Best Canadian Stories 94

Hugh Oliver is editor-in-chief at the OISE Press.

In its 24 years of publication, the annual Best Canadian Stories has
maintained a high standard. In the present volume, however, there seems
to be a noticeable shift, from stories with a beginning, middle, and
end, to stories characterized by dreamlike poetic sequences, powerful
imagery, and well-defined characters who are motivated by an internal
logic that may or may not be rooted in external reality. All of the
stories are beautifully written. The only truly memorable one, however,
by Mavis Gallant, concerns an elderly French writer grappling with
bachelor existence in his Parisian apartment and reflecting on the past
10 years of his life.