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The Stories of J.F. Powers
Hailed by Frank O'Connor as one of "the greatest living storytellers," J. F. Powers, who died in 1999, stands with Eudora Welty, Flannery O'Connor, and Raymond Carver among the authors who have given the short story an unmistakably American cast. In three slim collections of perfectly crafted stories, published over a period of some thirty years and brought together here i...more
Paperback, 592 pages
Published
March 31st 2000
by New York Review Books
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To give a quick taste of the droll humor typical of Powers' stories, here's a passage from one of my favorites, "The Presence of Grace."
"The pastor, for his part, had put them away in the cellar of his mind to ripen like cheese. But the good ladies of the Altar and Rosary were something else again. Nuns could not have kept the church cleaner, and the good ladies, unlike the nuns, didn't labor under the illusion that they were somehow priests, only different, and so w...more
"The pastor, for his part, had put them away in the cellar of his mind to ripen like cheese. But the good ladies of the Altar and Rosary were something else again. Nuns could not have kept the church cleaner, and the good ladies, unlike the nuns, didn't labor under the illusion that they were somehow priests, only different, and so w...more
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J. F. Powers is severely under-read. I have no real proof of that, although the fact that New York Review of Books chose to publish his work probably says something. Now, I’m not one to gush about specific books, and I don’t want to blather on about how wonderful these stories are, but I suppose someone has to. Because the thing is, The Stories of J. F. Powers is simply a marvelous collection.
The stories here may not seem like much; Powers mostly wrote about priests in the Midwest...more
The stories here may not seem like much; Powers mostly wrote about priests in the Midwest...more
"Lions, Harts, and Leaping Does" ranks up there with "The Dead" from Dubliners as one of the best short stories I've read. Aside from Marilyn Robinson, I can't think of another author (not even George Eliot!) who so deeply explores sane, challenging religious faith.
"Lions . . ." was the stand out in this collection. After sampling about 10 of these stories, it appears that J.F. Powers's best writing is about priests. But some themes become slightly tire...more
"Lions . . ." was the stand out in this collection. After sampling about 10 of these stories, it appears that J.F. Powers's best writing is about priests. But some themes become slightly tire...more
Great, wry short stories. I find it odd that the back cover suggests Powers, together with some other authors, has "given the short story an unmistakably American cast," since that would normally suggest look at me pyrotechnics, film-like set pieces and soul searching nonsense about what it means to be an American. I would put Powers next to Flaubert's Three Tales and Trollope's Barsetshire novels, the first because perfectly written, the second because affectionately amused at t...more
J.F. Power's total literary output are complete in two novels and this collection of his short stories. I genuinely enjoyed the novels, but was unprepared for the condensed brilliance in there pieces of shorter fiction.
I could bemoan that he produced as little (or as much) as he did, but to what end? Powers was undoubted one of the finest writers in the English language in the second half of the 20th century.
My thanks, again, to Seth for having made the recommendation to read...more
I could bemoan that he produced as little (or as much) as he did, but to what end? Powers was undoubted one of the finest writers in the English language in the second half of the 20th century.
My thanks, again, to Seth for having made the recommendation to read...more
Bill
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Superb.
The Catholic Church should distribute free copies of this book instead of wasting time and money on misguided press conferences and "Catholics Come Home" commercials.
The stories towards the end of the book are impossibly good.
The stories towards the end of the book are impossibly good.
I was excited to read this since I'd heard so much about Powers' wonderful writing, but almost every story was so heavily steeped in Catholicism that I found it very hard to understand or relate to the characters. Their thought processes and motivations were closed books to me.
The excerpt of a Powers story in Charles Baxter's The Art of Subtext has me all hot and bothered about reading him. I always wanted to find a less gory Flannery O'Connor.
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