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Extreme Fiction: Fabulists and Formalists
This anthology surveys the most thought-provoking and noteworthy “non-traditional#148 short stories written by American and international writers over the past 100 years. The works collected here represent a rich, while often overlooked, tradition of stories that seem to break the rules of short fiction. These stories, by well-known writers as well as by refreshingly new voices, demonstrate a wide-range of stylistic and narrative diversity. They expand our perceptions of what constitutes a well-written short story and underscore the unlimited techniques writers use to achieve a desired effect.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
352 pages, Paperback
First published November 14, 2003
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83 people want to read
About the author
Robin Hemley
35 books34 followersRobin Hemley has published seven books of nonfiction and fiction. His latest book, Invented Eden, The Elusive, Disputed History of the Tasaday deals with a purported anthropological hoax in the Philippines. James Hamilton Paterson, writing in the London Review of Books, call Invented Eden, "brave and wholly convincing." John Leonard writes in Harpers, "Besides a terrific story, Invented Eden is a savvy caution." Invented Eden was an American Library Association's Editor's Choice book for 2003.
Robin Hemley co-edited the anthology Extreme Fiction:Fabulists and formalists with Michael Martone, and is the author of the memoir, Nola: A Memoir Of Faith, Art And Madness, which won an Independent Press Book Award for Nonfiction. His popular craft book Turning Life Into Fiction, which was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection as well as a Quality Paperback Book Club Selection has sold over 40,000 copies and will soon be reissued by Graywolf Press. He is also the author of the novel, The Last Studebaker and the story collections, The Big Ear and All You Can Eat.
His awards for his fiction include, The Nelson Algren Award from The Chicago Tribune, The George Garrett Award for Fiction from Willow Springs, the Hugh J. Luke Award from Prairie Schooner, two Pushcart Prizes, and many others. He has published his work in many of the best literary magazines in the country, including Ploughshares, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, Willow Springs, Boulevard, Witness, ACM, North American Review, and many others. His fiction has been widely anthologized, translated, and heard on NPR's "Selected Shorts" and others. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop and has taught at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Western Washington Univeristy, St. Lawrence University, Vermont College, and the University of Utah, and in many Summer writing conferences. He was also the Editor-in-Chief of the Bellingham Review for five years.
Robin Hemley co-edited the anthology Extreme Fiction:Fabulists and formalists with Michael Martone, and is the author of the memoir, Nola: A Memoir Of Faith, Art And Madness, which won an Independent Press Book Award for Nonfiction. His popular craft book Turning Life Into Fiction, which was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection as well as a Quality Paperback Book Club Selection has sold over 40,000 copies and will soon be reissued by Graywolf Press. He is also the author of the novel, The Last Studebaker and the story collections, The Big Ear and All You Can Eat.
His awards for his fiction include, The Nelson Algren Award from The Chicago Tribune, The George Garrett Award for Fiction from Willow Springs, the Hugh J. Luke Award from Prairie Schooner, two Pushcart Prizes, and many others. He has published his work in many of the best literary magazines in the country, including Ploughshares, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, Willow Springs, Boulevard, Witness, ACM, North American Review, and many others. His fiction has been widely anthologized, translated, and heard on NPR's "Selected Shorts" and others. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop and has taught at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Western Washington Univeristy, St. Lawrence University, Vermont College, and the University of Utah, and in many Summer writing conferences. He was also the Editor-in-Chief of the Bellingham Review for five years.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 31, 2019
My prude-o-meter went off 1000x in the course of this anthology--there's sex in damn near all of these stories, and sex that's not particularly kind to women in particular. Distressed to learn this came out in 2004.
Worth it for these standouts (ALL LADIES, I'LL HAVE YOU NOTE):
Grace Paley "A Conversation with My Father"
Rikki Ducornet "Opium"
Angela Carter "The Fall River Axe Murders"
Octavia Butler "Bloodchild"
Karen Brennan "Wild Desire"
Worth it for these standouts (ALL LADIES, I'LL HAVE YOU NOTE):
Grace Paley "A Conversation with My Father"
Rikki Ducornet "Opium"
Angela Carter "The Fall River Axe Murders"
Octavia Butler "Bloodchild"
Karen Brennan "Wild Desire"
Read
May 5, 2012I'm working my way through this book, and I'll update this as I read more stories from the collection.
Intro:
This was a very good overview of different types of fiction, including realism, fabulism, collage, modernism & postmodernism, surrealism, Dadaism, appropriations, and irreal & unreal fiction.
Fabulists:
"Pastoralia" by George Saunders: An funny story about a man who works as a caveman in an amusement park, faxing in his daily performance evaluations for his partner-cavewoman. The story ruminates on modern life, especially the way corporations work with and speak (down) to their employees.
Intro:
This was a very good overview of different types of fiction, including realism, fabulism, collage, modernism & postmodernism, surrealism, Dadaism, appropriations, and irreal & unreal fiction.
Fabulists:
"Pastoralia" by George Saunders: An funny story about a man who works as a caveman in an amusement park, faxing in his daily performance evaluations for his partner-cavewoman. The story ruminates on modern life, especially the way corporations work with and speak (down) to their employees.
Read
April 24, 2011considering using this for my CW course, possibly or not in tandem with another more conventional anthology or craft guide. anyone read it, have thoughts?
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the introduction is really useful for introducing beginning writers to an array of fictional possibilities rooted in various traditions. i use some of these stories but still prefer my course packet to an anthology.
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the introduction is really useful for introducing beginning writers to an array of fictional possibilities rooted in various traditions. i use some of these stories but still prefer my course packet to an anthology.
September 7, 2007
I used this wonderful book for teaching a fiction writing class. Weird enough stories to keep student writers talking about HOW the work was made, rather than WHAT it was about. Fun!
September 17, 2010
My Creative Writing teacher loaned me this. Pretty good. It's got Saunders and Angela Carter in it, other good stories too.
December 15, 2008
Actually this is a story collection co-edited by Robin Hemley and Michael Martone. Very good; contains many seldom-seen stories.
January 7, 2009
Everyone in this book gets their period and/or has sex with their half-sibling.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews