The compact version of the most popular Literature anthology continues to engage readers with its literary selections and human approach to lterature.     Presents a rich array of diverse and exciting selections including 52 short stores, 376 poems, and 11 plays; a chapter on Latin American poetry; and nine extensive casebooks composed of five author casebooks as well as four masterpiece casebooks on specific selections.      New to this edition are: Conversations with Amy Tan, Kay Ryan (the 2008 poet laureate), and David Ives, conducted by Dana Gioia, offer readers an insider’s look into the importance of reading to three contemporary writers.  A Latin American Writers casebook is new to Fiction and collects some of the finest authors from the region including Octavia Paz, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Ines Arendondo. Many new writers have been added including Naguib Mahfouz, Virginia Woolf, Sherman Alexie, Mary Oliver, Bettie Sellers, and Anne Deavere Smith.   For anyone who enjoys reading a diverse selection of fiction, poetry, and drama.