Golden Gate and Other Stories
by Clarence Major

Description

Available for purchase on this site and through our distributor, Itasca Books, our preferred US outlet Powell’s Bookstore, our preferred UK bookstore Blackwell’s and also available, we are told in France.]

Announcing publication of Golden Gate and Other Stories by the justly celebrated Clarence Major. The book is a gathering of thirteen unpublished stories of aspiration, thriving and authentic lives set in California’s Bay Area. A few examples: A frustrated married woman searching for happiness online and at conferences. A reporter from San Francisco goes to Rome to interview the widow of a world-famous deceased American novelist. A young woman goes on a date with a young man just to teach him a lesson. In a San Francisco boarding house, a man is the bane of everyone’s existence. Two children are disappointed when their mother marries while they are away visiting their father. A dilettante throws parties everybody loves. A communist from France becomes paranoid when the man she is dating might be spying on her.

CLARENCE MAJOR’s two previous collections of short stories are Fun & Games and Chicago Heat; his novels include Dirty Bird Blues (a Penguin Classic), Such Was the Season, a Literary Guild selection, My Amputations, winner of the Western States Book Award; Painted Turtle: Woman with Guitar, a New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year. He has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Harvard Review, and dozens of other periodicals. Major won a National Book Award Bronze Medal and many other awards. He was elected to The Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2021. Major is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Twentieth Century American Literature at the University of California at Davis.

Comments:

“Clarence Major is the voice of our country singing sweet and bitter and loud. I wish I had written these stories. I could never make the magic he has perfected. I love it, and I know readers will celebrate this book’s brilliance.” (Luis Alberto Urrea, author of House of Broken Dreams)

“I was entranced by this collection. The subtle power of these stories sneaks up from behind, creating startling climaxes with enigmatic endings that invite the reader to muse about what happens next. You will remember them. It’s a vital and important book!” (Thaisa Frank, author of Heidegger’s Glasses and Enchantment)

“In this stunning collection of thirteen stories, set in San Francisco’s Bay area, Clarence Major reveals with jarring intimacy how age-old struggles with money, class, skin color, gender, identity, love, isolation, and illness lead to dire consequences or unexpected revelations. Spanning multiple decades from the 1960s to present time, Major builds empires of truth that will jolt you with their honesty and compassion. In each story, we encounter neighbors, artists, co-workers, families and friends yearning to thrive and live an authentic life. A tour de force. Absolutely riveting.”(Jessica Keener, author of Night Swim and Strangers in Budapest)