Matters of Life and Death by Tobias Wolff
When America was just beginning to turn away from the fabulism of the 1960s and 1970s, authors like Barth and Barthelme, and towards a fresh dedication to naturalism, Toby Wolff’s anthology Matters of Life and Death had a significant impact. As a result, it contains all of the movement’s key figures as well as some of its best stories, including those by Raymond Carver, Richard Ford, Joy Williams, and Mary Robison. John Gardner, Barry Hannah, Ron Hansen, and Leonard Michaels have all contributed amazing stories to it as well. It’s a glimpse of the absolute finest storytellers of an entire decade, which makes it different from most anthologies.
Matters of Life and Death by Tobias Wolff
Amazon.com
- Used Book in Good Condition
Tobias Wolff was raised in Washington State after being born in Birmingham, Alabama. He studied at Stanford University, where he is currently a professor of English and creative writing, and at Oxford University. He has won the Story Prize, the PEN/Malamud Award, the Rea Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award for excellence in the short story.
The people in these tales struggle, often quite literally, with the gravest problems. In “Walking Out,” by David Quammen, a mistake leads to a dangerous conflict between man and nature. Furthermore, Stanley Elkin’s interpretation of traditional religious doctrines and the afterlife ought to be disturbing enough to keep a few evangelicals up at night.
