Dear Baby

by William Saroyan

Twenty short stories in the inimitable William Saroyan style. This 1st edition, 1944, was published by Harcourt, Brace and Company. 117 pages.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1944

About the author

William Saroyan was an Armenian-American writer, renowned for his novels, plays, and short stories. He gained widespread recognition for his unique literary style, often characterized by a deep appreciation for everyday life and human resilience. His works frequently explored themes of Armenian-American immigrant experiences, particularly in his native California, and were infused with optimism, humor, and sentimentality.
Saroyan's breakthrough came with The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze (1934), a short story that established him as a major literary voice during the Great Depression. He went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940 for The Time of Your Life, though he declined the award, and in 1943, he won an Academy Award for Best Story for The Human Comedy. His novel My Name Is Aram (1940), based on his childhood, became an international bestseller.
Though celebrated for his literary achievements, Saroyan had a tumultuous career, often struggling with financial instability due to his gambling habits and an unwillingness to compromise with Hollywood. His later works were less commercially successful, but he remained a prolific writer, publishing essays, memoirs, and plays throughout his life.
Saroyan's legacy endures through his influence on American literature, his contributions to Armenian cultural identity, and the honors bestowed upon him, including a posthumous induction into the American Theater Hall of Fame. His remains are divided between Fresno, California, and Armenia, reflecting his deep connection to both his birthplace and ancestral homeland.

Reviews

[Սյուզաննա Մկրտչյան · Rating 4 out of 5]

Մարդիկ ու երևություները Սարոյանի աչքերով ավելի սիրուն են։ Էս գիրքը պետք է քիչ-քիչ, բայց ամեն օր կարդալ, որ օրվա սիրունության չափաբաժինը չպակասի։

[arsen hakobian. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Նորից նույն սարոյանական աուրան ։դ

մի հավես տող եմ հիշում, էն որ <<Քամուց Քշվածները>> անհետաքրքիր գիրք ա

ընդհանուր էդքան էլ լավը չէր

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

ENGLISH: A collection of twenty short stories, personal remembrances and digressions about the most varied topics, in a typical Saroyan assortment. Among the fiction, those short stories I liked best were: Dear Baby and The Stolen Bicycle. Among the personal remembrances, I liked best The faraway night.

One curious quote: [The waiter] was called August and boasted that he had never dropped a fork in 27 years of waiting tables. In the middle of this modest display of vanity, he dropped a knife, which he immediately picked up from the floor. "Knife," he warned. "No fork." (A time of genius)

ESPAÑOL: Colección de veinte cuentos cortos, recuerdos personales y disquisiciones sobre los temas más variados, en una mezcolanza típica de Saroyan. Entre los cuentos, los que más me han gustado fueron: Nena querida y La bicicleta robada. Entre los recuerdos personales me gustó Una noche lejana.

Una cita curiosa: [El camarero] se llamaba August y se vanagloriaba de no haber dejado caer un tenedor en 27 años de servir mesas. En mitad de este modesto alarde de vanidad, se le cayó un cuchillo, que inmediatamente recogió del suelo. "Cuchillo" advirtió. "No tenedor." (Una época de ingenio)

[Eric Hinkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of early stories from this Armenian-American, one of my favorite writers. Some of these were written 2-3 years before WWII started, and the rest were written during the war. It's interesting that only one or two of them even mention the war, though. They deal exclusively with simple human beings doing simple things for simple reasons. The stories are full of Saroyan's typical love and respect for humanity, and many of them moved me quite a lot. Most of the stories are very short (there are 20 in 115 pages), and many are sort of sketch-like. A handful aren't stories at all, just musings on art, living, etc. Almost all of them are wonderful little things, though. From a man who really couldn't stop publishing books in (and beyond) his lifetime, this is one of his better ones.

[George Donigian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slim volume of short stories by Saroyan that offers a glimpse of life in the 1930s and '40s. When Saroyan is in tune, his writing evokes empathy and identification for and with his characters. He loves the simple and despises the complex. Two stories to note: "Highway America" describes Saroyan's pleasurable drive with his cousin Ross Bagdasarian and their collective composition of "Come On'a My House."

My favorite story, fulfilling Saroyan's evocative purpose, is "My Home, My Home," which begins: "Of the unchanging things, the town in which you first saw the light is one of the most unchanging." Here we read Saroyan's perspective on home and place that became even more sharply focused in The Human Comedy. A simple book that offers a snapshot of a lost time.

[Jane]

While one on two of Saroyan's short stories in the compilation 'Madness in the Family' brought me nearly to brimming tears of artistic gratitude, I am perhaps relieved to say that, so far, this earlier collection shows his development and helps me to recognize how and where his craft grew over time.

[Paul Tshagharyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Իմ ամենասիրելի գործերից է... Ուժեղ մարդու ողբերգությունը ոչ բոլորին է հաջողվում այսքան գեղեցիկ ներկայացնել, միևնույն ժամանակ պարզ ու անպաճույճ լեզվով... Կարդացածս ոչ մի գրախոսականում չէր նշվում, թե պատմության հերոսի նախատիպն ով է, բայց մի 90 տոկոսով համոզված եմ, որ բռնցքամարտիկ Ջեք Դեմփսիի ու նրա կնոջ՝ Էսթել Թեյլորի պատմությունն է... Մի խոսքով՝ Սարոյանն անկրկնելի է...

[Wagnerisraelcilioiii]

'heart-breaking'

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of these seem more memoir and meditations than stories. Some don't work; other have the Saroyan genius. Quick read.

[Craig Flint · Rating 4 out of 5]

A master short story teller who captures a place a time and emotions that transport...

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Այս գիրքը իմ Սարոյանական գրքերի շարքում չդարձավ ամենաներից։
Ինձ դուր եկավ հետևյալ պատմվածքները՝
Փասիանի որսորդը
Ծննդյան տոնից երեք օր հետո-ն։

[Josh Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not his best, and the title isn't great, but Saroyan here as elsewhere shows how much a strong voice can carry a story. That is to say, entirely. While he has been written off as maudlin and sentimental, there's something very, very modern about some of these stories, something that roils the waters between essay and short fiction. This isn't only for completionists, because Saroyan at 80% is still a good fucking read.

[Siranush Zakaryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Սարոյանը միակն է ու անկրկնելին։

[Lutty Carrillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buenísimo