This year, Ha Jin won the National Book Award and the Pen/Faulkner Award for his novel Waiting. Of twelve stories in his new story collection, The Bridegroom, three were chosen for inclusion in The Best American Short Stories. Enjoy "A Bad Joke" in this month's Back of the Book.
		Anna Karenina has delighted and awed people for over a century. This latest edition includes a charming introduction by Mona Simpson and a revised translation with additional annotation. Tolstoy's brilliance in uncovering the psychology and politics of love remains fresh and insightful. Simply put, as Dostoevsky says, "Anna Karenina, as an artistic production, is perfect."