About the book
hese eleven compelling stories reveal the interplay and varying hues of two basic elements of human experience -- memory and desire, Gladys Swan's characters are frequently forced to shed their illusions as they struggle to shape their lives.
The title story, like many of the others in the collection, has as its backdrop the beautiful but sometimes harsh landscape of the American Southwest. There a reclusive farmer known as Goat Man takes in a young Mexican boy as his companion. When the greed of a tax collector and the complicity of a community destroy Goat Man, the boy vanishes into the night but returns in the form of a legend, a reminder to the residents of the valley of their changing, crueler world. In another story a traveling carnival breaks down when a sandstorm does final damage to the dreams of the company, and a tired, almost defeated woman attempts to regroup and continue what has been so hopefully called \"Carnival for the Gods.\" An older couple, carrying their Jewish past to a \"Land of Promise.\" Discovers instead an alien territory and must struggle from day to day, one leaning to the past, the other inclining toward an unattainable vision of the future.
In \"The Ink Feather\" a small, lonely girl, witness to endless quarrels between her mother and her much older brother, draws comfort from the world of her dolls and the prospect of adventure outside the mist-covered windows of her house. In \"Getting an Education\" a diffident young woman, \"trying to be a student and to discover what she ought to be learning,\" finds insight in the details of the lives around her, especially the secretive, eccentric existence of one of her professors. A widowed grandmother, in \"Black Hole,\" is impregnated during a chance encounter with a nameless stranger and shocks her family when she determines to give birth to and raise her child.
Like that grandmother, all of the characters in these fictions -- whether from the comfortable middle class or the fringes of society -- are at odds with themselves and their world. It is Gladys Swan's special gift that she can so seamlessly depict the particular terrors and wonders of their lives. This is a mesmerizing collection.
Editions of Of Memory and Desire
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780807114803
- EBook
- ISBN 9780807153703
- EBook
- ISBN 9780807153710
- PDF
- ISBN 9780807153697
Read an Excerpt
hese eleven compelling stories reveal the interplay and varying hues of two basic elements of human experience -- memory and desire, Gladys Swan's characters are frequently forced to shed their illusions as they struggle to shape their lives.
The title story, like many of the others in the collection, has as its backdrop the beautiful but sometimes harsh landscape of the American Southwest. There a reclusive farmer known as Goat Man takes in a young Mexican boy as his companion. When the greed of a tax collector and the complicity of a community destroy Goat Man, the boy vanishes into the night but returns in the form of a legend, a reminder to the residents of the valley of their changing, crueler world. In another story a traveling carnival breaks down when a sandstorm does final damage to the dreams of the company, and a tired, almost defeated woman attempts to regroup and continue what has been so hopefully called \"Carnival for the Gods.\" An older couple, carrying their Jewish past to a \"Land of Promise.\" Discovers instead an alien territory and must struggle from day to day, one leaning to the past, the other inclining toward an unattainable vision of the future.
In \"The Ink Feather\" a small, lonely girl, witness to endless quarrels between her mother and her much older brother, draws comfort from the world of her dolls and the prospect of adventure outside the mist-covered windows of her house. In \"Getting an Education\" a diffident young woman, \"trying to be a student and to discover what she ought to be learning,\" finds insight in the details of the lives around her, especially the secretive, eccentric existence of one of her professors. A widowed grandmother, in \"Black Hole,\" is impregnated during a chance encounter with a nameless stranger and shocks her family when she determines to give birth to and raise her child.
Like that grandmother, all of the characters in these fictions -- whether from the comfortable middle class or the fringes of society -- are at odds with themselves and their world. It is Gladys Swan's special gift that she can so seamlessly depict the particular terrors and wonders of their lives. This is a mesmerizing collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Of Memory and Desire about?
hese eleven compelling stories reveal the interplay and varying hues of two basic elements of human experience -- memory and desire, Gladys Swan's characters are frequently forced to shed their illusions as they struggle to shape their lives.
The title story, like many of the others in the collection, has as its backdrop the beautiful but sometimes harsh landscape of the American Southwest. There a reclusive farmer known as Goat Man takes in a young Mexican boy as his companion. When the greed of a tax collector and the complicity of a community destroy Goat Man, the boy vanishes into the night but returns in the form of a legend, a reminder to the residents of the valley of their changing, crueler world. In another story a traveling carnival breaks down when a sandstorm does final damage to the dreams of the company, and a tired, almost defeated woman attempts to regroup and continue what has been so hopefully called \"Carnival for the Gods.\" An older couple, carrying their Jewish past to a \"Land of Promise.\" Discovers instead an alien territory and must struggle from day to day, one leaning to the past, the other inclining toward an unattainable vision of the future.
In \"The Ink Feather\" a small, lonely girl, witness to endless quarrels between her mother and her much older brother, draws comfort from the world of her dolls and the prospect of adventure outside the mist-covered windows of her house. In \"Getting an Education\" a diffident young woman, \"trying to be a student and to discover what she ought to be learning,\" finds insight in the details of the lives around her, especially the secretive, eccentric existence of one of her professors. A widowed grandmother, in \"Black Hole,\" is impregnated during a chance encounter with a nameless stranger and shocks her family when she determines to give birth to and raise her child.
Like that grandmother, all of the characters in these fictions -- whether from the comfortable middle class or the fringes of society -- are at odds with themselves and their world. It is Gladys Swan's special gift that she can so seamlessly depict the particular terrors and wonders of their lives. This is a mesmerizing collection.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Of Memory and Desire?
Fiction > Fiction: literary and general non-genre
Where can I read a sample of Of Memory and Desire?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780807114803
How long is Of Memory and Desire and how many pages does it have?
Of Memory and Desire has 184 page(s)
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Of Memory and Desire?
Gladys Swan
Who is the Publisher of the book Of Memory and Desire?
LSU Press
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Of Memory and Desire is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780807114803) and ebook(ISBN 9780807153703) and ebook(ISBN 9780807153710) and pdf(ISBN 9780807153697)
Where can I buy Of Memory and Desire online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Of Memory and Desire from below
Where can I buy Of Memory and Desire?