In this first collection of short fiction, renowned American Indian writer W. S. Penn reveals a writing life that has been both difficult and fortunate. Penn has moved away from conventional narrative methods, through what his own oral tradition encompasses, to arrive at telling stories as they must be told as opposed to the ways they might be told. In This Is The World, Penn moves through spaces, encounters characters, and confronts humanity with a sage's omnipotence, yet at the same time with an unassuming voice, devoid of pretentiousness. His words are unflinching, but also unselfconscious. Although sometimes sad, This Is The World describes the tensions and problems that arise between the subtle clashes of culture and gender with a good deal of humor, both background and foreground, which makes this collection essential to those who love the craft of storytelling itself.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Of the 14 entries in Penn's first collection, the greater sophistication of the last seven stories overshadows the first six narratives. All deal with alienation and displacement in the pervading culture. "Toothpaste" is typical of the first group. It's narrated by a woman who meets a Native American at an arty party in New York. The man's candor makes the other partygoers seem shallow and insecure, but the story's equation of ethnicity and authenticity is itself shallow. The narrator of the most effective tale, "Tarantula," is a postal worker in Sacramento who reads a postcard written by a man named C. An artist who is contemptuous of the dishonesty and timidity of his colleagues, C. uses a striking image to express his feeling for them. During his boyhood, as he was climbing a tree, a tarantula crawled onto his arm, and he had to remain absolutely still until the spider moved off his body. "It's that silence I paint out of now," he says. Feeling a kinship to C., the narrator steals C.'s correspondence, counterfeiting letters in its place, acts that eventually land him in jail. This story and the following ones radiate a resigned understanding for "all the women and men gridlocked into this world of surprise and pain and broken laws." Penn (All My Sins Are Relatives) writes in an unadorned style that achieves remarkable power when his fictions reach their restrained but often haunting denouements. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From the Publisher
Reviewed in October 30 2000 edition of Publisher's Weekly
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, Versatile Collection,
By grace saran "grace saran" (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews
This review is from: This is the World (Paperback)
I have been a fan of William Penn's works for many years and remain astounded by the depth and breadth and versatility of his writing. This collection features some of his older stories and some of the newer ones, and they are very different. Stories such as This is the World, Tarantulas, Rosa, So Much Water Underground, Storm Watch, Grab Hold, and Talking Turkey, Not Goose which are among the wonderful stories in this book, are so different in styles that you might think they come from several different writers. The one thing that is universal in these stories is the eloquence and precision of Penn's writing, which is nothing short of craft. You can see that each of these stories is chock full, a labor of love, and though the subject matter is broad, and some have disturbing or unsettling themes, there is a common feel to them, perhaps derived from the obvious care taken to have each work be as good for us as it can possibly be... a quality missing from most written work on the market today. The stories also, even in the darker moments, seem to offer a sense of hope, and celebration of the positive in this world, but in a refreshing way, with a sense of realism, not sap or sentimentality. The stories are entertaining, imaginative and well worth reading.
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