- Library Binding: 336 pages
- Publisher: San Val (May 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1417710047
- ISBN-13: 978-1417710041
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.7 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
Novelties & Souvenirs: Collected Short Fiction
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Review
"John Crowley is an abundantly gifted writer."--New York Times Book Review
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
A master literary stylist, John Crowley has carried readers to diverse and remarkable places in his award-winning, critically acclaimed novels -- from his classic fable, "Little, Big," to his "New York Times" Notable Book, "The Translator." Now, for the first time, all of his short fiction has been collected in one volume, demonstrating the scope, the vision, and the wonder of one of America's greatest storytellers. Courage and achievement are celebrated and questioned, paradoxes examined, and human frailty appreciated in fifteen tales, at once lyrical and provocative, ranging fromthe fantastic to the achingly real. Be it a tale of an expulsion from Eden, a journey through time, the dreams of a failed writer, ora dead woman's ambiguous legacy, each story in "Novelties & Souvenirs" is a glorious reading experience, offering delights to be savored ... and remembered. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
"THERE WAS, OF COURSE," Sir Geoffrey said, "the Inconstancy Plague in Cheshire. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
"THERE WAS, OF COURSE," Sir Geoffrey said, "the Inconstancy Plague in Cheshire. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you are a John Crowley fan, then this collection is well worth having. Ranging from folklore to timetravel, Crowley's familiar concerns with memory and how we perceive our past and those we share it with are evident throughout. The standout story for me was 'Great Work of Time', a 'what if?' scenario narrated by a young man recruited into a secret society, whose mission is to keep the British Empire great - with unforseen consequences.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
16 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Extraordinary
29 July 2004
Format:Paperback
John Crowley is one the best and most underappreciated writers alive. His talent is comparable to that of William Trevor, John Banville, or Calvino. The stories in this collection are uniformly powerful and ingenious, incredibly clever especially when they start out under the guise of genre stories and become something much, much more, like the one about Virginia Woolf's visit, which manages in a few short pages to say something universal about the nature of time (and has an impact as powerful as, say, Amis's "Time's Arrow," which took a whole novel to make its point). I strongly encourage anyone who loves innovative literature and deep, engaging prose to read this book (and Crowley's other work, as well).
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
More Magic
19 Nov 2005
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
John Crowley is an exemplary writer, whose novels have always struck me with the depth and quality of their insight. This short story collection is a superb addition to the library. The advantage of the short story is that the writer has more opportunity to experiment, since less time is invested, and the goals of a short story are generally more limited than those of a novel.
The only story I'd give less than five stars to is also one of the older ones, "The Green Child," which struck me as less a story than imaginary reportage.
Unless the review is to be as long as the collection, which is the only way to do this collection justice, I'll just hit a few of the stories.
"Antiquities" is a marvelous tale, and the style impressed me as Crowley has the knack of using just the right word to convey not only an action but the manner of the action. Such precision is all too rare.
"Snow" was nominated for a Hugo award for the year it appeared and deserved the award. Unfortunately, it was a banner year for good writing and the story didn't win. In this story, Crowley plays with one of his recurring themes, that memory changes and ages. The insights are, as always, trenchant.
"The Nightingale Sings at Night" is a wonderful creation myth story, the vocabulary and mannerisms perfectly adapted to the story itself. Crowley has mastered many styles and seems to select them to suit each story. This story reminded me somewhat of Kipling's "Just So" stories.
"Novelty," on the other hand, reminded me of James Joyce. The story is told within a story. The basic story is simple enough: A man enters a bar, orders a drink, mildly flirts with a woman who turns out to be the bartender's wife, and leaves. Within that framework, however, deep and subtle movements take place, and the result is that the apparent story is only the tip of the iceberg, the most important part hidden below the surface.
"Great Work of Time" is the longest story in the book and covers more than most doorstop novels. What would happen if history were changeable, could be directed, and memory was an illusion? The story shows us a corridor with doors that can only be opened one at a time, without being able to remember what had hid behind the previous door. It's a dizzying work, as are several of the stories, as one tries to grasp the concepts Crowley seems to have mastered as easily as breathing.
"The War Between the Objects and the Subjects" rather reminded me of Twain, when he was being playful with the language.
Crowley is not for every reader. He is a challenging, demanding writer, but nothing great is achieved without challenge. No one celebrates climbing a molehill. The accomplishment lies in meeting the challenge, and the rewards Crowley offers those who accept the challenge more than equal the effort required.
The only story I'd give less than five stars to is also one of the older ones, "The Green Child," which struck me as less a story than imaginary reportage.
Unless the review is to be as long as the collection, which is the only way to do this collection justice, I'll just hit a few of the stories.
"Antiquities" is a marvelous tale, and the style impressed me as Crowley has the knack of using just the right word to convey not only an action but the manner of the action. Such precision is all too rare.
"Snow" was nominated for a Hugo award for the year it appeared and deserved the award. Unfortunately, it was a banner year for good writing and the story didn't win. In this story, Crowley plays with one of his recurring themes, that memory changes and ages. The insights are, as always, trenchant.
"The Nightingale Sings at Night" is a wonderful creation myth story, the vocabulary and mannerisms perfectly adapted to the story itself. Crowley has mastered many styles and seems to select them to suit each story. This story reminded me somewhat of Kipling's "Just So" stories.
"Novelty," on the other hand, reminded me of James Joyce. The story is told within a story. The basic story is simple enough: A man enters a bar, orders a drink, mildly flirts with a woman who turns out to be the bartender's wife, and leaves. Within that framework, however, deep and subtle movements take place, and the result is that the apparent story is only the tip of the iceberg, the most important part hidden below the surface.
"Great Work of Time" is the longest story in the book and covers more than most doorstop novels. What would happen if history were changeable, could be directed, and memory was an illusion? The story shows us a corridor with doors that can only be opened one at a time, without being able to remember what had hid behind the previous door. It's a dizzying work, as are several of the stories, as one tries to grasp the concepts Crowley seems to have mastered as easily as breathing.
"The War Between the Objects and the Subjects" rather reminded me of Twain, when he was being playful with the language.
Crowley is not for every reader. He is a challenging, demanding writer, but nothing great is achieved without challenge. No one celebrates climbing a molehill. The accomplishment lies in meeting the challenge, and the rewards Crowley offers those who accept the challenge more than equal the effort required.
Ok Collection
25 May 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was a fan of John Crowley, and I still am. I read the collection Otherwise: Three Novels, and I thought it was absolutely brilliant, especially Engine Summer and Beasts. I would recommend those two emphatically. The collection Novelties and Souvenirs overall was just OK. In fact, if I had read this first instead of Otherwise, I probably never would have read anything by John Crowley again. He is a great writer but his best work simply isn't seen here.
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