There is no denying the fact that America really has dominated modern English literature. Be it fiction or mystery or serious literature, American writers have carved their niche in the world of short story writing. Here is the list of top five American writers in our opinion:
O. Henry
Most well known for his short story “The Gift of the Magi” (a story about a young poor couple who each sells their most precious object in order to buy a Christmas gift for their partner), this great author’s real name is William Sydney Porter.
Washington Irving
An American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century, he is best known for his short stories “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle”, both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.
Isaac Asimov
Primarily known as a science fiction writer, he has 3 well known short stories, “I, Robot”, “The Bicentennial Man”, and “The Last Question.” The first two have been turned into movies. He wrote 19 Short Story collections, spanning a total of 284.
Stephen King
35 of his short stories have been made into movies, though perhaps the most famous is “Stand By Me”. He has written 8 story collections and a total of 124 short stories and 17 Novellas in his career. He was also selected to be the editor of The Best American Short Stories of 2007, and also won the O. Henry Award in 1996.
Edgar Allen Poe
Poe is probably the most famous English short story writer of all time. His famous short stories include “The Tell Tale Heart”, “The Masque of the Red Death,” or “The Pit and the Pendulum”. Poe has over 65 short stories to his name.