Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Vote for the 2009 New Yorker Story of the Year

It's time to select the 2009 New Yorker Story of the Year. The process is a little different this year. In previous years I have nominated a top ten and then narrowed the list to five on the basis of reader feedback. This year I received reader feedback first in order to select a Top Ten, and the voting (in the poll in the sidebar at right) will include all ten stories.

Below are the top ten New Yorker stories of 2009 as determined by the readers of Perpetual Folly. The story title links to the date. The link following the author's name links to the discussion here at Perpetual Folly.

Vote! (Polls close at midnight on December 31.) [Note: votes in the comments section will NOT be counted; vote in the poll on the sidebar at right!]

March 23, 2009: “She’s the One” by Tessa Hadley -- PF Discussion

April 20, 2009: “A Tiny Feast” by Chris Adrian -- PF Discussion

April 27, 2009: “Vast Hell” by Guillermo Martínez -- PF Discussion

June 8 & 15, 2009: “Good Neighbors” by Jonathan Franzen -- PF Discussion

June 22, 2009: “Idols” by Tim Gautreaux -- PF Discussion

September 28, 2009: “Temporary” by Marisa Silver -- PF Discussion

October 5, 2009: “Victory Lap” by George Saunders -- PF Discussion

October 19, 2009: “Complicity” by Julian Barnes -- PF Discussion

November 2, 2009: “While the Women are Sleeping” by Javier Marías -- PF Discussion

November 30, 2009: “Midnight in Dostoevsky” by Don DeLillo -- PF Discussion

16 comments:

Michael Leone said...

Idols

cmsmw said...

I also pick "Idols", but looking back on this list there are others that I think are nearly as deserving. In the end, though, "Idols" gets my vote.

Sarah said...

I thought "She's the One" and "A Tiny Feast" were terrific, but so was "Idols." Both Tessa Hadley and Chris Adrian leave me in awe -- I wonder how they do it.

Porochista Khakpour said...

Victory Lap!

cmsmw said...

I have little patience for the grammar police, but I'll now do an appropriate head-slap for the dangling modifier in my previous comment!

Tim said...

Victory Lap. Come on, Saunders is a short fiction genius.

Unknown said...

And yet no one has voted for Victory Lap yet.

Paul said...

I just voted for Temporary.

Brendan Mathews said...

Victory Lap! Brilliant, surprising, and (spoiler alert) a non-tragic ending.

Ravi Mangla said...

Do you vote, Cliff?

Unknown said...

Ravi,
I haven't yet this year, but I usually do.

A. Putty said...

"Victory Lap", all the way! (I'm the Anonymous who posted in that story's thread).

pamela said...

is it fair to vote if you haven't read all of the finalists?

Unknown said...

Pamela,
all's fair in love and literature

lisa peet said...

"A Tiny Feast" has stuck with me since I read it, so it gets y vote.

Pamela said...

In that case... Victory Lap!