Barking Man: And Other Stories

by Madison Smartt Bell

Ten tales of misfits in big cities and lonely backwaters, striving to free themselves from traps of their own making In each of Bell's ten stories, characters struggle through trying times, captives of their own bad decisions or plain bad luck. In "Black and Tan," a farmer's fortitude after the tragic death of his family leads him to become a savior of delinquent boys. The title story charts a London student's crumbling psyche. And in "Petit Cachou" hustlers and panhandlers in the French Riviera experience the darker side of life on a seemingly perfect stretch of the Mediterranean coastline. While depicting characters both sympathetic and hopeless, Bell's remarkable insight makes for a vivid rendering of civilization's many frayed edges. "Barking Man" is the author's second collection of stories, and presents Bell's writing at its most unforgettable.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

261 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Madison Smartt Bell is a critically acclaimed writer of more than a dozen novels and story collections, as well as numerous essays and reviews for publications such as Harper’s and the New York Times Book Review. His books have been finalists for both the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award, among other honors. Bell has also taught at distinguished creative writing programs including the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Johns Hopkins, and Goucher College. His work is notable for its sweeping historical and philosophical scope matched with a remarkable sensitivity to the individual voices of characters on the margins of society.

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this collection of short stories! I had not heard of the author previously but will now look for his novels. Really good story-telling and good writing - these are mostly stories about social misfits, people who don't move in the mainstream.

[C.C. Yager · Rating 3 out of 5]

It'd been a while since I'd read any of Madison's writing, so it was a pleasure to return to his particular writer sensibility. This is an interesting collection of stories about people who respond to the world in different ways. Some of these people live on the fringes of society, some begin as "normal" and end up transformed in ways that boggle the mind, and others face their essential lack of control over their lives after thinking they had complete control. There were times when I thought it wasn't such a good idea to read a particular story before sleep, but I read it anyway.

My favorite story in this collection was "Witness." For me it truly was breathtaking. The very simple ways the rule of law in America can work against the common citizen or the person who's trying to help and prevent a tragedy from occurring. I also enjoyed "Petit Cachou," the longest story in the collection.

Bell's penchant for writing about fringe characters can wear thin after a while, especially when he doesn't really illuminate anything about them as human beings. His powers of description and creating atmosphere with his prose are solid. He does show the reader how people live that you wouldn't normally consider as the protagonist of a short story. But why?

If you are a fan of Bell's, I'd recommend this collection. If you've never read anything he's written, however, I would not start with this collection. Start with one of his novels.

[Jonathan Norton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as varied or structured as Zero db
https://discontinuednotes.com/2023/01...

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story 'Black and Tan' is among my all-time favorites. Great ending. Deep and meaningful. Other stories in the book are excellent, too.

[Mark Bodhi Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Custom of the Country is one of my favorite stories in this collection. I like all of them, though!

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting collection of short stories, very readable and true to life but, if you're looking for happy endings, forget it!