The Literary Fiction Shelf

Charles Portis: Collected Works
Jay Jennings, editor
The Library of America
www.loa.org
9781598537468, $45.00, HC, 1216pp

https://www.amazon.com/Charles-Portis-Collected-Atlantis-Writings/dp/159853= 7466

Synopsis: The late Charles Portis (December 28, 1933 - February 17, 2020) i=
s the author of five novels, a handful of short stories, a play, and severa=
l essays, along with journalism written early in his career. His debut nove=
l, Norwood, was published in 1966 and was made into a movie in 1970. His se= cond and best-known novel, True Grit, has been twice adapted for the screen=
, most recently by the Coen brothers in 2010; in 2013 it was named a Nation=
al Endowment for the Arts Big Read Library Selection.

An example of the quality of his fiction -- Twice adapted as a film, first =
in a version starring John Wayne and then by the Coen Brothers, his novel "= True Grit" is a wonder of literary perfection, told in the unforgettable vo= ice of 14-year-old Mattie Ross as she sets out to avenge her murdered fathe=
r in a quest that brings her out of her native Arkansas and into the wilds =
of the Choctaw Nation of the 1870s.

Critique: Under the deft editorship of Jay Jennings, "Charles Portis: Colle= cted Works: Norwood / True Grit / The Dog of the South / Masters of Atlanti=
s / Gringos / Stories & Other Writings" is a magnificent compendium of his = fiction, as well as a gathering of his nonfiction that collectively reveal = his impressive skills as a reporter, including his coverage of the Civil Ri= ghts Movement; his appreciation of Arkansas history and landscape, as in "T=
he Forgotten River"; and his poignancy as a family memoirist, on display in=
his recollection "Combinations of Jacksons". This edition of "Charles Port= is: Collected Works" from The Library of America, is especially and unreser= vedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and unive= rsity library American Literary Studies collections

Someone Speaks Your Name
Luis Garcia Montero, author
Katie King, translator
Swan Isle Press
https://swanislepress.com
c/o University of Chicago Press
www.press.uchicago.edu
9781736189344, $28.00, PB, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Someone-Speaks-Your-Garc%C3%ADa-Montero/dp/173618934=
4

Synopsis: It's the summer of 1963 and Leon Egea, a cocky nineteen-year-old = student and aspiring author, has just finished his first year studying lite= rature at the University of Granada and is starting a summer job as an ency= clopedia salesman. Leon, infuriated by the injustices in Spanish society un= der the Franco dictatorship, comes to find that literature can speak the tr= uth when the reality is clouded. Leon discovers that, under the repressive = Franco dictatorship, people, places, and events are not always what they se= em. But literature, words, and names can open paths to discovery, both pers= onal and political.

"Someone Speaks Your Name" deftly explores literature as a foundation for u= nderstanding human relationships, national character, discrete differences = between right and wrong, and for pursuing the path forward. As Leon's profe= ssor tells him: "Learning to write is learning to see."

Critique: Very ably translated into English by Katie King, "Someone Speaks = Your Name" is coming-of-age novel by renowned Spanish writer Luis Garcia Mo= ntero that will have immense appeal to readers with an interest in literary=
fiction with political and historical themes. Featuring a memorably lyrica=
l, exceptionally eloquent, and compelling narrative driven storytelling sty= le, "Someone Speaks Your Name" is unreservedly recommended for personal rea= ding lists and community/academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction col= lections,

Editorial Note #1: Luis Garcia Montero is a Spanish writer whose work inclu= des poetry, novels, essays, song lyrics, and literary scholarship. He spear= headed a literary movement in Spain known as the Poetry of Experience and i=
s head of Spain's Instituto Cervantes. He has an informative page on Wikipe= dia at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Garc%C3%ADa_Montero

Editorial Note #2: Katie King (https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/transla= tor/katie-king) is a journalist, media executive, literary translator, and = translation scholar. She has collaborated with Garcia Montero for more than=
a decade.

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