The Portable Sherwood Anderson

by Sherwood Anderson, Horace Gregory (Editor)

Selections from the American writer's stories, memoirs, and social essays are critically introduced

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Classics, American

497 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1949

About the author

Often autobiographical, works of American writer Sherwood Anderson include Winesburg, Ohio (1919).

He supported his family and consequently never finished high school. He successfully managed a paint factory in Elyria before 1912 and fathered three children with the first of his four wives. In 1912, Anderson deserted his family and job.

In early 1913, he moved to Chicago, where he devoted more time to his imagination. He broke with considered materialism and convention to commit to art as a consequently heroic model for youth.

Mainly know for his short stories, most notably the collection Winesburg, Ohio. One can hear its profound influence on fiction in Ernest Miller Hemingway, William Faulkner, Thomas Clayton Wolfe, John Ernst Steinbeck, and Erskine Preston Caldwell.

Most important book collects 22 stories. The stories explore the inhabitants of a fictional version of Clyde, the small farm town, where Anderson lived for twelve early years. These tales made a significant break with the traditional short story. Instead of emphasizing plot and action, Anderson used a simple, precise, unsentimental style to reveal the frustration, loneliness, and longing in the lives of his characters. The narrowness of Midwestern small-town life and their own limitations stunt these characters.

Despite no wholly successful novel, Anderson composed several classic short stories. He influenced Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald and the coming generation.

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everytime the seasons change I find myself reading Sherwood Anderson.

It's his gift for the American pastoral setting - the racing horses, and the mutated chickens, and even the tree stumps.

It seems he got no better pleasure than describing things as plainly and exactly as he could. Thankfully his perception includes much humor and warmth.

I would have picked other stories for this assemblage, but everything here is very good. What makes this book special are the included letters to his friends and children. Maybe he took himself too seriously as an artist but it is inspiring how these writers once believed so in the importance of written words.

And there are a few articles from the newspapers he edited, which are just as good as his stories. When will a book of all of his articles available be published? Oh please! Many would be topical, perhaps, but that would only make it more interesting.

[Stosch · Rating 4 out of 5]

shame it only has sections of winesburg. although it has some good letters and short stories and poor white in its entirety not his best but still worth the read

[Sal · Rating 4 out of 5]

perfect for the changing seasons :)

[Kyle Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

even though he was somewhat of a homophobe, this stuff is pretty good. a lot of people don't realize how much David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest was affected by Anderson's writing.

[Debra]

Stephen King recommended author as noted in Chapter 9 of Berkley's 1983 paperback edition of Danse Macabre.