The Happiest Man in the World and Other Stories

by David Arnason

The Happiest Man in the World looks under the carpet of post-modernism to search for competence and humour in a world of habitual assumptions about social, political, and sexual awareness. The characters, and the author, in these stories discover that their roles, and their role models are not as clear as they seem to be ― husbands and wives, fathers and daughters, psychiatrists and sailors, fishermen and fish, and the girl and the wolf all have their conventional roles drop away as their dreams enter their everyday lives. The Happiest Man in the World moves between cynicism, wonder, and a resigned amazement, as he examines his own, and others’, places in post-feminist North American society.

164 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Peter B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories which are short enough to be totally engaging and long enough for Arnason to create plot and character.
There is humour and pathos and on more than one occasion glimpses into ourselves.