One of the best postmodern short stories is 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson. It has a deceptively simple plot in a small town where an annual lottery is held, but it turns out to be a brutal sacrifice. The story plays with the readers' expectations and subverts traditional ideas of community and ritual. Another great one is 'Harrison Bergeron' by Kurt Vonnegut. It presents a dystopian society where everyone is made equal through handicaps, which is a satirical take on the idea of equality. And 'Interpreter of Maladies' by Jhumpa Lahiri also shows postmodern elements. Her stories often explore the complex identities and cultural gaps in a post - colonial world, with a fragmented narrative style that is typical of postmodern literature.
Well, 'Lost in the Funhouse' by John Barth is a notable best postmodern short story. It blurs the line between reality and fiction, with a self - conscious narrative that comments on the act of storytelling itself. The story is full of metafictional devices like the narrator directly addressing the reader about how the story is constructed. Then there's 'A Good Man Is Hard to Find' by Flannery O'Connor. It has elements of the grotesque and the unexpected, which are characteristic of postmodern writing. The grandmother's journey and the encounter with the Misfit is a study in moral ambiguity and the breakdown of traditional southern values.