The Best American Short Stories 2013

The Best American Short Stories 2013, a volume in the Best American Short Stories series, was edited by Heidi Pitlor and by guest editor Elizabeth Strout.^[1] In her introduction Strout noted that she did not chose a story "primarily based on its subject," but that, for her, "voice" was a stronger criterion:

That sound – if it is working well – has authority, probably the most important dimension of voice. We really hope the writer knows what he or she is doing. And we really hope that this sense of authority will be sustained throughout. We look for this the same way we look for authoritative competence in any other trade… I don’t think readers think about this analytically, but instead, they experience it as a feeling about the writer that grows stronger as they read… (p. xiv)

In the Kirkus Reviews review the volume was found praiseworthy and that " the Contributors’ Notes on the stories are fascinating", but also noted that it is "lighter on discovery and revelation than some previous annuals".^[2] In a review by Naomi Huffman in New City Lit the collection is considered to live up to its name and found to feature "no duds, even if a couple of the stories aren’t quite as good as the rest.^[3]