Jhumpa Lahiri:: "William Trevor's ''Collected Stories,'' which I purchased in 1995, changed my life. If I could write a single story worthy of inclusion in this book, I thought to myself at the time, I will die happy. I still feel that way. "

Me, too, for what it's worth. I'm not sure there's ever been a better book in terms of sheer story muscle power. Well, Cheever's stories, maybe. Nabokov's -- but his isn't as great as theirs, story for story.