The Granta Book of the American Short Story, Vol. 2 - Softcover

Richard Ford's story collections include Rock Springs, Women Without Men, and A Multitude of Sins. His novel Independence Day was the first novel to win both the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Pulitzer Prize. His latest novel, The Lay of the Land, was published in 2006.

'There is no better introduction to the modern American short story on the market. Nor is there, I would argue, any better introduction to modern America. In story after story one is within touching distance of the real America, with its manifold dysfunctions, destructive disappointments and quotidian glamour ... What each offers is a compelling, convincing voice and a world freshly articulated. This is a collection to revel in and savour slowly, one story at a time' Alan Taylor, (28.10.07)"Sunday Herald " 'A marvellous collection ... a collection to be read, reckoned with and possibly loved' Tom Adair, "Scotsman "(03.11.07)'One of the chief pleasures of this extensive volume lies in rediscovering the old. I defy anyone not to reel with delight at John Cheever's heartbreaking but hilarious 'Reunion' ... Ranging back and forth across decades, expansive in its scope and ambition, this is a book far more capable of demonstrating the short story's variety and strangeness ... Ford's is the long view, seriously considered, full of nuance and detail and heritage' Alex Clark, "Observer"(11.11.07) 'The latest in a distinguished sequence of similar anthologies published in the past 15 years, beginning with "Granta"'s original "Book of the American Short Story" ... More original, and more invigorating, is Ford's focus on the younger authors. the new "Granta" book features seven writers under the age of 40, all of their stories worth reading, some of them unforgettable' Tobias Hill, "The Times"(10.11.07) 'Formidable ... the "New Granta Book" is quite a triumph' Tim Martin, "Independent on Sunday"(11.11.07) 'The stories that Ford picks are all about consequence. They're about moments, and places, outside the normal run of things - turning points in lives that occur, often rather casually, and sometimes unnoticed for years, when routines are broken ... Many of the volumes from which Ford assembled this collection are, shockingly, out of print. They are well worth seeking out'