All the original author essays were evaluated for their currency, and 145 of them were given substantial revision, in some cases by the original contributor. The sections "Other literary forms," "Achievements," "Biography," and "Analysis" were updated to include recent developments: new titles or awards, changes in residence or employment, and alterations in critical and popular reception. For these essays, material on one or more specific stories or collections was added.

This edition adds 145 new writers. A significant effort was made to add more women; they include such notable figures as Michelle Cliff, Edwidge Danticat, Anita Desai, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Carol Shields, and Christa Wolf. Many important authors from around the world are featured for the first time in this edition; those with works in English translation include such as Daniel Alarcon, J. M. G. Le Clézio, Haruki Murakami, and Mario Vargas Llosa.