There was an article in the New York Times by A.O. Scott the other day about the virtues of the short story.  The writer describes the decline of the short story since the 1960s, and discusses the need for and signs of a coming resurgence.

To call an American writer a master of the short story can be taken at best as faint praise, or at worst as an insult, akin to singling out an ambitious novelist’s journalism — or, God forbid, criticism — as her most notable accomplishment. The short story often looks like a minor or even vestigial literary form, redolent of M.F.A.-mill make-work and artistic caution. A good story may survive as classroom fodder or be appreciated as an interesting exercise, an étude rather than a sonata or a symphony.

Read the rest here.  There is some interesting speculation at the end about Amazon’s Kindle–how, like on an iPod, people may one day be collecting and playlisting short stories.

So, since that is our trade here, what are your favorite short stories, and favorite short story writers?  How do they compare to novelists?