Grace Paley's Life Stories: A Literary Biography
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Book Overview
Is Faith Darwin Asbury really Grace Paley? Or is it coincidental that the personal history, politics, and relationships of the fictional Asbury seem to mirror those of the well-known author? And do other characters in Paley's stories represent individuals she has known, in scenes and entire episodes she has experienced? A writer who translates her life into art not only saves her own life, according to Paley, but offers others the revelation of its meaning. That idea is at the core of Judith Arcana's biographical reading of this strongly autobiographical writer. Grace Paley's Life Stories interweaves details about Paley with critical discussions of her works, examining her as a woman, mother, activist, and Jew. Arcana visited and interviewed Paley at her homes in Vermont and New York over a period of several years. She also interviewed Paley's family, friends, and colleagues. Such extensive research is unmatched in Paley scholarship; Arcana's focus on the political crucible of Paley's consciousness is rare in contemporary literary criticism.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0252019458
ISBN13:9780252019456
Release Date:December 1992
Publisher:University of Illinois Press
Length:304 Pages
Weight:1.35 lbs.
Dimensions:1.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"
Customer Reviews
1 rating
great balance of literary scholarship and story
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
I can't imagine why there aren't more books on Paley, as her life is more fascinating than her stories. Arcana creates an engaging history of Paley's family and journey as writer and activist. Arcana contextualizes Paley's writing with her activism and her personal and ancestral history. A great biography of a great writer and human being.
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