In Brief: Short Takes on the Personal [Paperback]

Mary Paumier Jones (Editor), Judith Kitchen (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1999

An exciting new anthology by the editors of the popular In Short, about which Publishers Weekly said: "Even readers skeptical of short-attention-span publishing will find these shorts addictive."

In their previous collection Judith Kitchen and Mary Paumier Jones coined the term "short" for those creative nonfiction pieces — literary rather than informational, and characteristically short — that are attracting our finest writers. Now, with a more introspective focus, this new collection emphasizes the personal as "a way of seeing the world, of expressing an interior life. It is intimate without being maudlin, it is private without being secret." From Harriet Doerr's recollection of a halcyon time to Josephine Jacobsen's reverie on memory, In Brief offers vivid glimpses into the ways experience can be shaped in language that is fresh and inventive. The seventy-two authors here include the known — John McPhee, Cythia Ozick, James Salter — as well as remarkable new writers. Essays (all under 2000 words) range from Frank McCourt's search for his father in the pubs of Limerick to William Maxwell's thoughts about growing old; from Charles Baxter's early experience of reading to Brady Udall's confession as a liar. Patricia Hampl recalls meals at her grandmother's house, while Jane Brox contemplates the meaning of bread. In each piece, imagination becomes a way to explore reality. The real world we are fortunate enough to live in is revealed as endlessly rich and deep.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Noting the proliferation of creative nonfiction pieces less than 2000 words longAranging from "fragment to finished essay, anecdote to memoir, story, meditation, hypothesis"Aeditors Kitchen and Jones follow up their 1996 In Short with another collection of pithy and tantalizing pieces. Studded with contributions from such accomplished writers as Kathleen Norris, John McPhee, Jamaica Kincaid and Rick Bass, these 73 mostly original offerings include some excerpts from longer works. Often employing the techniques of fiction, the pieces are linked by themes of family or romantic love, place or philosophy, recurring motifs, even theories of writing. In "Low Tide at Four," Harriet Doerr muses about a day in August, 1939, when she "exerted the full force of [her] will, commanding the sun to hold back the wave long enough for [her] to paint and frame low tide." William Maxwell sees his "ninetieth birthday approaching out of the corner of one eye," as much a natural phenomenon as the sea, which brings both joy and anguish as he realizes he has "lost touch with the place that stories and novels come from." In "Waking Dreams," Edwidge Danticat compares her fictional characters with their sometimes real life inspirations, recognizing that "writers always betray someone at some point." Offering autobiographical revelations, flashes of insight and lots of good writing, this is a solid meal for readers on the fly. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This refreshing and enjoyable collection of brief personal essays is a delight. Editors Kitchen and Jones have followed up In Short: A Collection of Brief Nonfiction (LJ 7/96) with a similar collection of essays in which a single voice conveys an individual experience. Many of the essays involve nature. Several authors of the New West are included: Rick Bass, Cynthia Ozick, Kathleen Norris, and Mary Clearman Blew. Other recognizable names include Frank McCourt, William Maxwell, John McPhee, Andre Dubus, and Edwidge Danticat. The quality of the writing is excellent. Diana Hume Georges On Seat Belts, Cocaine Addiction, and the Germ Theory is a humorous account of an overbearing mother and an allegedly promiscuous divorced daughter. Kelly Simons Frank Sinatras Gum tells about a teenager who, after chewing a piece of the crooners discarded gum, decides both the gum and the guy are unsugary. For the affordable price, this collection should be purchased by every libraryit is ideal for literature students and writing groups. [Editor Jones is an LJ reviewer.Ed.]Joyce Sparrow, Oldsmar Lib., St. Petersburg, F.
-Joyce Sparrow, Oldsmar Lib., St. Petersburg, FL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393319075
• ISBN-13: 978-0393319071
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Review of In Brief: Short Takes on the Personal, May 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: In Brief: Short Takes on the Personal (Paperback)

I find this book an excellent companion to Kitchen's and Jones' first book on the creative nonfiction "short" entitled, In Short: A Collection of Brief Creative Nonfiction. The evolution of creative nonfiction and the "short" is apparent in these pages. No longer is it mandatory that a literary journalist or creative nonfiction writer "immerse" the reader in a person, place or thing. These pieces of creative nonfiction show that writers can make a simple journal entry, letter, or, for that fact, an email, stand on its own -- that even the smallest episode in our lives, or simple everyday pictures we've taken with our mind's eye, can have "symbolic realities." As a person who reads and writes prose and poetry, I find the brevity, and yet complexity, of the works appealing. Mary Oliver, who I've enjoyed as a poet, turns a poetic list of items she finds at the beach into a prose piece on beauty and existence. Kimberly Gorall turns a brief childhood conversation with her mother into a statement about womanhood. William Heyen uses one simple paragraph explaining the habits of an insect to an analogy on creativity and imagination. A bright high school senior, Janice Best (editor of Elan), uses an ingenius email format to try to explain why she writes. All of these "shorts" have a similar element -- they start with detail -- an intense focus -- and they end making a statement about our human existence. I have been liberated by the form presented in these pages -- and plan to teach college students using this book as a reader. But I believe any one who enjoys learning about the 'human condition' will enjoy this book. It's a quick read, but the impact of the material here lasts a long time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too Busy To Read, March 27, 2003

By 

Lizzy Miles "Author, Somewhere In Between: T... (Columbus, OH United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: In Brief: Short Takes on the Personal (Paperback)

This is a great book if you like to read but you never feel you have the time. These stories can each be read in a matter of minutes. This was a textbook for my creative non-fiction class and I think there are some great examples of the creative non-fiction format. The only downside I would say is that most of the stories are of a serious nature, so while the stories are short, I wouldn't call it 'light' reading.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, June 18, 2003

By 

Peggy Vincent "author and reader" (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Brief: Short Takes on the Personal (Paperback)

An object lesson in how to cut to the chase; an example of tiny bites of beautiful writing; the art of the flash essay. By whatever name you call it, In Brief is proof that a piece of writing sometimes needn't be more than a paragraph or two in length to move readers and give them something profound, funny, enlightening, or beautiful to take away with them. This refreshing collection of teensy personal essays is a real winner.