Family Men: Stories

Southern Revivals

by Steve Yarbrough

In this collection of stories award-winning writer Steve Yarbrough effortlessly evokes the special qualities of small-town southern life as he examines—with subtle humor, keen insight, and unfailing sympathy—the relationships between ordinary men and women. Set in the Mississippi Delta, these stories chronicle the lives of men and women, often economically disadvantaged, who struggle through the complexities of life during the second half of the twentieth century. Though not explicitly political, the stories are set against a backdrop of a racially torn society in which inequality plays a daily role.

Yarbrough's characters, though frequently baffled by life, achieve a kind of wisdom, if not happiness, through the bonds they develop. These eleven stories tell of a feisty, aging woman who finds pleasure in irritating her son-in-law, a barmaid who seeks to reorder her life by joining a church, a college student in an affair with an older woman, and a paralyzed country and western singer. Family Men is distinguished by seamless craftsmanship and shrewd insight into the human condition.

Originally released in hardcover in 1990, Family Men was the first published story collection by Yarbrough. This Southern Revivals edition includes a new introduction by the author and a contextualizing preface from series editor Robert H. Brinkmeyer, director of the University of South Carolina Institute for Southern Studies.

184 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Born in Indianola, Mississippi, he received his B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of Mississippi and his M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Arkansas. Writing largely within the Southern tradition, he draws his themes and characters from Southern history and mores in ways that have been compared to Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner, and Willie Morris.

Yarbrough's major works include the novels The End of California (2006), Prisoners of War (2004), Visible Spirits (2001) and The Oxygen Man (1999), as well as short story collections such as Family Men (1990), Mississippi History (1994) and Veneer (1998). His latest novel, Safe from the Neighbors, was published by Knopf in 2010.

His honors include the Mississippi Authors Award, the California Book Award, and an award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters. His novel, Prisoners of War, was a finalist for the 2005 PEN/Faulkner award. His work has been translated into Dutch, Japanese and Polish and published in the United Kingdom.

A professor of creative writing for many years at California State University, Fresno, Yarbrough recently joined the faculty in the Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College in Boston.

He is married to the Polish literary translator Ewa Hryniewicz-Yarbrough and they have two daughters, Tosha and Lena. He lives in Stoneham, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Ivy Murillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every story was good or better. Stories 4, 7, especially 8 and 11 were the best imo.

[Leahlady · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought-provoking and very eclectic. The themes and settings were not as cohesive or insightful into the culture of the place and time as the description seemed to indicate. Author came highly recommended, leaving me somewhat disappointed. Planning to read one of his novels, and hoping to enjoy that more.

[Philip Sussman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book by a very thoughtful writer.

[Navdeep Dhillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I studied fiction for both my undergrad and grad (M.F.A.) at California State University, Fresno, with Steve Yarbrough, and this was one of two short-story collections he had published. While I liked the writing, you can tell he wasn't really all that interested in writing it. The writing is strong, but the characters are not all that complex, and the setting is beyond tedious. I actually spoke to Steve about it years ago and he told me that both of the collections were his first stabs at professional writing and he has never looked back at them. His novels on the other hand are absolutely brilliant and the quality of storytelling, from characterization to setting and everything in-between, is pure magic.