William Maxwell

Best known as the longtime fiction editor at "The New Yorker", William Maxwell worked closely with greats like Vladimir Nabokov, John Updike, Mary McCarthy, John Cheever, and many others. His own novels include "They Came Like Swallows" and the American Book Award-winning, "So Long, See You Tomorrow", and have become so highly acclaimed that many consider him to be one of the twentieth-century's most important writers. Barbara A. Burkhardt's "William Maxwell: A Literary Life" represents the first major critical study of this Illinois writer's life and work. Writing with an economy and elegance befitting her subject, Burkhardt addresses Maxwell's highly autobiographical fiction by skilfully interweaving his biography with her own critical interpretations. She begins each chapter with commentary on the biographical circumstances and literary influences that affected each of his compositions.By contextualizing his novels and short stories in terms of events, including his mother's early death from influenza, his marriage, and the role of his psychoanalysis under the guidance of Theodore Reik, Burkhardt's subsequent literary analyses achieve an unprecedented depth. Drawing on a wide range of previously unavailable material, Burkhardt includes letters written to Maxwell by authors like Eudora Welty and Louise Bogan, excerpts from Maxwell's unpublished manuscripts and correspondence, and her own interviews with key figures from his life, including John Updike, Roger Angell, New Yorker fiction editor Robert Henderson, and Maxwell's family and friends.She also presents Maxwell's own views on his life and work, which he shared with her in conversations and correspondence over a number of years. A must for anyone already familiar with the understated charms of Maxwell's writing, this volume also represents a major addition to the growing collection of New Yorker lore, sure to fascinate anyone interested in the fiction, history, and personalities connected with the renowned weekly.