Product DescriptionWinner of the National Book Award
The publication of this extraordinary volume firmly established Flannery O'Connor's monumental contribution to American fiction. There are thirty-one stories here in all, including twelve that do not appear in the only two story collections O'Connor put together in her short lifetime--Everything That Rises Must Converge and A Good Man Is Hard to Find.
O'Connor published her first story, ''The Geranium,'' in 1946, while she was working on her master's degree at the University of Iowa. Arranged chronologically, this collection shows that her last story, ''Judgement Day''--sent to her publisher shortly before her death—is a brilliantly rewritten and transfigured version of ''The Geranium.'' Taken together, these stories reveal a lively, penetrating talent that has given us some of the most powerful and disturbing fiction of the twentieth century. Also included is an introduction by O'Connor's longtime editor and friend, Robert Giroux.
What Others Say
One of Two Must Own Collection of Short Stories
The other is Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things. I know this may seem odd to have O'Connor, the genius of revealing the inner workings of the human, beside Gaiman, but if you read Gaiman the connections are there. I'm all about getting readers from different disciplines and genres to connect with other fields. O'Connor's work, as most know, is as perceptive as it gets. Reading her work is a pure revelation, an ongoing epihpany as to what makes humans human (especially the southern religious human). Read, re-read and enjoy.
Completely Unique
This is my favorite book of short stories. I am amazed at how the author can blend such a diverse mixture of feelings into a story. Each story is humorous and heartbreaking. O'Connor has a knack for examining the thoughts in her characters' minds, and although they seem to be a little over the top, the characters are grounded in reality. I enjoy the fact that you can read The Complete Stories for the pleasure of the crazy stories, or you may read it to delve into an examination of the religious themes uncovered. I would start with Flannery O'Connor by reading The Complete Stories and then move on to reading Wise Blood or The Violent Bear It Away. It will be somewhat hard to understand those novels if you are not familiar with her short stories first. I think you ... Read More
Flannery O'Connor, one twisted sister
This was my first introduction to O'Connor's work. Had I known how thoeoughly I would enjoy, I would have read her years ago. I grew up in the South and always thought I got a pretty good education. But I was never introduced to Flannery O'Connor's work. From the dark and stark nature of her unique characters, I suppose I can see why she might have been excluded. Her work shines a bright light on the flaws and foibles that make us human. She does not show the lovely views of gentle Southern living with mint julips on the veranda. She shows the frustrated rednecks and misfits of rural life. A truly excellent read.
American Sophocles
Thomas Merton said of O'Connor that when he thought of her, he did not think of her in terms of her peers in contemporary fiction (i.e., Hemingway, Faulkner, Steinbeck) but rather, he thought of Sophocles or Aeschylus.
This compendium more than validates Merton's assessment -- after the American Empire passes, O'Connor's achievement will remain as its literary zenith. It's doubly strange, too, both for the form in which she specialized, and the content of the works. Americans (always poor judges of their own culture's worth) normally speak in terms of "The Great American Novel" --"The Naked and the Dead," "Ravelstein," "Moby Dick," "The Great Gatsby," even newcomers like "The Bonfire of the Vanities, ", "The Corrections" and ... Read More
The Devil's In The Details
"Grace changes us, and change is painful."
O'Connor, a delicate Southern Catholic who lived a third of her life ravaged by lupus, was certainly acquainted with pain. Her stories reveal this much. Many readers and reviewers may wonder if she doesn't take a bit of artistic license with her definition of "grace," though. Considering her religious ideologies (which aren't hard to figure out, even after reading just one of these deliciously dark little tales), her unsubtle brutality isn't so unexpected. Look God directly in the face, the Bible says, and it completely and utterly destroys you.
It's safe to say that even if her characters don't always get an unobstructed view of their Creator, they all at least catch a glimpse. ... Read More
