Product Description

This is the most complete and generous sampling of the first half of an indispensable American writer's career. Here is the vintage Saroyan of the early 1930's and early 1940's, the period during which the short stroy writer, playwright, and novelist achieved a critical and popular success comparable to F. Scott Fitzgerald's during the 1920's. The selection has the added distinction of having been edited, introduced and annotated by Aram Saroyan himself, in effect comprising the writer's own mid-career overview of the best of his work.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #617697 in Books
• Published on: 1994-12-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

From Library Journal
First published in 1958, this reader provides a wide selection of Saroyan's work including whole short stories and selections from plays and novels.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A Great Intro to a Great Author
If you've never been lucky enough to be exposed to the down-to-earth writing of William Saroyan, you are definitely missing out on a treat. Saroyan's short stories, autobiographical writings, and novels are simple realism, stretched to heart rending emotional height. This book is a fine compilation for a new reader of Saroyan, who, like his California colleague, Steinbeck, doesn't get enough attention these days. Also, this collection contains the wonderful novella, "Tracy's Tiger," an incredible allegorical tale of love and struggle in the postmodern world.

Perfect intro to Saroyan
This book does a great job of introducing you to the writings of William Saroyan. His novels, plays and short stories capture life in a succinct style I have never seen repeated. My favorite are his short stories, which I never want to stop reading. In a few pages he brings characters, events and places to life.

Surprisingly strong stories
William Saroyan is a wonderful writer for would-be writers to take a deeper look at. Not because his prose is so wonderful or because his stories are so engaging, but because he states most succinctly what every writer feels. That, though they have plenty of written pages, they feel like they have said nothing at all. And if Saroyan can feel this way and still produce what he has, well, there is hope then.

"Oranges" and "Finlandia" are the stand-out pieces in the collection as far as I'm concerned, though many others have a thought or two that linger. "Oranges" is heartbreaking, a story about a little orphan boy forced to sell oranges on the street corner, a little orphan boy who doesn't know what it is to laugh. And "Finlandia" deals with the idea of time and geography in a very thought provoking and musical manner. Many images and sounds are striking.

I was rather surprised myself that I liked Saroyan's work and ended up keeping the book when I had thought to donate it to a local library.