Theroux: Collected Stories [Paperback]

Paul Theroux (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1998

Written over a period of twenty-five years, the more than sixty stories in this volume are funny and sardonic, sensuous and evocative, streaked with terror and cruelty. Richly varied in tone and subject--ghost story, murder mystery, sexual farce, political satire, culture-clash parable--all glow with Paul Theroux's intelligence, elegance, and ironic wit; with his marvelous sense of place; with his ear for dialogue; and with his tragicomic vision. Theroux's canvas stretches from London to South-east Asia, Boston to Paris, Africa to Eastern Europe, Moscow to the tropics. He portrays colonials, migrs, diplomats, students, would-be writers, academics, and children. Many are trapped in alien situations or loveless relationships, or are overwhelmed by larger cultural tremors. Full of suspense and the unexpected, this first major retrospective of Theroux's short fiction is "a welcomed second chance to read some of his best work" and confirms his reputation as "an irresistible storyteller" (Chicago Tribune).

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

As one might expect from the cosmopolitan and prolific Theroux (Kowloon Tong, LJ 3/1/97) the 60-some short stories here take place all over the globe, from Boston to Moscow, north to south, and take in all classes of characters and protagonists. Also, as one would expect from one of the very best travel writers, sense of place is evoked beautifully. A sense of "other-ness" pervades many stories, an attempt by characters to find and define themselves in alien situations. But truly, the range is colossal: some stories are wry, ironic, and distanced, some dead-on with reality, a few academic stories stand up very well, and Theroux's wit and elegant style shine throughout. This book, in fact, defies short-format review, but, fortunately, needs only notice. Highly recommended.
-?Robert E. Brown, Onondaga Cty. P.L., Syracuse, N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Theroux is nothing if not prolific. His travel books are some of the world's most popular, while his novels, including most recently Kowloon Tong , both please and provoke. And all the time he's been working on his 20-odd books, Theroux has been writing short stories, high-strung tales of intriguing psychological and cultural complexity that reflect his long sojourn in England and his extensive wanderings. This substantial collection of more than 60 compelling stories spans 25 years and represents, as Theroux confides in his edgy introduction, the essence of his "imaginative task as a writer." His stories are also, he declares, "better than me," a poignant conviction rooted in his perpetual loneliness, the force that propelled him to the many locales he so deftly conjures. Theroux's own preference for places where his work as a writer matters little in comparison to his skills as a traveler, hiker, or kayaker is echoed in the psyches of his characters, many of whom feel trapped in their lives, especially their marriages. As Theroux spins tales set in Africa, Boston, China, Corsica, England, India, Patagonia, and Prague, he examines differences in place and perspective, but finds, beneath it all, the same emotional skeleton, the same sense of alienation and melancholia. As flinty as the predicaments he renders are, they manage, under the right conditions, to give off sparks of bright humor and flares of love. Donna Seaman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140274944
• ISBN-13: 978-0140274943
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,572,368 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Theroux's highly acclaimed novels include Blinding Light, Hotel Honolulu, My Other Life, Kowloon Tong, and The Mosquito Coast. His renowned travel books include Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, Dark Star Safari, Riding the Iron Rooster, The Great Railway Bazaar, The Old Patagonian Express, and The Happy Isles of Oceania. He lives in Hawaii and on Cape Cod.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine sampling from one of America's most original voices., August 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Theroux: Collected Stories (Paperback)

Paul Theroux is the kind of writer who is not afraid to go out on a limb. His literary output over the last twenty-five years or so is as diverse and inspired as any other American writer working today. And I'm pleased to say that in this handsome paperback re-issue he seldom disappoints. Take, for example, the almost hallucinogenic vigor of "Dengue Fever". I challenge anyone to read this story once through in a quiet setting and not be haunted by its shadowy, sinuous images a week, a month, or even a year after the initial experience. It is Theroux's turgid depictions of fever, deftly mixed with the not implausible elements of the supernatural, that make this tale a breath-taking excursion into the horrific realm of the subconscious.

Then there is the creepy, nocturnal brilliance of "World's End," in which the narrator of the story becomes the not so subtle victim of his own vanity. The suspense never lets up while steadily building toward a sat! isfying, even shocking ending. Is his wife having an affair while the narrator smugly entertains yet another road trip? The narrator's son, shrewd and tight-lipped, is a wonderfully nuanced portrait of silent anguish and controlled fear, while the timorous image of a kite and the ironic metaphor of "play" are cleverly juxtaposed by Theroux who knows well the value of a ripe Joycean symbol.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb audio book as well, August 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Theroux: Collected Stories (Paperback)

My schedule doesn't permit a lot of free time for reading so I randomly picked up Theroux's collected stories from the local library and I must say that the storylines are intriguing and the characters are so believable, you may very well find yourself empathizing with them.

This is a fantastic collection of stories if you have a long commute and need a break from the rubbish on the airwaves.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars All over the map, and worth the trip, July 17, 2005

By 

Bryon Butler (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Theroux: Collected Stories (Hardcover)

I picked up The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux years ago, and it was the first book I read by which I judged the movie by the book. Through the years came other books, most notably The Old Patagonian Express, which ends where I live, in Argentina. The discussion of Theroux's time with the indomitable Jorge Borges alone was worth the price of the book. When I recently saw Collected Stories at the yearly Buenos Aires Book Fair I quickly picked it up, happily returning to all things Theroux for awhile.
Collected Stories takes us from Malaysia, to Africa, to London, and gives glimpses, almost photo like, of the lives of people Theroux knew, or invented, along the way. So convincing were his embassy stories that I looked up his biography online to see if he actually worked in one. Theroux is often the narrator of his tales, starts strong with a number of good first lines, and to me writes convincingly when his character is a woman. Although the stories vary in quality, the collection shows a master storyteller. The book contains many, many stories, yet for me a general theme stands out.
As I read the book, I began noting the different topics discussed. Theroux deals with affairs, a drinking problem, murder, deceitful friendships, leaving a spouse, deception, a loss of hope, and a resignation of what life has become for the characters. Though not every story was a downer, a human resignation, an inability to resolve life's problems, resonated throughout the book, and I found myself hoping for something nice to happen...to somebody. As well, Theroux has the ability to make interesting the lives of characters whose international lives are really not that interesting. While reading the story The Exile, I came across " ...his reading was vigorous and gave life to what seemed to be little more than spidery monologues about his domestic affairs..."; to me, that line might summarize some of the stories. As I kept reading, I found myself at times doing so because I was committed to finishing the book, rather than being gripped by what I was reading.
I was struck by the final stories, which deal with the courtship, love and marriage of Flora Doming-Duncan and Spencer Monroe Savage. So happy, so content, so growing-together was the couple that I was left with a good feeling and wanted to wish them well as they began a life together and as I closed the book. Yet, following all that I read, the sadness, unrequited hopes and human resignation that had settled into the numerous lives and marriages of those who went before, I realized that in Theroux's world this was probably expecting too much. Was Collected Stories worth it? For a Theroux fan, or for someone wanting short fiction, the answer is yes. But all the while you are aware of a sadness that prevails, a world where honesty is often just another word for resigned acceptance, and you hope you don't find yourself in the pages, no matter how exotic the background.