Alice Munro, Alice Munro, Alice Munro.  Hands down, this Canadian author has been in her own league, turning out collections of short stories that seem to defy choosing a single favorite among them.  If I begin, I am afraid I could write something the length of a novel about this woman.  And so I will just tell you that as you read you find that somehow she has delved into the core of couples, of women especially, weaving a hold on us and often surprising us as she pulls all the threads together on the last page. 

Certainly this woman doesn’t need "a hook" for a title, but I will choose one that will give you the feel - but not the substance — of what will lie within.  Hateship, Courtship, Friendship, Loveship, Marriage - her book of short stories written a few years back - has it all.  But for those of us who admit to having been around for a few years, she more than touches on aging love and even death - subjects that - God knows why - have more meaning to us suddenly.  Alice Munro has perfected her craft over years and - believe me - she knows in what she writes.

I think I was the first to exalt when several weeks ago the short story raised its longest applause ever when it was announced that Alice Munro, this 77-year-old Canadian, had won the Man Booker international prize, the first time a short-story writer has carried the day.   We’ll have to wait until Fall 2009 to read this one … but obviously, it is going to be worth the wait.

To me, Alice Munro deserves to be in a league of her own.