Following his renowned The Coast of Chicago and Childhood, story writer Stuart Dybek returns with eleven masterful and masterfully linked stories about Chicago's fabled and harrowing South Side. United, they comprise the story of Perry Katzek and his widening, endearing clan. Through these streets walk butchers, hitmen, mothers and factory workers, boys turned men and men turned to urban myth. I Sailed With Magellan solidifies Dybek's standing as one of our finest chroniclers of urban America.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
A beautiful, graceful look at Chicago's past:
I suppose I would love this book even if I weren't a Chicagoan. The characters are so richly crafted, and the action poignant yet well paced. Perhaps the most heartbreaking story is "Blue Boy," with its message in the final paragraph so lushly written I took a sharp intake of breath before reading it again--aloud. An interconnected series of short stories, not everything meshes, especially "Breasts," which takes a side trip into the life of a hit man. But for the most part this is a special, nostalgic look... more info
dybek:
stuart dybek is a gifted writer who truly understands the short
story. His characters are full of life and wonderfully human.
I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys great writing.
A great writer:
This is timeless fiction of the highest order, on a level with the finest contemporary writers from Stephen Dixon to Philip Roth to Bliss Broyard. Dybek writes with depth, precision and deep feeling; this is the work of a lifetime sketching out a milieu (the Chicago Polish workingclass community) with loving, compassionate and haunting details. James T. Farrell and Nelson Algren were the pioneers of Chicago fiction, but Dybek digs deeper. This is unforgettable work, sketching out the turf he knows so well... more info
Amazing use of language:
The review below posted by Reggieroy captures my thoughts on this book exactly. The writing was beautiful, the characters so real I felt I knew them. I especially liked the stories of young Perry with his brother and his friends. I think my favorites were of the prom date he took to the junkyard and the one near the end about Perry and his Babushka.
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