Author(s): Joyce Carol Oates

Non-fiction

In thirty-eight diverse and provocative pieces, Joyce Carol Oates freely speaks her mind on some of literature's greatest modern authors. Writing at the top of her form, she offers lively opinions and cogent analysis of the works of Sylvia Plath, E. L. Doctorow, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Anne Tyler, to name but a few. With illuminating thoughts on the state of fiction and the future of the short story, Oates demonstrates once again that she is not only one of our most talented contemporary novelists but also a superb critic of serious literature as well -- enthralling us with her art, her keen intelligence, and the incomparable power of her words. First published 2005.