SOURCE: Storey, Michael L. Review of Collected Stories, by William Trevor. Studies in Short Fiction 30, no. 4 (fall 1993): 603-04.

In the following review, Storey examines the style and major thematic concerns of the pieces in Collected Stories.

From its inception at the turn of the century, the modern Irish short story has been continuously distinguished by a master—a preeminent writer whose work embodies the Irish spirit and reflects the highest literary qualities. George Moore, who published the first truly modern collection of Irish stories, The Untilled Field (1903), was the first to fill that role. Moore was followed by James Joyce, whose Dubliners (1914) remains the model Irish story collection. Joyce was succeeded by Frank O'Connor and then Sean O'Faolain. With O'Faolain's recent death, the role of Ireland's master storyteller has passed to William Trevor.

The Collected Stories presents overwhelming evidence in support of Trevor's claim. The sheer quantitative evidence...