The year 2016 has been terrible for musicians, and now one of the great writers of the last century has left us. Irish writer William Trevor was the reigning master of the short story, and certainly deserved a Nobel prize. He has passed aged 88.
Trevor’s massive Collected Stories is a guide to living. At nearly 1,300 pages, it contains dozens of stories that feature Trevor’s subtle characterization, and often minimalist plots. (Amazon.com, Amazon UK) His later Selected Stories, at nearly 600 pages, includes stories published following the first large collection. (Amazon.com, Amazon UK)
Even if you don’t like short stories a priori, I strongly recommend reading Trevor. Get the Kindle edition of the Collected Stories; it’s a lot easier to read than the big, heavy paperback. But read him; he’s one of the greatest short story authors in the English language.