This is the most complete and generous sampling of the first half of an indispensable American writer's career.
William Saroyan Books
August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981
William Saroyan's work offers a distinctive portrayal of Armenian immigrant life in California, often set in Fresno, the heart of the community where he grew up. His stories and plays delve into themes of rootlessness, identity, and the immigrant experience, capturing the joys and struggles of his characters with warmth and deep empathy. Saroyan's writing is characterized by its vibrant prose and profound humanism, making him a compelling voice that explores the multifaceted nature of the American dream.
William Saroyan, whose identity as a major American author was strongly colored by his Armenian heritage, contributed frequently to "The Armenian Review," to which he gives credit for first publishing his work. This collection, published posthumously at his request, includes ninety-seven short stories, two plays, and four poems written between 1934 and 1963 and comprises one of the literary finds of the decade.Saroyan was a restless man torn between two worlds--the Armenian past of his dead father, which he felt welling up inside him, and the American present whose opportunities and possibilities he exulted in. Editor James Tashjian has compiled a record of those three decades of conflict, most of it seen in print only by "Armenian Review" readers, that expands our appreciation of a unique talent whose energy and imagination made him a literary phenomenon.from back cover
**** Reprint of the 1934 original (which is cited in BCL3). Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
What a delight to find seventeen of Saroyan s uncollected stories within one cover!....charming tales, all blessed with Saroyan s pixieish imagination and magical writing style .Even today they read as though they have been freshly minted from the Saroyan treasure house. A discovery for those who love Saroyan s fiction; his spark is still wonderfully alive. Library Journal
Fresno Stories
- 90 pages
- 4 hours of reading
Eleven of William Saroyan's most delightful tales, Fresno Stories springs straight from the source of the author's vision--"the archetypal Armenian families who inhabit Saroyan country, in and around Fresno, California." (Chicago Tribune)
The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze (Faber Editions)
Introduced by Stephen Fry
- 252 pages
- 9 hours of reading
A Lost Great American Master: meet Jack Kerouac's inspiration in these heart-expanding tales of immigrant life in 1930s USA, introduced by superfan Stephen Fry.JACK KEROUAC: 'I loved him ... He just got me' ARTHUR MILLER: 'The first to let it all hang out and write like a child in wonderland.' KURT VONNEGUT: 'Still the greatest.' JOSE[Bokinfo].
The place is Ithaca, in California's San Joaquin Valley. The time is World War II. The family is the Macauley's—a mother, sister, and three brothers whose struggles and dreams reflect those of America's second-generation immigrants. In particular, fourteen-year-old Homer, determined to become one of the fastest telegraph messengers in the West, finds himself caught between reality and illusion as delivering his messages of wartime death, love, and money brings him face-to-face with human emotion at its most naked and raw. This delightful novel shows us the boy becoming the man in a world that even in the midst of war, appears sweeter, safer and more livable than our own.
