Barking Man
by Madison Smartt Bell
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Description
Ten tales of misfits in big cities and lonely backwaters, striving to free themselves from traps of their own makingIn each of Bell's ten stories, characters struggle through trying times, captives of their own bad decisions or plain bad luck. In ';Black and Tan,' a farmer's fortitude after the tragic death of his family leads him to become a savior of delinquent boys. The title story charts a London student's crumbling psyche. And in ';Petit Cachou' hustlers and panhandlers in the French show more Riviera experience the darker side of life on a seemingly perfect stretch of the Mediterranean coastline. While depicting characters both sympathetic and hopeless, Bell's remarkable insight makes for a vivid rendering of civilization's many frayed edges.Barking Man is the author's second collection of stories, and presents Bell's writing at its most unforgettable. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
These stories were previously published in various lit reviews, including, THE ATLANTIC, THE NORTHWEST REVIEW, HARPER’S.
Bell, who writes well about marginalized people, appears fascinated here with what causes people to commit acts of violence. Here we meet a dog trainer (who becomes a trainer of wayward boys), a man who barks and bites a hairdresser, a mentally ill sculptor and arsonist, an American con-artist in the south of France, addicts, and a wise Buddhist mouse (yes, you heard correctly) who uses The Book of Changes as a spiritual lodestone while the other mice go mad.
This is an intriguing collection, and Bell's eye for the bizarre is well-honed. He writes with clarity and a wonderful ear for the voices of his characters. show more Readers will find much to ponder here. show less
Bell, who writes well about marginalized people, appears fascinated here with what causes people to commit acts of violence. Here we meet a dog trainer (who becomes a trainer of wayward boys), a man who barks and bites a hairdresser, a mentally ill sculptor and arsonist, an American con-artist in the south of France, addicts, and a wise Buddhist mouse (yes, you heard correctly) who uses The Book of Changes as a spiritual lodestone while the other mice go mad.
This is an intriguing collection, and Bell's eye for the bizarre is well-honed. He writes with clarity and a wonderful ear for the voices of his characters. show more Readers will find much to ponder here. show less
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Author Information
Madison Smartt Bell was born and raised in Tennessee; he studied at Princeton University and Hollins College. He has taught in a variety of capacities, including the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars, the University of Southern Maine, Goucher College, and as a Fellow at the MacDowell Colony. Much of his writing, show more which reflects a concern with race relations, has been critically acclaimed. Bell was awarded the 1989 Lillian Smith Award for Soldier's Joy. His 1996 historical novel All Soul's Rising was nominated for both the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award. All Soul's Rising, which depicts the slave uprising in Haiti in the late eighteenth century, also led to his selection to the Granta's list of Best Young American Novelists. His books include The Washington Square Ensemble (1983), Waiting for the End of the World (1985), Straight Cut (1986), The Year of Silence (1987), Zero dB (1987), Soldier's Joy (1989), Barking Man (1990), Doctor Sleep (1991), Save Me, Joe Lewis (1993), and All Soul's Rising (1996). His short stories have been frequently anthologized, including selection for the annual Best American Short Stories for 1984, 1987, 1989, and 1990. Bell teaches at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. (Bowker Author Biography) Madison Smartt Bell is the author of eleven previous works of fiction, including All Souls' Rising, which was a National Book Award finalist; Save Me, Joe Louis; Dr. Sleep; Soldier's Joy; and Ten Indians. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1990
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 90
- Popularity
- 354,569
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (4.14)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 2
