Paule Marshall

The strong talent of Paule Marshall has matured in this, her second book. Woven through these four diverse and fascinating short novels is a theme that unifies them despite sharp differences of character and background. In each a man moving toward the later reaches of life experiences a climatic confrontation. In each a woman is involved as both a creative and a destructive force. In each a man is reaching out desperately to grasp at his life before...

This collection of Paule Marshall's short works illustrates the growth of a remarkable writer. For the first time these stories, long out of print or difficult to obtain, appear together in a single volume. Introducing the volume is Marshall's much acclaimed autobiographical essay, "From the Poets in the Kitchen" from the New York Times Book Review's series called "The Making of a Writer." This collection included newly written autobiographical headnotes...