Christmas Stories from the South's Best Writers - Tapa dura

A collection of eleven short pieces of Southern fiction, this anthology provides a mature and poignant reflection on the holiday season. Childhood memories, past lovers, and departed family members haunt the pages of these illuminating and unforgettable stories, most of which have never before been published. The barren northern winter cuts through the pages of "Christmas 1910," wherein Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Olen Butler tells of the unrequited affection felt by a South Dakota girl towards a distant stranger who visits her family's homestead on Christmas Eve. Sheryl Cornett crafts a tender portrait of acceptance and family in "Luke," Margaret McMullan explores an unusual Christmas in Mississippi shared between a house laborer and a wealthy child in "The Swing," and an aging father works to confront the trauma of his childhood in Glen Allison's "The Christmas Monkey."
Accompanied by gentle watercolor illustrations, each of the eleven stories shines as a piece of exemplary short fiction, which, when taken together, become a literary treasure. Featuring the voices of twelve of the finest Southern authors, including the critically acclaimed novelist Olympia Vernon, five-time O. Henry Award recipient Elizabeth Spencer, and poet, essayist, and documentary filmmaker Kay Sloan, this collection presents a rich and varied assortment of characters, emotions, and experiences celebrating Christmas as a season of both joy and contemplation.