiction Writers Review

Pictures from The Story Prize Event

       All photos © Beowulf Sheehan

At the reception: Story Prize Founder Julie Lindsey,
winner Steven Millhauser, Director Larry Dark, finalist Edith Pearlman.

Don DeLillo reads from his story "The Starveling," from The Angel Esmeralda.

Finalists Edith Pearlman and Steven Millhauser in the green room
at the New School's Tishman Auditorium.

Story Prize finalist Don DeLillo and award Director Larry Dark.

Story Prize finalist Steven Millhauser at the podium.

Story Prize finalist Edith Pearlman reads "Mates,"
from her collection, Binocular Vision

Story Prize Director Larry Dark, winner Steven Millhauser, and
Founder Julie Lindsey on stage after announcing the winner.

Steven Millhauser's We Others Takes The Story Prize

The winner of The Story Prize for short story collections published in 2011 is Steven Millhauser for We Others: New & Selected Stories (Alfred A. Knopf). Millhauser takes home a check for $20,000 and an engraved silver bowl. The runners-up, Don DeLillo and Edith Pearlman, each take home $5,000. It was a pleasure to talk these authors and to hear all three read.

In many respects, these were the best matched finalists we've had. All three books collect stories that show an impressive range and breadth, written over more than 30 years. It's no exaggeration to say that all three authors are skillful and supremely accomplished. Don DeLillo's The Angel Esmeralda (Scribner) and Edith Pearlman's Binocular Vision (Lookout Books) deserve the admiration and passionate followings they've earned, as does Millhauser's work.

In the days ahead, here and at the mother ship, we'll post citations from the judges, photos from the event, and links to media coverage.