Here are the 15 best short stories you can read in the New Yorker

Since the New Yorker's inception, it's published work from some of the last century's most important writers, including John Updike (pictured above), Vladimir Nabokov, J.D. Salinger, and Alice Munro. Many of the stories are behind a paywall, but check them out if you have a subscription. Here are EW's picks for the New Yorker's best stories:

"The Bear Came Over the Mountain" by Alice Munro

"Town of Cats" by Haruki Murakami

"Symbols and Signs" by Vladimir Nabokov

"Bullet Park" by John Cheever

"Debarking" by Lorrie Moore

"Lifeguard" by John Updike

"Kat" by Margaret Atwood

"A Perfect Day for a Bananafish" by J.D. Salinger

"The Largesse of the Sea Maiden" by Denis Johnson

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson

"Defender of the Faith" by Philip Roth

"A Temporary Matter" by Jhumpa Lahiri

"So Long, See You Tomorrow" by William Maxwell

"The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" by Muriel Spark

"The Embassy of Cambodia" by Zadie Smith