Donald Pizer Books

Considered by many to be John Dos Passos's greatest work, Manhattan Transfer is an "expressionistic picture of New York" (New York Times) in the 1920s that reveals the lives of wealthy power brokers and struggling immigrants alike. From Fourteenth Street to the Bowery, Delmonico's to the underbelly of the city waterfront, Dos Passos chronicles the lives of characters struggling to become a part of modernity before they are destroyed by it. More than seventy-five years after its first publication, Manhattan Transfer still stands as "a novel of the very first importance" (Sinclair Lewis). It is a masterpiece of modern fiction and a lasting tribute to the dual-edged nature of the American dream.

Focusing on Hamlin Garland's early work, this collection of essays by Donald Pizer highlights the significance of this formative period in the author's career. Pizer's analyses aim to re-establish Garland's contributions and influence, shedding light on his activities and literary development during these crucial years.

Focusing on the challenges of producing authoritative editions of notable American authors, this collection features Donald Pizer's essays and reviews from 1890-1930. It encompasses general editing essays, specific studies on Theodore Dreiser and Stephen Crane, and discussions on textual theory and critical interpretation involving Crane and John Dos Passos. The work contributes to the ongoing debates in textual editing from 1970 to 2000, appealing to textual editors, literary critics, and scholars of late 19th- and early 20th-century American literature.

Focusing on the influence of New Historicist studies, this research explores the interpretation of American literary naturalism and its relevance in contemporary fiction. It examines canonical figures like Norris, Crane, and Dreiser, while also highlighting the contributions of Wharton and Chopin to the discourse. The work positions itself as a continuation of Pizer's previous scholarship, enriching the understanding of literary naturalism within the broader context of American literature.

The collection features Donald Pizer's essays that explore Frank Norris's writings, highlighting the coherence of his ideas and his pivotal role in shaping American naturalism. Through these analyses, the book sheds light on Norris's unique contributions to the literary movement, emphasizing the significance of his work in the context of American literature.

The Game as It Is Played comprises the best of Donald Pizer's essays on Theodore Dreiser. The essays explore several of the more controversial areas of Dreiser scholarship, including his late conversion to communism, his anti-Semitism, and the text of Sister Carrie.

A New York Times Notable BookAn intimate biography of a great American writer.He rose from a childhood as the illegitimate son of a financial titan to become the man Sartre called "the greatest writer of our time." A progressive writer who turned his passions into the groundbreaking U.S.A. trilogy, John Dos Passos later embraced conservative causes. At the height of his career he was considered a peer of Hemingway and Fitzgerald, yet he died in obscurity in 1970.Award-winning biographer Virginia Spencer Carr examines the contradictions of Dos Passos's life with an in-depth study of the man. Using the writer's letters and journals, and with assistance from the Dos Passos family, Carr reconstructs an epic life, one of literary acclaim and bitter obscurity, restless wandering and happy marriage, friendship with Edmund Wilson and feuds with Hemingway. First published to acclaim in 1984, Dos Passos remains the definitive personal portrait of the author.