Recently I discovered another writer - novelist and short story writer - whose new works I will await with great excitement and anticipation.

That means he joins a short list that includes Ward Just, Nadine Gordimer, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Lorrie Moore and Ian McEwen.

He is Jim Shepard, and he teaches writing and literature at Williams College.

His latest book, a collection of short stories called "Like You'd Understand, Anyway" (Knopf) was a finalist for the National Book Award.

Shepard, a fine stylist, finds odd characters and moments "“ the first women Soviet cosmonaut, the brother of ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus; an Australian explorer, an engineer at Chernobyl - and writes first-person monologues or diaries that incorporate the personal or subjective with the factual or objective.

It's a fascinating hybrid from of historical fiction in which he sort of channels historical figures. I give it my highest recommendation.

I tore through that recent volume, and wanted quickly to read "Love and Hydrogen," an earlier volume that features a story (as the title suggests) about the Hindenburg.

But sadly that volume has been unavailable for a couple of months, though it is supposed to be back in bookstores sometime in March.

Could it be that Shepard is already that popular? He certainly deserves a wide audience.

Or that I am behind the curve that much?

Anyway, does anyone out there have opinions about Shepard?

Favorite short stories to recommend?

Does anyone have historical figures or historical moments to recommend to Shepard as a fruitful source for his fiction?

What about personal anecdotes about Shepard as a writer and teacher? What do you say about his as a writer and teacher?

PS: An update on Thursday, Feb. 28, from the Associated Press:

NEW YORK  - Jim Shepard's "Like You'd Understand, Anyway," a collection of short fiction focusing on everyday lives from ancient Rome to today's Texas, has won the fourth annual Story Prize, a $20,000 award.

The finalists, each of whom received $5,000, were Tessa Hadley's "Sunstroke and Other Stories" and Vincent Lam's "Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures."

The award, announced Wednesday night, is given for "an outstanding work of short fiction." Previous winners include "The Stories of Mary Gordon" and Edwidge Danticat's "The Dew Breaker."

Guess I'm not alone in my admiration.