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The winner of every major American literary prize, John Updike (1932-2009) was one of the most popular and prolific novelists of his time and a major cultural figure who traced the high point and fall of mid-century American self-confidence and energy. This volume offers a close look at the extraordinary literary achievements of this popular and prolific American author.

Offers a thoughtful examination of the life and work of William Gibson, author of eleven novels and twenty short stories. This study situates Gibson as a major figure in both science fiction history and contemporary American fiction, and it traces how his aesthetic affected both areas of literature.

An analysis introducing Mason's nonfiction prose, short stories and novels. Price sheds light on the writer's distinctive style and thematic concerns in her writings about contemporary Western Kentucky.

A companion to the novels of the king of the Beats. It introduces readers to what Matt Theado calls Kerouac's 'unwieldy accretion of published work' - fiction, poetry, nonfiction, selected letters, religious writing, and 'true-story novels'.

The author of seven short story collections and eleven novels, T C Boyle has been honored with the 1988 PEN/Faulkner Award for ""World's End"" and the 1997 Prix Medicis Etranger for ""The Tortilla Curtain"". This title presents study of this contemporary America's most prolific, popular, and critically acclaimed fiction writers.

The recipient of the 1998 O Henry Award and the 2004 Rea Award for the Short Story, Lorrie Moore is best known for her short fiction. This book shows that Moore's virtuosic prose, wry humor, and sense of irony are tools for registering how Americans face the discomfort of their daily lives as individuals and as a nation.

Introduces readers to the author best known for Postcards and The Shipping News. The book examines her lyrical prose and wealth of detail, and analyses her primary thematic concern - the way ordinary people conduct their lives in the face of massive social, economic, and ecological change.

Filling the gap of critical study on McCorkle, Barbara Bennett analyzes the widely read and admired output of this prolific southern woman writer. Bennett identifies and discusses the diverse characters, thematic concerns and keen sense of language that distinguish McCorkle's work.

In examining the four novels and one collection of short stories by Hubert Selby Jr, this author argues that the full complexity of his fiction has not previously been understood. It contends that Selby's writings, represent an innovative merger of two narrative modes.

Charles Wright's work centers around a lengthy self-described ""Trilogy of Trilogies"" project consisting of ""Country Music"", ""The World of the Ten Thousand Things"", and ""Negative Blue"". This title offers a study of Wright's body of work. It provides readers an introduction to the books and themes that have defined the poet's illustrious career.

Introduces readers to the author known for the novels ""Annie John"", ""Lucy"", and ""The Autobiography of My Mother"". This work surveys Jamaica Kincaid's life, career, and works of fiction and nonfiction to identify and discuss her interests in familial relations, Caribbean culture, and aftermath of colonialism and exploitation.