Stafford: Collected Stories

By Jean Stafford

Book Overview

"The appearance of these stories in one volume is an event in our literature. To have built up so distinguished a collection, each story excellent in its own way and each an original departure in relation to the others, is a triumph. "--Guy Davenport,New York Times Book Review"Miss Stafford's craftsmanship and her mastery of the short story form are by now so well known that it seems superfluous to praise these stories. That they are impeccably done is obvious. "--Joyce Carol Oates,Book World"She writes about people whom loneliness has driven slightly mad, but also about people who are secure and comforted; she explores childhood and old age, poverty and wealth, tragedy and comedy. The comedy is usually wry... but often moves one to laughter. Above all, Miss Stafford will not be hurried... To me, this book is most solidly achieved."--John Wain,New York Review Of BooksWinner of the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, this collection of thirty stories includes some of Jean Stafford's best short fiction from the period 1944-1968. Including such favorites as "In the Zoo," "Children Are Bored on Sunday," and "Beatrice Trueblood's Story," the collection offers the work of this popular writer of the 1940s and 1950s to a new generation of readers and critics.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 052548101X
• ISBN13: 9780525481010
• Release Date: April 1984
• Publisher: Plume
• Length: 463 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.0" x 1.0" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford

This is a generous, staggering collection that exhibits over and over again the power of the short story when in the hands of a master of the craft. Stafford's emphasis here is on the outsider, the lonely one, and in dozens of stories she portrays them in different guises, forced to face difficult situations with a cold eye on reality. The writing is pitch-perfect for short stories; each character is fleshed out in Stafford's beautifully expressive language, each story is an original departure from the others, and each is tied up with bittersweet, haunting resolution. On a side note, Stafford is a maser of choosing the just-right final sentence, which adds new layers of depth to each story. Each one is enjoyable, with personal highlights for me being "Caveat Emptor," "A Reading Problem," and "Children are Bored on Sundays," the last of which I will be returning to time and time again. While this volume is not as well-known as Katherine Anne Porter or John Cheever's collections, the quality is all the same. A must for those who love to read and/or write short stories.

Another Forgotten Genius

I encountered Stafford's story "In the Zoo" in a collection, and was mesmerized immediately. These are easily some of the best stories I've ever read, and I dare say among the best ever produced by a writer of the United States. (via The New Yorker) Each story is a complete work; almost like a full-length novel. I was surprised I'd never heard of her, but then, not really. So many writers of this generation have gone the way of so many neighborhoods of this time, and so many old houses. Some people know they're there, but the greater population is looking elsewhere. If you care to peek in, you will find a glimpse of who may have inhabited those houses in Jean Staffords writing. I urge you to get this book and read "In the Zoo", after which you are free to skip around, or start at the beginning, but get the book!