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JOHN O’HARA
BUtterfield 8
Introduction by Lorin Stein
A masterpiece of American fiction and a bestseller
upon its publication in 1935, BUtterfield 8 lays bare
the unspoken and often shocking truths that lurked
beneath the surface of a society still reeling from the
effects of the Great Depression. Made into an Oscar–
winning film starring Elizabeth Taylor and inspired by
true events, this brashly honest tale caused a sensation
for its frank depiction of the relationship between a wild
and beautiful young woman and a respectable married
man.
The New York Stories
Edited with an Introduction by Steven Goldleaf
Foreword by E. L. Doctorow
Collected for the first time, here are the New York stories
of one of the twentieth century’s definitive chroniclers
of the city—the speakeasies and highballs, social
climbers and cinema stars, mistresses and powerbrokers,
unsparingly observed by a popular American master
of realism. Spanning his four-decade career, these
more than thirty refreshingly frank, sparely written
stories are among John O’Hara’s finest work, exploring
the materialist aspirations and sexual exploits of
flawed, prodigally human characters and showcasing
the snappy dialogue, telling details and ironic narrative
twists that made him the most-published short story
writer in the history of the New Yorker.
“ I binge on his collections the way some people
binge on Mad Men, and for some of the same
reasons.” —Lorin Stein, editor of the
Paris Review
“ [O’Hara is] a man who knows exactly what
he is writing about and has written it
marvelously well.” —Ernest Hemingway
“ Among the greatest short story
writers in English, or in any other
language . . . [O’Hara helped] to invent
what the world came to call the New Yorker
short story.” —Brendan Gill, in Here at the
New Yorker
“ O’Hara practices the classic form of the
modern short story developed by Joyce and
perfected by Hemingway. . . . His coverage is
worthy of a Balzac.” —E. L. Doctorow, from the
Foreword to The New York Stories
John o’haRa (1905–1970) was one of the most prominent American
writers of the twentieth century. Championed by Ernest Hemingway,
F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Dorothy Parker, he wrote fourteen novels; his first,
Appointment in Samarra, received instant acclaim and launched him to
prominence at the age of twenty-nine. O’Hara had more stories published in
the New Yorker than anyone in the history of the magazine.
steven golDleaf is a professor of English literature at Pace
University and the author of John O’Hara: A Study of Short Fiction. He lives in
New York City.
e. l. DoCtoRow, one of America’s most acclaimed living writers, is
the author of such novels as Ragtime, The March, and Homer & Langley and
the recipient of the National Book Award, three National Book Critics Circle
Awards, two PEN/Faulkner Awards, and the National Humanities Medal. He
lives in New York City.
loRin stein is the editor of the Paris Review and has written for
the New York Review of Books, Harper’s, the New Republic,
and the London Review of Books. He lives in New York City.
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