Mary Gaitskill Book order

'Mary Gaitskill is willing to think about the problematic with complexity and humanity, and without taking sides or engaging in all the fashionable moral hectoring that passes for serious thought these days.' Eimear McBrideNuanced, daring and tender, these essays from the celebrated author of This is Pleasure and Bad Behavior , consistently fascinate and provoke. Mary Gaitskill takes on a broad range of topics from Nabokov to horse-riding with her unique ability to tease out unexpected truths and cast aside received wisdom.Written with startling grace and linguistic flair, and delving into the complicated nature of love and the responsibility we owe to the people we encounter, the work collected here inspires the reader to think beyond their first responses to life and art. Spanning thirty years of Mary Gaitskill's writing, and covering subjects as diverse as Dancer in the Dark , the world of Charles Dickens and the Book of Revelation with her characteristic blend of sincerity and wit, Oppositions is never less than enthralling.

"In this searching biography of the writer's imagination, Mary Gaitskill excavates her own novels, revealing their origins and obsessions, the personal and societal pressures that formed them, and the life story hidden between their pages. Using the techniques of collage, The Devil's Treasure splices fiction together with commentary and personal history, and with the fairy tale that gives the book its title, about a little girl who ventures into Hell through a suburban trapdoor." -- Publisher's website.

'A perfectly formed set of stories about alienation in modern times' Independent 'Mesmerizing - almost ecstatic' The New York Times Mary Gaitskill's coolly compelling, quietly devastating stories explore the messy complexity of relationships between lovers, families and friends. An unsettling encounter on a plane; a tentative affair between an older woman and a younger man; the chasm between a father and his daughter: each expresses our longing for, and our fear of, human connection.

'Last year I lost my cat Gattino. He was very young, at seven months barely an adolescent. He is probably dead but I don't know for certain.'

Mary Gaitskill's tales of desire and dislocation in 1980s New York caused a sensation with their frank, caustic portrayals of men and women's inner lives. As her characters have sex, try and fail to connect, play power games and inflict myriad cruelties on each other, she skewers urban life with precision and candour. 'Stubbornly original, with a sort of rhythm and fine moments that flatten you out when you don't expect it, these stories are a pleasure to read' Alice Munro 'An air of Pinteresque menace hangs over these people's social exchanges like black funereal bunting ... Gaitskill writes with such authority, such radar-perfect detail' Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

"This book originally appeared, in slightly different form, in The New Yorker (newyorker.com) on July 8, 2019"--Copyright page.

Through a collection of essays, Mary Gaitskill delves into various topics including date rape, political adultery, and the cultural impact of figures like Björk and Norman Mailer. She examines the interplay between art and society, celebrating both the playful and the profound. Gaitskill's writing is characterized by its wit and deep insight, offering a tender yet incisive look at contemporary issues and the complexities of human experience. This work showcases her signature style, blending personal reflection with broader cultural commentary.

A profound, important novel about how love and family are shaped by place, race and class.

A collection of provocative, searching short stories by Mary Gaitskill, acclaimed author of Bad Behavior and This is Pleasure.

A re-release of a National Book Award finalist debut collection by the author of Because They Wanted To follows such themes as dislocation and longing in a series of tales that reflect the experiences of a disenchanted and rebellious urban-fringe generation. Reprint.