Eyes: Novellas and Stories

The point where an underground spring suddenly bursts to the surface is known as an eye. It is a place of mystery, where dry ground becomes soaked with life-giving water, and nature gives us a glimpse of all that happens out of the realm of human vision. So begins William Gass's latest collection, with these evocative lines from Jan DeBlieu. What follows are six extraordinary works of fiction: stories and novellas that capture these moments of mystery and explore the hidden philosophical depths of everyday life as only Gass can.

"Charity" examines the roles of asking, giving, and receiving through the prism of a young lawyer who offers a simple gift. "In Camera" takes us into a photography shop owner's incomparable collection of images. "Don't Even Try, Sam" gives us the voice of the prop piano from Casablanca, and "Soliloquy for a Chair" is narrated by a folding chair in a barbershop that is ultimately fated for destruction. Incisive, darkly funny, formally innovative and linguistically stunning, Eyes is a tour de force of modern fiction.

Author: William H. Gass
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 09/20/2016
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 0.90d
ISBN13: 9781101873335
ISBN10: 1101873337
BISAC Categories:
- Fiction | Short Stories (single author)
- Fiction | Literary
- Fiction | Humorous | General

About the Author

William H. Gass--essayist, novelist, literary critic--was born in Fargo, North Dakota. He is the author of seven works of fiction and nine books of essays, including Life Sentences, A Temple of Texts, and Tests of Time, and was a professor of philosophy at Washington University. He died in 2017.