Steve Almond Books

In his entry in Ig's Bookmarked series, best-selling author Steve Almond takes on John Willams's classic American novel, Stoner.

Chronicling a life of confrontations with prominent figures in modern culture, the author engages in battles against personalities like Sean Hannity and Oprah Winfrey, while also navigating the chaos of reality TV and the fervor of Red Sox fans. Throughout these encounters, he pays tribute to his literary idol, Kurt Vonnegut. The collection of essays showcases a blend of humor and incisive commentary, earning praise for their richness and fearlessness from the Los Angeles Times.

Steve Almond's stunning first collection of short stories explores the lives of young men in their twenties and thirties, their confusions, their obsessions, their emotional complexities, taking a clear-eyed view of relationships between young men and women who have come of age in an era without innocence. schovat popis

A diverse cast of characters navigates bizarre situations in this collection of twelve stories, including a wealthy family convinced of alien abduction and a magazine editor enamored with a charming rogue. Almond’s sharp storytelling reveals the complexities of human nature, featuring unexpected cameos from figures like Michael Jackson and Abraham Lincoln. With a blend of humor and poignancy, the narratives explore themes of desire, desperation, and self-discovery, compelling readers to confront the depths of their own struggles.

"Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow is one of the best books on writing I've ever read. It's also the funniest by a country mile." --Richard Russo, author of the North Bath trilogy The long-awaited book about the craft of creative writing from Steve Almond, beloved teacher, mentor, and author. From the acclaimed author of twelve books of fiction and nonfiction, including All the Secrets of the World and the New York Times bestsellers Candyfreak and Against Football, comes a craft book that is at once irreverent and iconoclastic. In Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow, Steve Almond employs the radical empathy he displayed as co-host (with Cheryl Strayed) of the podcast Dear Sugars to explore the joys and trials of storytelling, and to explode the myths that hold us back from writing our deepest and truest work. The book includes chapters on plot, character, and chronology, but travels far beyond the earnest intentions of most craft books. It includes essays on humor, sex, writer's block, and the dividends of failure, as well as prompts to generate new work and a rollicking Frequently Asked Questions section. You'll never think about writing the same way again.

Each story of a love affair - confessed with striking honesty - reveals the ways in which both Jane and John have grown and grown up, changed and not changed, over the years;

Ein junger Popkritiker, der seine erste Stelle weit weg vom Studienort angetreten hat, lässt seine bildhübsche Freundin Jo zurück und plagt sich so lange mit der Einsamkeit herum, bis er im Schwimmbad die wenig attraktive Claudia kennenlernt. Als Jo überraschend ankündigt, zu ihm zu ziehen, macht er am Abend vor ihrer Ankunft eine unwiderstehliche Entdeckung beim ersten Sex mit Claudia … Ein Student verliebt sich auf dem Campus in eine polnische Kommilitonin, die ihm durch ihre fremde Schönheit auffällt. Er fährt mit ihr nach Polen, trifft auf ihre Mutter und im Zusammenleben der drei wird plötzlich klar, dass die kulturellen Unterschiede nur zu einem endgültigen und traurigen Bruch führen können. Steve Almond legt zwölf umwerfende Short Storys vor. Beziehungsgeschichten vom Feinsten, sexy und komisch, traurig und weise.