The Collected Short Fiction of Bruce Jay Friedman

by Bruce Jay Friedman

An “irresistible” collection of short fiction by an author who “has been likened to everyone from J. D. Salinger to Woody Allen” (The New York Times Book Review).   Hailed by Newsweek as “a bona fide literary event,” The Collected Short Fiction of Bruce Jay Friedman brings together dozens of the New York Times–bestselling author’s greatest stories, which originally appeared in Esquire, The New Yorker, and other magazines.   “Readers who feel short stories are too high-flown—too literary, arcane, and serious—will find counterbalance in Friedman, whose stories have uncomplicated structures, obvious gists, intelligible metaphors, and unambiguous endings and come wrapped in humor. This compilation of his output in the short story form between 1953 and 1995 has a thematic arrangement, with categories such as ‘Mother,’ ‘Crazed Youth,’ and ‘Sex.’ Some of the more outstanding pieces are ‘The Subversive,’ about the narrator’s air force buddy whom the narrator believed to be the most all-American guy he ever met until his friend commits a crazed act; ‘The Gent,’ concerning a man who succumbs to a seduction by his best friend’s daughter; and ‘The Night Boxing Ended,’ in which ringside heckling goes way out of bounds.” —Booklist   “From poignant bildungsroman to sly satire, from wicked comedy to surrealistic farce, this virtuosic collection covers more than four decades’ worth of short stories . . . Friedman explores themes such as loneliness, aging, fear, parenthood and ethnicity, spinning tales in an expertly modulated voice.” —Publishers Weekly   “Friedman [is] more interesting than most of Malamud, Roth, and Bellow . . . What makes him more important is that he writes out of the viscera instead of the cerebrum.”  —Nelson Algren, The Nation   “Pure delight.” —Newsday

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Humor, Comedy

689 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 1995

About the author

American comic author whose dark, mocking humour and social criticism was directed at the concerns and behaviour of American Jews.

After graduating from the University of Missouri in 1951 with a B.A. in journalism and serving in the U.S. Air Force for two years, Friedman worked in publishing for several years before achieving success with his first novel, Stern (1962). The title character is a luckless descendent of the biblical Job, unable to assimilate into mainstream American life. Virtually all of Friedman's works are a variation on this theme; most of his characters are Jewish by birth, but they feel alienated from both Jewish and American culture. His works are also noted for focusing on absurd characters and situations.
-Encyclopædia Britannica

Reviews

[Peter Landau]

Full disclosure: my parents were friends with the Friedmans when I was growing up. They had Bruce Jay Friedman’s first two novels, STERN and A MOTHER’S KISSES, which I read. Once, on a visit, their children, Josh, Drew and Kipp, gave me their Mad paperback collection, SON OF MAD. For these things alone, I am forever in the family’s debt. So, why did it take me so long to read THE COLLECTED SHORT FICTION OF BRUCE JAY FRIEDMAN? I don’t know. Shuddup! I finally did read it and the span of works from the early ‘50s to the mid-‘90s are remarkable. They’re like extended jokes that build to a punchline climax, a literary stand-up act. Other stories capture characters that have before then eluded literature. The humor, of course, is black, and the characters are often unlikeable. But so what? My least favorite as I read were the Harry Towns stories, sort of like Friedman’s Nick Adams. There are about a half-dozen throughout the book, but the more I read, the more I liked them, even favored them. Friedman builds a complex character who reflects his times. He’s featured in a novel, too, which I guess I’ll have to get now. Personally, these pieces all were evocative of my childhood. The people, places, even situations, the way everyone talks and acts reminded me of my relatives. All that seems dated now because it’s gone. I don’t know if that’s a good thing. But it’s very good that these stories are still here to read.

[Connor]

I keep coming back to this book every couple of years, so some of the stories I read as far back as 8 years ago. that said, I always enjoy Friedman's writing and find him very funny. He writes about the lives of American Jews alot, mostly set in the 50's and 60's, and so for this he could be compared to a lighthearted Philip Roth, full of anecdotes after a couple drinks.

shout-outs michael cera for making a short based on one of his stories, which is how I found this book.

[Steve Day]

These collections are among my favorite. They bring to life characters that are memorable. My favorite short story is 'The Interview.' In it we get in the head of Mr. Dworkin who is interviewing a young woman for a position at his publishing company. But Dworkin reads a whole sordid past into Rachelle's seemingly normal straghtforward answers to his questions. And that simplicity is ultimately the genius of 'The Interview'. I'd love to make it into a short film; it is humorous and erotic at the same time. I loved it!

[John Arnold]

Entertaining funny stories. The stories don't slow down so they are engrossing and you get lost in them. So you can read a few to several of them in one sitting. One of the better short story writers I've read.

[Adam]

There are many stories in this collection, but most seem to share themes of parents (especially overly familiar mothers), writing, or dark twists of surrealism. Individually, most are worthwhile but reading them in this collection felt like a chore at times.

[Martin Olson]

The best stories by my favorite contemporary comedy writer.

Some of my favorites are missing from this collection, but not too many.