<![CDATA[The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel]]>

false <![CDATA[The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel]]> 33299 3 The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel gathers together the complete work of a writer whose voice is as singular and astonishing as any in American fiction. Hempel, fiercely admired by writers and reviewers, has a sterling reputation that is based on four very short collections of stories, roughly fifteen thousand stunning sentences, written over a period of nearly three decades. These are stories about people who make choices that seem inevitable, whose longings and misgivings evoke eternal human experience. With compassion, wit, and the acutest eye, Hempel observes the marriages, minor disasters, and moments of revelation in an uneasy America. When Reasons to Live, Hempel's first collection, was published in 1985, readers encountered a pitch-perfect voice in fiction and an unsettling assessment of the culture. That collection includes "San Francisco," which Alan Cheuse in The Chicago Tribune called "arguably the finest short story composed by any living writer." In At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom, her second collection, frequently compared to the work of Raymond Carver, Hempel refined and developed her unique grace and style and her unerring instinct for the moment that defines a character. Also included here, in their entirety, are the collections Tumble Home and The Dog of the Marriage. As Rick Moody says of the title novella in Tumble Home, "the leap in mastery, in seriousness, and sheer literary purpose was inspiring to behold.... And yet," he continues, "The Dog of the Marriage, the fourth collection, is even better than the other three...a triumph, in fact." The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel is the perfect opportunity for readers of contemporary American fiction to catch up to one of its masters. Moody's passionate and illuminating introduction celebrates both the appeal and the importance of Hempel's work. 33384 2006 The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel total:1313|5:669|4:429|3:155|2:42|1:18| 1313 5628 2160 283 5 11 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 25 22:13:08 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 04 08:07:32 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 10 false false Sat Sep 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 28 11:46:21 -0700 2008 Sat Sep 20 18:20:52 -0700 2008 away from this lady until doing so. One such instance involved an innocent perusal of Raymond Carver's wikipedia entry, and there was Hempel and Gordon Lish sitting one booth over and trying to look conspicuously casual. Another ...more...]]> 5 6 false false Sun Dec 16 11:45:18 -0800 2007 Mon Sep 24 08:24:34 -0700 2007 Sat Nov 10 17:54:03 -0800 2007
"The Man in Bogata"

The police and emergency service people fail to make a dent. The voice of the ple...more...]]> 4 3 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Sep 21 23:59:37 -0700 2007 Sun Dec 30 01:13:39 -0800 2007
This book contains all four collections of short stories writ...more...]]> 5 3 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Aug 18 15:00:52 -0700 2007 Sat Aug 18 15:29:14 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Feb 05 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 28 07:26:17 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 03 08:23:16 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 18 08:12:27 -0800 2007 Wed Dec 26 22:46:46 -0800 2007
I first read Amy Hempel's story, "The Harvest," a while ago. I don't remember who told me about ...more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 05 10:06:09 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 09 02:13:48 -0700 2007 more...]]> 0 1 false false Mon Feb 23 20:00:21 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 23 20:07:05 -0800 2009 Reasons to Live several years ago to a friend and read most of Hempel's other works at Hillman Library in Pittsburgh; so, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have all of her works under one roof. I don't quite know why I feel compelled to write about this at all - but i...more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Jan 13 12:20:04 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 13 12:24:59 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Mar 10 16:56:52 -0800 2007 Sat Mar 10 17:07:00 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Feb 11 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 03 17:31:42 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 12 09:20:38 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu May 24 07:07:52 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 17 07:23:34 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 14:14:04 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 14:23:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Nov 16 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 12 00:10:25 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 19 23:53:00 -0800 2008 Reasons to Live published way back in the 1980s.

I kept thinking "a female Richard Brautigan" while reading her early stories. ...more...]]> 4 2 false false Tue Nov 11 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 03 08:19:43 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 12 18:46:33 -0800 2008 I think I'm in love.

Review:
Fans of the short story will love Amy Hempel. Fans of good writing will love Amy Hempel.

She says so much, yet her language is completely uncluttered. These stories need to be read slowly so that they may be savored. I alm...more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Jun 13 07:42:29 -0700 2008 Mon Nov 03 17:00:41 -0800 2008
Also, reading through other reviews I see that someone refers to the introduction, by Rick Moody, as "annoying":
that's exa...]]> 5 1 false false Fri Oct 17 03:54:50 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 17 04:02:14 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 17 18:50:20 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 12 19:35:45 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Feb 07 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 07 08:27:21 -0800 2008 Fri Apr 25 05:59:26 -0700 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=5897405