With
an Introduction by Robert Giroux, THE COMPLETE
STORIES of Bernard Malamud is "an essential
American book," Richard Stern declared in the
Chicago Tribune when the collection was published
in hardcover. His praise was echoed by other reviewers
and by readers, who embraced the book as they might
a displaced person in one of Malamud's stories,
now returned to us, complete and fulfilled and recognized
at last. The volume gathers together fifty-five
stories, from "Armistice" (1940) to "Alma
Redeemed" (1984), and including the immortal
stories from The Magic Barrel and the vivid depictions
of the unforgettable Fidelman. It is a varied and
generous collection of great examples of the modern
short story, which Malamud perfected, and an ideal
introduction to the work of this great American
writer.
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Reviews
of The Complete Stories Include:
" Malamud, who died in 1986,
is perhaps better known for his novels (The Natural; The
Fixer) than for his short stories, though these he published
abundantly in collections over the years (e.g., The Stories
of Bernard Malamud). Giroux, Malamud's longtime editor,
publisher, and friend, who put together this evident labor
of love, quotes Flannery O'Connor on Malamud: 'I have discovered
a short-story writer who is better than any of them, including
myself.' Many of these stories treat the dead-end lot of
working-class Jews ('The Cost of Living') or the thwarted
aspirations of the artist Fidelman in Italy ('A Pimp's Revenge').
Appearing in the order in which they were written (rather
than published), the 55 stories span his first, 'The Armistice'
(1940), until his last experimental biography of Virginia
Woolf. Displayed thus, Malamud's skill is consistently sound,
effected quietly through disciplined pacing and dignified
characters." Library Journal
"Glittering
gems that dazzle with a different splendor with each turn
in the light, these stories ask timeless questions even
as they enchant." Dan Cryer, Newsday
"Malamud [is], I think, one of the best American short
story writers of this century. He reminds me, strangely
enough, of the impeccable Catholic writer Flannery O'Connor,
one of Bern's true colleagues (and his admirer), for they
share the sense that eternities always focus down to this
moment, this choice: will one do justice to those close
to us, here, now?" Jay Cantor, The New York Times
Other
Titles by Bernard Malamud:
Novels
The Natural (1952)
The Assistant (1957)
A New Life (1961)
The Fixer (1966)
Pictures of Fidelman (1969)
The Tenants (1971)
Dubin's Lives (1979)
God's Grace (1982)
Collections
The Magic Barrel: And Other Stories (1958)
Idiots First (1963)
Rembrandt's Hat (1973)
The Stories of Bernard Malamud (1983)
The People: And Uncollected Stories (1989)
Complete Stories (1994)
Anthologies
containing stories by Bernard Malamud
Points of View: An Anthology of Short Stories (1966)
Great Tales of Mystery and Suspense (1981)
Short
stories
The
Prison (1950)
My Son the Murderer (1968)
Angel Levine
Behold the Key
The Bill
The First Seven Years
The Girl of My Dreams
The Lady of the Lake
The Last Mohican
The Loan
The Magic Barrel
The Mourners
A Summer's Reading
Take Pity
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BERNARD
MALAMUD wrote seven novels. His many awards include
two National Book Awards, the Pulitzer Prize and the
Gold Medal of the American Academy and Institute of
Arts and Letters. He served as president of the PEN
American Center from 1979 to 1981, and taught for
many years at Bennington College. He died in 1986