Living on the Edge: Fiction by Peace Corps Writers

by John Coyne

Living on the Edge contains seventeen remarkable stories by writers who served in the Peace Corps, including well-known authors such as John Coyne, John Givens, Norman Rush and Paul Theroux, as well as work by exciting emerging authors like Mark Jacobs and Marnie Mueller. All these stories reflect the impact the Peace Corps experience had on former volunteers who write across cultures in the literary tradition of Joseph Conrad, E.M. Forster, and Paul Bowles. Each author has included a commentary on how he or she came to write the anthologized story.

Genres: Short Stories

317 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

John Coyne (born 1937) is an American writer. He is the author of more than twenty-five nonfiction and fiction books, including a number of horror novels, while his short stories have been collected in "best of" anthologies such as Modern Masters of Horror and The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. A former Peace Corps Volunteer and a life-long lover of golf, Coyne has edited and written a number of books dealing with both subjects, the most recent two novels areThe Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan and "The Caddie Who Played With Hickory".

Reviews

[John Mattson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I picked up this book for the first time, I couldn't understand why the stories were fiction, because it seemed to me that the writer's adventures would be adequate for non-fiction. But, as I read the book, I quickly realized why. Most of the stories seemed to contain only a few fiction portions, and they have probably been changed to protect the characters. These stories have been written by many famous authors who started their writing careers while serving their country in the Peace Corps. They are very diverse, and many tell the often tragic tale of what can happen when different cultures meet. The story about how the Peace Corp was saved in Guatemala is one of the most entertaining stories that I have ever read.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of short stories written by former Peace Corps volunteers. Some good stories, some bad ones, some that made me reconsider the role of PC and the impact of PCVs in the world.

It's funny -- now that it's been 8 years since I read this book, the only story I remember is one in which a volunteer in a country in Africa had to iron all of his clothes -- underwear included -- to kill worm larvae that otherwise would burrow into his skin. A story like that made me glad to be in Uzbekistan -- even though it was the dead of winter.

[Tuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

some really good short stories, fiction, mostly about africa, which is a particular interest of mine at this time. some good authors to investigate plus paul theroux, he has a story, he served in peace corps in malawi 1963-65 otehrs are marnie mueller, bob shacochis, george packer, melanie sumner, mark jacobs, joan richter, karl luntta, john coyne, norman rush

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. A collection of about a dozen fictional stories written by Peace Corps volunteers. Characters are not necessarily volunteers, but often travelers through foreign countries, ex-pats, etc. Interesting to read because of the Peace Corps perspective (aka, non-tourist) the writers have.

[Nisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Might be worth a re read. I read it before going to Peace Corps as part of my "prep".

[Christina Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories in this book will be familiar to anyone who has counted herself as a Peace Corps Volunteer at one time or another. I liked it because it brought me back to that time.