Atlantic Narratives: Modern Short Stories

Henry Seidel Canby

1878–1961

A lively champion of American literature, he helped bring serious books and ideas to a broad public through teaching, editing, and criticism. Best known as a founder of The Saturday Review of Literature, he spent decades connecting scholarship with everyday readers.

A journalist-turned-fiction writer, she moved from newspaper work into stories and essays that often carry a clear moral edge. Her books range from short fiction and social reflection to an early science-fiction mystery co-written at the end of the nineteenth century.

Charles Caldwell Dobie

1881–1943

A lifelong San Franciscan, he turned the city’s history and atmosphere into vivid fiction and nonfiction. His work helped fix old San Francisco and Chinatown in the popular imagination, blending storytelling with a strong sense of place.

Madeleine Z. (Madeleine Zabriskie) Doty

1877–1963

A pioneering reformer, she moved from the law into journalism and public advocacy, writing with urgency about prisons, civil liberties, and peace. Her life and work reflect the restless energy of early 20th-century feminism and social reform.

Born in Constantinople and shaped by years of travel, this American writer brought readers vivid portraits of Turkey and the Middle East in books like Constantinople Old and New, Persian Miniatures, and Stamboul Nights. His life also reached beyond literature, including work in the U.S. State Department and later at the Frick Collection.

John Galsworthy

1867–1933

Best known for The Forsyte Saga, this Nobel Prize-winning English writer had a sharp eye for family tensions, class, and the quiet pressures of modern life. His novels and plays are remembered for combining strong storytelling with a steady concern for fairness and social reform.

A sharp, widely published American writer and essayist, she built her reputation on polished short stories and thoughtful nonfiction. Her work appeared regularly in major magazines of the early 20th century, including The Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, Scribner’s, and Century.

Best remembered for a candid memoir about illness, resilience, and everyday joy, this American writer turned a difficult childhood into a book that has moved generations of readers.

Zephine Humphrey

1874–1956

A thoughtful Vermont writer, she built a loyal readership with fiction and essays rooted in place, memory, and everyday feeling. Her work often reflects a calm, observant voice shaped by life in New England.

Mary Lerner

1882–1938

A little-known American short story writer, she published a small but striking body of fiction in major magazines during the 1910s. Her work is remembered for its quiet emotional insight and for stories like "Little Selves," which drew lasting attention.

An early 20th-century magazine writer whose fiction reached readers through publications such as The Atlantic and later found a second life in public-domain collections.

E. V. (Edward Verrall) Lucas

1868–1938

Best known for his graceful essays and travel books, this wonderfully versatile English writer brought wit, curiosity, and a light touch to almost everything he wrote. He also spent many years with Punch, helping shape the magazine’s famously polished humor.

Margaret Lynn

1870–1958

Best known as a writer of short stories and novels set against Midwestern and Western backdrops, this American author also taught English at the University of Kansas. Her fiction blends romance, humor, and regional detail in a way that still feels lively today.

An elusive short-story writer whose surviving trail points to late 19th- and early 20th-century publications, with work ranging from a standalone 1895 title to contributions in a 1918 Atlantic Monthly Press anthology. That air of mystery gives the stories an extra pull.

Margaret Prescott Montague

1878–1955

Known for vivid stories set in the southern mountains, this American writer brought West Virginia landscapes and folklore to a wide early-20th-century audience. Her fiction ranged from novels to magazine stories, with a gift for memorable regional characters.

E. (Edith) Nesbit

1858–1924

Best known for The Railway Children and The Story of the Treasure-Seekers, this inventive English writer helped shape modern children's fantasy with stories that feel warm, funny, and startlingly real. She also wrote poetry and adult fiction, bringing the same lively imagination to a wide range of work.

Anne Douglas Sedgwick

1873–1935

Best known for sharp, graceful fiction about Europeans and Americans trying to understand one another, this American-born British novelist built a loyal readership in the early 20th century. Her stories often mix social observation with emotional nuance, giving even quiet moments real weight.

Dallas Lore Sharp

1870–1929

Best remembered for warmly observant nature writing, this American author and teacher brought fields, woods, and wildlife to life for generations of readers. His work blends close attention to the natural world with an inviting, reflective style.

Margaret Pollock Sherwood

1864–1955

A longtime Wellesley College professor, she wrote fiction, essays, poetry, and criticism with the same thoughtful eye she brought to teaching literature. Her career joined academic life and creative writing in a way that feels both serious and warmly human.

Best known today for the short story "The Clearer Sight," this little-documented writer has a knack for turning a dramatic situation into a moral test. The surviving record is sparse, which gives the story itself an extra sense of discovery.

A New England nature writer and poet, remembered for warm, observant books about birds, wildflowers, and the countryside. Her work blends field knowledge with an easy, appreciative style that still feels inviting.

Best known as an Episcopal clergyman rather than a literary celebrity, he left behind work that reflects a life shaped by ministry, teaching, and church leadership. He served as rector of St. John's in York, Pennsylvania, until his death in 1918.