Falling and Other Stories - Softcover

Stoltzfus, Ben

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1681144549 ISBN 13: 9781681144542

Publisher: Anaphora Literary Press, 2018

Synopsis

A novella and six short fictions, is by turn mythic and realistic, moving and wistful, innovative and traditional. It maps a wide geography of human emotions: lust, adventure, love, alienation, explicit violence and implicit passion. Ben Stoltzfus makes each character—a glamour girl, a scuba queen, a shaman, a mountain climber, a skier, a ball-court superstar, women in distress, even strangers—come vividly alive. In “Falling” you, the narrator, climb toward the summit with Juan, your friend, following flashbacks in the narrative trail. In “The Bank”, a father and son come to terms with a lifetime of estrangement. In “Glamour Girl”, a woman reminisces about her husbands, rich people, Joe Louis and happy days in the spotlight. In “Scuba Queen”, two college friends, now in their thirties, dive for abalone in the kelp beds of the Pacific Ocean where their rivalry begets a dangerous and miraculous denoument. “Masks and Bergamasks” is a love monologue, a silent conversation between a teacher and a student during a lecture on French Symbolist poetry. In “Samantha’s Choice”, three friends debate free will versus determinism, and are caught in an avalanche while skiing Mount Washington. In “The Games of Chichén Itzà”, a shaman dreams Mayan life and ritual into a dramatic ball-court encounter between two teams; the play of the gods is re-enacted as struggle, blood-sacrifice and renewal. Subtly honed with hallmark precision and keen insight this wide-ranging collection exemplifies the best in narrative art.

About this title

About the Author

Ben Stoltzfus is Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature and Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside. He is a novelist, translator, literary critic and internationally recognized inter-arts scholar. He has published 12 monographs of literary criticism, five novels and one collection of short stories. Romoland, a pictonovel, his most recent publication, was written in collaboration with Judith Palmer, the artist. He has received many awards: Fulbright, Camargo, Gradiva, Humanities, Creative Arts, and MLA. Stoltzfus lives in Riverside, California, with Judith Palmer, his wife.

Edition details

• Publisher: Anaphora Literary Press
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1681144549
• ISBN 13: 9781681144542
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 126
• Editor: Adler Claire