Mothers & Daughters: An Anthology by Alberto Manguel

Product Details

Synopsis

Turning his inspired anthologizing skills to two subjects we can all relate to, celebrated writer and editor Alberto Manguel offers his most fascinating literary collections yet. Manguel brings his quirky sensibility and instinct for exceptional writing to a core realm of human experience, presenting an outstanding array of international voices that delve into the mystery of these primary relationships. Both volumes feature an exceptional collection of complete short stories, each selection accompanied by a provocative introduction from the editor. With such writing talents as Richard Ford, Kensaburo Oe, Margaret Atwood, Bharati Mukherjee, Ethan Canin, Anita Desai, and many others, Mothers & Daughters and Fathers & Sons explode the typical and plunge us into a literary world at turns humorous, dark, touching, bizarre, and moving.

Library Journal

One of the most powerful and influential of human relationships is between parent and child. In Mothers and Daughters and Fathers and Sons, anthologist Manguel explores this complex bond through a number of international writers, some well known and others less so. Manguel is the editor of six literary anthologies and author of A History of Reading (LJ 7/96). In Mothers and Daughters he includes short stories from such notables as Daphne du Maurier, Louise Erdrich, and Katherine Mansfield. These stories reveal women struggling to understand and adjust to their roles in that most mysterious of human relationships. In "Rachel and Her Children" Frances Newman tells of a mother who, after being pushed aside by her beautiful and socially prominent daughter, cherishes her increased status since the daughter's death. Fathers and Sons features such writers as William Faulkner, Steven Crane, Franz Kafka, Bruno Schulz, and Ben Okri. The typical male themes of war, sports, and the outdoors appear but along with more unusual and introspective pieces. For example, in "Aghwee the Sky Monster" by Kenzaburo Oe, a young composer is haunted by the enlarged vision of his dead infant son. These stories are valuable for the insight they bring to the parent/child relationship and for the broad representation of writers included. Strongly recommended for all public libraries.Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo

Biography

Alberto Manguel has edited six anthologies, including Black Water. Most recently, he authored A History of Reading. A voracious reader and literary sleuth, he lives in Canada.