Product Description

"The Complete Short Stories of Thomas Wolfe" stands as the most comprehensive edition of Thomas Wolfe's short fiction to date. Collected by Francis E. Skipp, these fifty-eight stories span the breadth of Thomas Wolfe's career, from hte uninhibited young writer meticulously describing the enchanting birth of springtime in "The Train and the City" to his mature, sober account of a terrible lynching in "The Child by Tiger". Thirty-five of these stories have never before been collected, and "The Spanish Letter" is published here for the first time. Vital, compassionate, remarkably attuned to character, scene, and social context, "The Complete Short Stories of Thomas Wolfe" represents the last work we have from the author of "Look Homeward", "Angel", who was considered "the most promising writer of his generation" (The New York Times).

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #503815 in Books
• Published on: 1989-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 656 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of Wolfe's death and a suitable occasion for a retrospective. Of the 58 stories in this volume, 35 have never before been collected, and one, "The Spanish Letter," is published for the first time. Wolfe was not a short story writer; most of these fragments were plucked from his massive manuscripts, and many would be more appropriately classified as essay or memoir. "The Spanish Letter," relating the author's visits to Nazi Germany, strongly condemns the "poisoning" of German culture and society by Hitler and his followers. It's a fine piece, but elsewhere Wolfe's well-known faults are conspicuously displayed. Even one of the best known of these stories, "Only the Dead Know Brooklyn," now embarrasses with its inept attempt to reproduce a Brooklyn accent. The puerile "Portrait of a Literary Critic" and heavy-handed "Justice Is Blind" are equally disappointing. With all its flaws, this collection serves as a useful reminder of Wolfe's once-formidable presence and the wide influence he formerly exerted.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
For some readers, Wolfe's stories may yield, as James Dickey observes in his introduction, an "imaginative surrender to whatever a situation or a memory evokes . . . a sense of life submitted to and entered." Others, however, may seek refuge from the viscid lyricism of Wolfe's rhapsodies in glue. Very few of the 58 items collected here were ever intended as short stories. Most are materials intended for his novels. Some are passages excerpted by his editors for separate publication; others are merely excised remnants. Published here in order of appearance as short stories (a limited asset since no dates are given), their strength lies in a sensual evocation of place, their weaknesses in ethnic stereotypes, stilted dialogue, and, curiously, a shapelessness that offends less in his novels than it does here. Arthur Waldhorn, English Dept., City Coll., CUNY
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Thomas Wolfe was born in Asheville, North Carolina, and educated at the University of North Carolina and Harvard University. He taught English at New York University and traveled extensively in Europe and America. Wolfe created his indelible legacy as a classic American novelist with works including Of Time and the River; A Stone, a Leaf, a Door; and From Death to Morning. He died in 1938.

Customer Reviews

Trancendent Reading Experience
I've treasured this work of Mr. Wolfe's since purchasing it in the first edition in 1988. I can think of few authors who can transport their readership into relms of utter beauty and transcedence. Experiencing them is a gift to behold.
A MUST start for those who have not read anything by Wolfe.
A treasure for all times.

The Short Stories of a Novelist
A man of enormous size and ambitions, Thomas Wolfe was a novelist and not a short story writer. Wolfe's editors and agent cut out parts of his epic sized manuscript and had them published as stories in various outlets. Readers of Wolfe's novels will recognize a few of the stories since they often appeared as chapters in his books. While admittedly not a short story writer, Wolfe's talents make this collection worth having. Wolfe fans can take pleasure that some of his abandoned novels appear as stories here (for example his "Hound of Darkness" idea shows up as "Prelude to America" in this collection). While some of the reviewers may balk at Wolfe's use of stereotyping, some of the works here, including a number of pieces bashing Nazi Germany, may help salvage Wolfe's reputation. The most powerful and finest crafted story in the collection offers a cold, condemning look at a lynching. With excellent introductions by James Dickey and Francis Skipp, this collection serves as an excellent introduction to a great and unfairly neglected writer.