Steven Millhauser crafts worlds where the ordinary shifts into the magical. His stories often feel like dreams. If you appreciate this quality in his work, you might enjoy other writers with similar styles. Millhauser is a master of atmosphere and detail.
He writes about childhood, wonder, and sometimes even darker subjects. All of this comes through in beautiful prose. Do you seek authors who create a similar sense of wonder and enchantment? Here are some to explore.
Books by Italo Calvino offer imaginative worlds infused with fantasy, philosophical reflections, and subtle humor. Readers who enjoy Steven Millhauser’s curious and thought-provoking tales could also appreciate Calvino’s “Invisible Cities.”
In this fictional travelogue, Marco Polo describes to Kublai Khan various cities he’s encountered on his extensive journeys. Each city reflects peculiar symbolic concepts, from memory and desire to death and endless renewal.
Calvino constructs these vivid and surreal visions through poetic language and rich metaphors, inviting readers to explore urban landscapes that transcend reality and dream.
Books by Jorge Luis Borges offer imaginative and mysterious explorations that might appeal to readers fond of Steven Millhauser’s style.
Borges, an Argentinian author celebrated for his intellectually playful short stories, questions reality, infinity, and the very nature of fiction itself.
In his iconic collection “Ficciones,” Borges creates inventive stories filled with mirror-like labyrinths, infinite libraries, and imaginary countries.
One unforgettable tale, “The Library of Babel,” pictures an enormous library containing every book possible—every true statement, every falsehood, and infinite permutations in between.
Borges packs meaning and mystery into short, crisp tales that invite readers to get lost in thought.
Angela Carter explores themes of fantasy, dark fairy tales, and surreal storytelling in a way that can appeal to fans of Steven Millhauser. In her book “The Bloody Chamber,” Carter retells well-known fairy stories with a dark, vivid twist.
Each tale reveals hidden desires and forbidden secrets beneath familiar plots. For example, the title story is a striking reimagining of “Bluebeard,” where a young woman uncovers disturbing truths about her husband after marrying him.
Carter’s sharp prose and eerie imagery create a haunting tone that challenges traditional notions of folklore and femininity. Readers who enjoy Millhauser’s imaginative worlds and layered stories may appreciate Carter’s darkly beautiful narratives.
Donald Barthelme was an American author known for his playful, experimental stories that explore absurd situations with sharp wit. Readers who appreciate Steven Millhauser’s whimsical, imaginative worlds might enjoy Barthelme’s inventive approach to storytelling.
One of his notable books, “Sixty Stories,” is a collection that showcases his flair for humor and surreal scenarios.
In one memorable tale titled “Me and Miss Mandible,” an adult man finds himself unexpectedly placed back into elementary school, forced to navigate life as a sixth-grader once again.
Barthelme skillfully blends humor, irony, and social commentary into brief stories that stay memorable long after reading.
Readers who enjoy Steven Millhauser’s imaginative storytelling and curious blend of reality and fantasy might find a captivating read in Haruki Murakami. Murakami has an approachable yet poetic style.
He merges elements of mystery, surrealism, and philosophical reflection effortlessly. His novel “Kafka on the Shore” follows two seemingly unrelated journeys. Kafka Tamura, a fifteen-year-old escaping home, searches for lost connections in a quiet seaside town.
Meanwhile Nakata, an older man who experienced a strange incident in his youth, finds himself on an unexpected adventure triggered by a pet cat’s disappearance. Their paths eventually cross in strange and unexpected ways.
Murakami creates a careful balance between the mundane and the surreal that makes his narratives unforgettable and intriguing.
Shirley Jackson offers readers a mesmerizing mix of suspense and quiet terror, perfect for fans of Steven Millhauser’s unsettling yet subtle stories.
Her novel, “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” introduces readers to Merricat and Constance Blackwood, eccentric sisters who occupy their old family home after a mysterious poisoning took their relatives.
Merricat’s voice feels oddly intimate yet detached, drawing readers in while creating a strange, tense unease as the novel reveals secrets and village suspicions about the sisters.
Jackson skillfully blurs lines between innocence and menace, crafting an absorbing story of isolation, guilt, and the dark corners of small-town life.
Readers who enjoy the unsettling mysteries and imaginative storytelling of Steven Millhauser may find Thomas Ligotti fascinating as well. Ligotti is well-known for creating eerie worlds and dark narratives that make readers question reality.
His book “Teatro Grottesco” is a collection of short stories set in bizarre yet strangely familiar towns. Characters face absurdities and horrors hidden beneath everyday life, like businesses appearing and disappearing without reason and townspeople caught in disturbing rituals.
Ligotti’s prose is dream-like and haunting, pulling readers into strange environments where logic unravels and the ordinary world is tinged with dread.
Ray Bradbury writes imaginative, atmospheric fiction that blends everyday reality with a sense of wonder and mystery. Readers who enjoy Steven Millhauser’s stories, layered with unusual situations and thoughtful themes, may appreciate Bradbury’s style.
In “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” Bradbury creates a vivid tale about two boys and the spooky carnival that arrives in their small town. The story explores childhood fears, desires, and the thin line between good and evil.
Bradbury brings small-town America to life with memorable characters and dark secrets, offering a nostalgic yet unsettling experience.
If you enjoy Steven Millhauser’s subtle blend of ordinary moments and unexpected wonder, you might appreciate Alice Munro’s short fiction. Munro is a master of quiet revelations and delicate storytelling.
Her book “Runaway” is a collection of stories about women who find themselves at critical turning points in their lives. In each story, secrets emerge, relationships shift, and seemingly simple conversations become turning points that alter everything.
Munro captures the depth within everyday decisions, providing insight into human nature with warmth and clarity. The title story, “Runaway,” follows Carla as she considers fleeing an unhappy marriage, only to uncover truths she had long ignored.
Munro’s writing feels authentic and deeply personal, pulling readers gently yet powerfully into the worlds she creates.
Readers who enjoy Steven Millhauser’s imaginative storytelling might appreciate Gabriel García Márquez, whose novels blend everyday life with magical elements in unexpected ways.
In “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” Márquez crafts the story of the Buendía family through multiple generations.
Set in the fictional town of Macondo, this novel shows extraordinary events woven seamlessly into the lives of ordinary people—like a woman who ascends into the sky one afternoon or a lifelong rainstorm sparked by heartbreak.
Márquez’s writing feels dreamlike yet completely believable, creating a vivid portrait of family, love, and solitude.
Michael Cunningham is an American author known for exploring the depth of human emotion through lyrical storytelling and imaginative narratives. If you’re drawn to the subtle yet powerful stories of Steven Millhauser, you might enjoy Cunningham’s novel “The Hours.”
The novel intertwines the lives of three women from different eras, all connected by Virginia Woolf’s classic “Mrs. Dalloway.”
We meet Woolf herself as she wrestles with writing the novel, a mid-century housewife trapped by domestic expectations, and a contemporary woman planning a party for her beloved friend.
Cunningham creates characters whose internal worlds reflect loneliness, creativity, longing, and deeply held secrets. His ability to capture everyday moments and elevate them to literary art will resonate strongly with Millhauser fans.
Books by Bruno Schulz offer imaginative worlds reminiscent of Steven Millhauser’s style, with surreal tales embedded in familiar settings. Schulz, a Polish-Jewish writer and artist, is known for his novella collection “The Street of Crocodiles.”
The stories center on a young boy’s perceptions of his eccentric family and their life in a sleepy provincial town. Reality shifts constantly in Schulz’s writing. His father’s obsessions lead to peculiar experiments and amusingly bizarre events at home.
Dreams blend smoothly with daily occurrences. For readers drawn to Millhauser’s ability to transform ordinary life into something wonderfully strange, Schulz’s work captures a similarly fascinating sense of wonder and mystery.
Jose Saramago was a Portuguese writer who often explored intriguing concepts through imaginative premises and thoughtful storytelling. If you’ve enjoyed Steven Millhauser’s intricate narratives and imaginative plots, Saramago’s novels might appeal to you as well.
For example, in “Blindness,” Saramago imagines an epidemic that abruptly robs people of their sight. The loss of vision gradually reveals more about human society and survivability, as characters struggle to adapt and maintain order amid chaos.
His simple yet profound style, full of insightful observations and dark humor, keeps readers hooked until the last page.
If you enjoy the imaginative worlds and subtle surrealism of Steven Millhauser, you might appreciate George Saunders. Saunders is best known for his inventive short story collections, especially “Tenth of December.”
The stories in this book show ordinary people in extraordinary situations, mixing humor, humanity, and quiet strangeness.
In “Escape from Spiderhead,” inmates participate in chemical experiments that manipulate their emotions and desires, raising eerie questions about free will and morality. Saunders writes thoughtful, often odd tales that stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.
If you enjoy Steven Millhauser’s blend of everyday reality and subtle fantasy, you might also appreciate the imaginative worlds crafted by Aimee Bender.
Her book “The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake” tells the story of Rose Edelstein, a young girl who discovers she can taste emotions in the food people prepare.
When Rose bites into her mother’s homemade lemon cake, she’s overwhelmed by hidden sadness and secrets nobody else senses.
Through Rose’s unusual ability, the story explores emotions buried beneath everyday interactions, turning the ordinary family life into something extraordinary and mysterious.