Sherwood Anderson: Collected Stories (LOA #235): Winesburg, Ohio / The Triumph of the Egg / Horses and Men / Death in the Woods / uncollected stories (Library of America, 235)

I first read 'Winesburg. Ohio' when I was in high school and loved the book. Recently, I found myself wanting to read it again. It's been 30 years and I wanted to see if I viewed the book in any different way. I still love it and have decided to also read more Anderson works, which is why I bought this particular book. I just finished 'Triumph Of The Egg' and have started on 'Horses and Men'. I will not give any spoilers here on any of these works.One must be an educated reader in order to enjoy Anderson's works. I say this because if you don't understand the style in which he writes and the way he uses terminology and prose, you will find his works confusing and hard to understand. Anderson tends to use punctuation sparingly and spelling some words differently from one story to another. He also tends to use excessive amounts of description, but this is builds the bridges between his poeticism and his literary style.Anderson is truly one of the most unique and interesting writers of American literature there has ever been and he creates a vivid picture in the mind of the characters and the surroundings of the story. This must be why he was one of the most influential writers of the generations that included Hemmingway, Steinbeck, Mailer and Kerouac.Serious lovers of literature will enjoy Sherwood Anderson.

In this handsome edition of his short stories, the Library of America raises Sherwood Anderson into the pantheon of American literature. Anderson's in danger of being one of those writers that everyone says is important but nobody really reads. I had read "Winesburg, Ohio" which was as excellent as I remember but I was surprised by the quality of some of the other stories in this work. These realistic stories focused on the start of the twentieth century are still moving and there are some small masterpieces. While "Winesburg, Ohio" is justly celebrated, Anderson showed great maturity as a writer in the books that followed. I especially enjoyed "Death in the Woods" which was the last book of stories published in Anderson's lifetime. In the stories included there, Anderson shows himself to be a master of narration and readers will have fun, especially with the unreliable narrator in the title story. I found "Horses and Men" to be the weakest book collected here (it's clear that parts of it were meant for a novel and Anderson was much better writing short stories) and the unpublished stories attached to the book did little for me.I was expecting the LOA edition to be "Winesburg, Ohio" and a collection of later books showing Anderson never showed the same level of talent again. Instead, I found Anderson to be a master craftsman of the short story who was excellent in capturing plot, characters and showcasing subdued emotions--especially in "Unlighted Lamps" which was one of the more haunting stories I have read in some time. While he's not as popular as many of his contemporaries, Anderson is a major American writer. Once again American literature and readers are in the debt of the LOA for showcasing an often neglected writer. Recommended highly.

Anderson in his stories may either be considered as an instructor or a supporter for authors wanting to experience as readers the value of character development. While there is usually very little dialog, his narratives leave the reader with memorable portraits of the individuals in the tales. Anderson shares an in depth understanding of a wide range of people such as he encountered in his time.

It's amazing to re-read Sherwood Anderson's gems of stories and be surprised once again and on a different level by how insightful, deep, yet accessible are his characters and themes. The subtle simplicity of his writing is quite deceptive, for like a soft breeze that turns to sudden wind it catches you off-guard and almost knocks you over. Anderson is the quintessential American voice of the Mid-west of the 1920s common man caught in a confusing world of change he cannot understand. Anderson didn't have the self-promoting instinct of Hemingway, or the glamorous life-style of Fitzgerald, but as this collection of stories clearly show, he had the deep psychological understanding of the men and women who appeared in his fiction, rendered in the melancholic tone that only he could create.As many critics have rightly claimed, "Winesburg, Ohio" is a creative force on which many contemporary authors of Anderson's time built their reputation while emulating its style, language, and themes. There are of course in this Collected Stories many other selected short stories that would have been sufficient to make Anderson an authoritative voice in American literature. I ampleased to have access to all these selections in one volume. And indeed any reader of fine fiction of any culture could do no better than to take up this admirable collection to discover or re-discover a great American writer, one who has long been neglected and who needs to be given his rightful place in our literary world.

My uncle asked to read some of these stories on his deathbed so I loaded it to my kindle and let him have at it. I read these stories now and again and they always leave my mind with something to mull over. I miss you David.

To describe this book is difficult at best, each character is caught in their own world of their making ... communication issues, failed marriages, lost dreams ... all here in one little town. A classic.

Sherwood Anderson is a forgotten author who captures the essence of Middle America, like Ring Lardner, and James Thurber. His interconnected stories are an art as worthy of James Carver.

Hope to see more kindle edition of the LOA books.

J'avoue avoir découvert Sherwood Anderson grâce à l'écrivain israélien Amos Oz qui en revendique l'héritage. L'édition de "Winesburg, Ohio" de Norton Critical Eds. est complétée de manière très intéressantes par des points de vue d'auteurs américains comme William Faulkner et John Updike et de critiques littéraires sur l'oeuvre de Sherwood Anderson. J'ai aussi acquis l'autre livre "Collected stories" publié par Library of America qui comporte toutes les nouvelles écrites par Sherwood Anderson dont celles du recueil "Winesburg Ohio" mais sans les commentaires. Deux livres passionnants qui décrivent de l'intérieur les racines de l'Amérique profonde et font parties des œuvres majeures de la littérature américaine.

優れた作品を残し文学史的にも重要な位置を占めるはずなのに、不当にもいつのまにか時代に忘れられた一群の作家がいます。シャーウッド・アンダーソンもそんな作家の一人。彼をめぐる日本の翻訳事情はお寒いもので、現在気軽に入手できる作品といったら講談社文芸文庫の「ワインズバーグ・オハイオ」一作のみ、あとはいくつかのアンソロジーで短編が二、三読める程度です。もっとも事情は本国アメリカでも似たようなもので、アメリカ版文学の殿堂シリーズともいうべきこのライブラリー・アメリカ版に彼の作品集が登場したのがようやく昨年（2012年）になってというありさまです。この巻には「Winesburg,Ohaio」「 The Triumph of the Egg」「 Horses and Men」「 Death in the Woods」、以上の代表的な短編集と死後に発表された短編が収録されています。新作が発表されるたびに文壇ジャーナリズムをにぎわす日本の著名な作家や世界的に注目されている作家でも、数年経って読み返してみると違和感というか、なにか決定的な古臭さを感じてしまうのに、シャーウッド・アンダーソンの作品は古びるどころかますます輝きを放ち、一種の凄味さえ増して読み手に迫ってきます。一世紀ほどまえのアメリカの現実が、苦しい社会で生きる人々の息吹が、絶望が、希望の在り処が、いま目の前の出来事として切迫したリアリティーをともなって現れてくるのはなぜか？　彼が、その冷徹にして暖かなまなざしを向けていたのは「時代」や「現代」ではなく、ひとびとが生きている「現在」、「現実」そのものだったのだと思います。だからこそ、その作品は時代や国境、言語の違いを越えてわたしたちに直接語りかけてくる。彼の作品には文学だけが可能な真実の力があります。時代は彼を忘れるかもしれない。けれども文学の側は彼の名をけっして忘れない。シャーウッド・アンダーソンほどauthenticという形容詞が相応しい作家はいません。