William Maxwell: Early Novels and Stories
by William Maxwell
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""The novelist works with what life has given him," wrote William Maxwell. "It was no small gift that I was allowed to lead my boyhood in a small town in Illinois where the elm trees cast a mixture of light and shade over the pavements." The patterns of light, love, and a sorrow in this town, and the domestic particulars of the early 20th century, are at the heart of Maxwell's early fiction. They Came Like Swallows is the story of two boys, their father, and the unbearable loss they suffer show more in the winter of 1918. The Folded Leaf describes the arc of an obsessive adolescent friendship that ends in near-tragedy. Time Will Darken It paints a portrait of a small, straitlaced community where gossip can ruin even its most blameless member. The achievement of these novels is here complemented by the youthful, comic Bright Center of Heaven - out of print for nearly 70 years - and nine short stories."--Jacket. show lessTags
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The Folded Leaf:
An exceptional picture of adolescent-into-young manhood life in the 1920s, with subtle but unmistakable undertones of male romance. The story unfolds slowly and gently, as the title suggests, and it is remarkable to watch the two protagonists grow as they deal with feelings they do not understand or have the tools to process. At the same time I was fully engaged in the narrative, a portion of my brain was registering awe at the author's skill here. Highly recommended.
An exceptional picture of adolescent-into-young manhood life in the 1920s, with subtle but unmistakable undertones of male romance. The story unfolds slowly and gently, as the title suggests, and it is remarkable to watch the two protagonists grow as they deal with feelings they do not understand or have the tools to process. At the same time I was fully engaged in the narrative, a portion of my brain was registering awe at the author's skill here. Highly recommended.
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28+ Works 5,707 Members
Born in Lincoln, Illinois in 1908, William Maxwell is one of America's more prominent writers. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the National Book Critics Circle Award (1994), and the American Book Award (1982) for his novel "So Long, See You Tomorrow." Maxwell's fiction has been described as nostalgic. Most of his work takes place show more in simpler, gentler times in the small towns of the American Midwest. Two of Maxwell's novels, "They Came Like Swallows" (1937) and "So Long, See You Tomorrow" (1980), deal with characters who lose relatives in the influenza epidemic of 1918. Maxwell's own mother died in the epidemic when he was ten years old. Maxwell published his first novel, "Bright Center of Heaven," in 1934. He moved to New York City in 1936 and was hired by the New Yorker. His years as an editor there, 1936 to 1976, coincided with what many believe are the magazine's finest. This was the era that saw the publication of the works of many accomplished writers, such as J. D. Salinger, Eudora Welty, John Updike, and Mary McCarthy in the New Yorker's pages. Maxwell has published six novels, several collections of short stories, a family history, and numerous book reviews. He served as president of the National Institute of Arts and letters from 1969 to 1972. William Maxwell has been married for over 50 years to the former Emily Noyes. They met at the New Yorker when she applied for a job. The couple has two daughters. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Library of America (179)
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