Annie Proulx Stories

A major event … anyone reading these stories will discover a new awe for the mystery of human experience — Yiyun Li

From one of the greatest writers of our time, Annie Proulx, comes a sweeping collection of her most celebrated short stories, alongside three new stories, gathered together for the first time.

In these stories, Annie Proulx delves into the lives of characters marked by loneliness, violence, desperation and the wrong kinds of love. Across the bracing landscapes of the American West, New England, and Newfoundland in Canada, we meet rodeo riders and cowboys, ranch and rural workers, and down-and-out drifters. In her most acclaimed story, ‘Brokeback Mountain’, adapted into an award-winning film, a passionate affair between two cowboys survives everything but the world’s intolerance. In each tale, we witness the hard times and unlikely elation of those who feel tied to the land or are desperate to escape it.

Spanning nearly thirty years and drawn from Proulx’s four collections, Annie Proulx Stories gathers her finest and best-loved stories together for the first time. Proulx’s titles alone announce the singular genius of a grimly witty and unflinchingly humane writer: ‘Tits up in a Ditch’; ‘What Kind of Furniture Would Jesus Pick’; ‘People in Hell Just Want a Drink of Water’.

Complete with three never before collected stories, this beautifully designed new volume confirms her as a master of the form and celebrates one of the greatest American writers at work today. It will be treasured by existing fans and a new generation of readers alike.