books
in brief short takes on the personal
in their previous collection judith kitchen and mary paumier jones coined the term short for those creative nonfiction pieces literary rather than informational and characteristically short that are attracting our finest writers . now with a more introspective focus this new collection emphasizes the personal as a way of seeing the world of expressing an interior life . it is intimate without being maudlin it is private without being secret . from harriet doerrs recollection of a halcyon time to josephine jacobsens reverie on memory in brief offers vivid glimpses into the ways experience can be shaped in language that is fresh and inventive . the seventy two authors here include the known john mcphee cythia ozick james salter as well as remarkable new writers . essays all under 2000 words range from frank mccourts search for his father in the pubs of limerick to william maxwells thoughts about growing old ; from charles baxters early experience of reading to brady udalls confession as a liar . patricia hampl recalls meals at her grandmothers house while jane brox contemplates the meaning of bread . in each piece imagination becomes a way to explore reality . the real world we are fortunate enough to live in is revealed as endlessly rich and deep .
paperback w. w. norton & company inc. 1999 isbn 0393319075
abridged n isbn 13 9780393319071 number of pages 288 publisher w w norton & co inc release date 62135769600000