The Decameron Project

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This stunning collection of new short stories was commissioned by The New York Times Magazine during the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring contributions from twenty-nine notable authors, including Margaret Atwood, Tommy Orange, Colm Toibin, Kamilia Shamsie, and David Mitchell. Inspired by Boccaccio's The Decameron, the project aims to reflect on the surreal nature of reality through fiction. In 1353, Boccaccio's work presented tales shared by young people isolating from the Black Death, a devastating plague that claimed millions of lives. Similarly, in March 2020, the editors sought to capture contemporary experiences through storytelling as the pandemic unfolded. This anthology explores how fiction can help us process and memorialize the unimaginable events of our time, while also examining the potential impact of such crises on the art of storytelling. The diverse array of stories, ranging from whimsical to profound, serves as a historical tribute to an unprecedented period in our lives. These narratives not only provide comfort and insight for readers today but also offer a lens through which future generations may understand the challenges we faced during this global crisis.