[Gutenberg 11512] • O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921

In 1918 the Society of Arts and Sciences established the O. Henry Memorial Awards to reward the very best short stories published during the previous year with cash prizes. 1921 was a particularly productive year with sterling and brilliantly varied examples of the art of short story writing as are included here. The selection committee struggled to agree on these, but finally, here they are for us to enjoy and record. The length varies but most are sufficiently long for a reader to get their teeth into and enjoy. The stories are listed in a rough order of how they were judged, but all are excellent.

Summary by Phil Chenevert

This collection contains:

The Heart of Little Shikara by Edison Tesla Marshall, read by Mike Pelton

The Man who Cursed the Lilies by Charles Tenney Jackson, read by Christine Dufour

The Urge by Maryland Allen, read by Christine Dufour

Mummery by Thomas Beer, read by David Hinson

The Victim of His Vision by Gerald Chittenden, read by meridiculous

Martin Gerrity Gets Even by Courtney Ryley Cooper and Leo F. Creagan, read by Fred Sandal

Stranger Things by Mildred Cram, read by Jothi Tharavant

Comet by Samuel A. Derieux, read by Jothi Tharavant

Fifty-two Weeks for Florette by Elizabeth Alexander Heermann, read by Wendy Almeida

Wild Earth by Sophie Kerr, read by Mike Pelton

The Tribute by Harry Anable Kniffin, read by Garth Burton

The Get-away by Orlando Faulkland Lewis, read by Graham McMillan

'Aurore' by Ethel Watts Mumford, read by Michele Fry

Mr. Downey Sits Down by L. H. Robbins, read by Christine Dufour

The Marriage in Kairwan by Wilbur Daniel Steele, read by Graham McMillan

Grit by Tristram Tupper, read by Mike Pelton