15 of the Best Short Stories of All Time

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A story doesn’t need to be long to enthrall its readers. Many even claim that writing a good short story is much harder than an entire novel.

In a short story, there’s not much space to develop your characters, settings, and plot. Each word counts, and every sentence must draw your audience deeper into the story you weave.

So if a novel is a cup of coffee, then a short story is a shot of espresso. The first is enjoyed through leisurely sips while the latter is best consumed in its potent form.

Iconic Short Stories

Just like how some novels have withstood the test of time, there are short stories that have taken root in the human consciousness. This list contains some of them, known for their revolutionary style, captivating plot, and subsequent influence on generations of writers.

1. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Released in 1948, The Lottery concerns a small fictional village’s annual tradition where a random citizen is chosen. The story’s gloomy atmosphere slowly turns to horror as readers realize what the ironic prize is—getting stoned to death.

2. The Swimmer by John Cheever

An innocent swim through the neighbors’ pools ends up with a man arriving home and losing everything he has in life. Realism becomes fantasy as the story takes a sudden turn into surreal territories.

3. A View from the Observatory by Helen Dunmore 

Two ladies look from Bristol’s camera obscura down to the Clifton Suspension Bridge. They witness something ominous and it is left to the reader to infer the worst.

4. The Nose by Nikolai Gogol

An official awakes to find that his nose has gained sentience and desires to lead a life of its own. Gogol’s works primarily dealt with the grotesque and absurd, with this short story being one of the best of them.

5. The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami

A wizened caretaker vanishes into thin air, along with his equally elderly elephant. The last person to see them wonders whether it was through magic or optical illusion.

6. If a Book Is Locked There’s Probably a Good Reason for That Don’t You Think by Helen Oyeyemi

A person finds their co-worker’s locked diary, cracks it open, and starts reading. But secrecy was never the point of the lock, and it’s left to the readers to decide what its true purpose is.

7. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

A killer desperately tries to convince the reader of his sanity while narrating the details of his murder. Yet, beneath the floorboards, he hears the beating of a heart.

8. The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

A devoted couple sacrifices their most valuable belongings to buy presents for one another, only to discover that their devotion was their real gift to one another. This story’s twist ending is ironic, and one of the most well-known in literature.

9. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

A man imposes severe restrictions on his wife after a diagnosis of “temporary nervous depression.” He imprisons her in a room where the yellow paper begins to reveal patterns the longer she is confined. It’s an early work of American feminism, tackling the mental and physical of women in the 19th century.

10. Cat Person by Kristen Roupenian

A college student engages in a relationship with a much older man, only to find the dynamic between them slowly becoming unbalanced. It’s one of the few short stories that have become viral on social media, due to its similarities to the dangers of modern dating.

11. The Bet by Anton Chekov

A banker and a lawyer’s discussion about capital punishment end up on a 15-year bet. As the agreed-upon duration nears its end, both begin to realize how much the bet has changed their lives.

12. The Veldt by Ray Bradbury

In the near future, a couple realizes that their automated house has usurped their responsibilities to their two children. An attempt to regain control rewards them with dire consequences.

13. The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu

A grown man reflects on his childhood and explores how his mother brought origami animals to life. And yet, while her paper creations signified her love for him, they also symbolized something that he refused to accept about his mother.

14. Désirée’s Baby by Kate Chopin

A man expels his wife and child from his home, believing them to be of mixed heritage. They are never seen again and a long-hidden secret proves him wrong.

15. The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell

A big-game hunter falls off a yacht and is stranded on an isolated island populated only by an aristocrat and his servant. They invite him to a hunt, where the prey is something he’s never hunted before.

What Makes a Great Short Story?

The best short stories should not just be short, but succint. There’s only so much you can put in your prose that every word must count towards building your story. In many cases, each sentence must do one of two things: reveal a character or advance the action.

A good short story is always brimming with information. Just because it’s short doesn’t mean you can get away with surface level elements. Your audience must feel that the world it unfolds in, the characters that act in it, and the plots they act out are believable.

Most of all, a short story is complete and shouldn’t feel like a lost chapter of a book. Your audience may end up wanting more, but they understand that the story has already concluded.

What’s your favorite short story? Share them in the comments below!

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