A gathering of the best jazz fiction from the 1920s to the present, this anthology includes 20th-century fiction by Eudora Welty, James Baldwin, Richard Yates, and others, plus important recent work from writers such as Yusef Komunyakaa, Xu Xi, and Amiri Baraka. Together these artists demonstrate the strong influence of jazz on fiction. That influence can be felt in prose styles shaped by jazz-freewheeling, dramatic, conversational, improvisatory; in stories of players and listeners searching for what lies beyond the music's aesthetic power; and in the ambience of the jazz performance as captured by the written word. What sounds throughout these stories is the universal voice of humanity that is the essence of the music.

The definitive collection of jazz fiction

About the Author

Sascha Feinstein is editor of Brilliant Corners: A Journal of Jazz & Literature; The Jazz Poetry Anthology (IUP, 1991) and The Second Set (IUP, 1996) (both with Yusef Komunyakaa); and Ask Me Now: Conversations on Jazz and Literature (IUP, 2007). In 2008, Feinstein was named Pennsylvania's Governor's Awards Artist of the Year.

David Rife is author of Jazz Fiction: A History and Comprehensive Reader's Guide.

Reviews

Though one can find other anthologies of jazz fiction, all acknowledged by the editors, this collection is richer than any of its predecessors. . . . The appealing material collected here captures the ambience of the jazz universe in surprising ways. The best stories are poetic, metaphorical, imagistic, rhythm-based, allusive, and illusive-reflecting respect/adoration for jazz and artistry. . . . Highly recommended.May 2010

* Choice *

Carefully chosen and superbly edited by Sascha Feinstein and David Rife, the collection of 32 pieces of short fiction brings together some of the best jazz fiction from the 1920s to the present. . . . these stories virtually swing off the page. December 2009

* Jersey Jazz *



Book Information
ISBN 9780253221377
Author Sascha Feinstein
Format Paperback
Page Count 528
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press
Weight(grams) 708g