The Shell Collector — Doerr '95

By Anthony Doerr, Class of 1995

The exquisitely crafted stories in Anthony Doerr’s debut collection, The Shell Collector, takes readers from the African Coast to the pine forests of Montana to the damp moors of Lapland, charting a vast physical and emotional landscape. Doerr explores the human condition in all its varieties—metamorphosis, grief, fractured relationships, and slowly mending hearts—conjuring nature in both its beautiful abundance and crushing power. Some of the characters in these stories contend with hardships; some discover unique gifts; all are united by their ultimate deference to the ravishing universe outside themselves.

A stunning and unforgettable debut, The Shell Collector established Doerr as a master of literary short fiction, making it a must-read for fans of Best American Short Stories, environmentally rich fiction, and character-driven storytelling.