Paris Stories (New York Review Books Classics)

Mavis Gallant is one of those writers who don't make waves but yet command enormous respect from those who have the good fortune to read her work. As far as being a writer goes, Gallant is the real deal. She left Canada in her twenties and went to Europe, believing that writers ought not to have it easy if they were to learn their trade. She didn't and almost starved in Madrid in the early fifties. She later settled in Paris where she still lives.Gallant's writing is economical and spare but has an emotional precision that can be breathtaking. She evokes in a few words exchanges and experiences that many writers would struggle to express at all.If you love reading or you are or want to be a writer, you owe it yourself to discover her work if you haven't already.

If Alice Munro can get the Nobel prize, I dont see why this great Canadian writer has been overlooked. Her stories range over a wide spectrum of people, places and times and offer sharp and comprehensive insights into what we do to each other and ourselves. These 'Paris stories' offer an outsiders' view of goings on in Europe (and not just by Europeans) from the 1930s on. Very instructive as a basis for understanding how a specific culture (place, gender, age) steers universal needs and desires. Each story plays out over time, and as events unfold, you have a front row seat, thanks to her clear perspective and lucid writing.Every story in this collection is a winner - not true of some of the other MG collections.

first class in every respect

Stunning writing. Unique and absorbing.

Brilliant writer

This book is both boring AND depressing.