Effusive critical acclaim can be as debilitating as it is gratifying for young writers. Madison Smartt Bell, named by critics very early in his career as one of the best writers of his generation, has...
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Madison Smartt Bell and his fiction tend to evade easy categories. As a writer who started publishing in the early 1980s, he was never affiliated with either the Minimalists or the "Brat Pack" novelis...
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In the positive review below, Fuller focuses on the structure of The Year of Silence.
A promising but elusive young woman, admired for all the usual reasons, dies of an overdose in Manhattan. Wheth...
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In the excerpt below, Birkerts detects a "moviemaking" quality about Straight Cut, remarking: "I have no problem with that. Entertainment is entertainment. What bothers me is that...
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In the review below, Solomon focuses on the detailed descriptions and realistic characters of Save Me, Joe Louis, especially "Bell's sharp insights into, and extraordinary compassion for...
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In the positive review below, Crews commends the true-to-life narrative and characterization in Save Me, Joe Louis, observing that Bell is "an exceptional novelist … [capable of occasion...
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In the following review, Abrams offers a favorable assessment of Save Me, Joe Louis.
When two guys with criminal tendencies go skidding across the country like a souped-up car with bad brakes and a...
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In the review below, Vernon appraises All Souls' Rising, concluding that there "are flaws, but flaws dwarfed by a powerful and intelligent novel."
Haiti's 18th-century s...
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Below, Garner marvels at the erudition and literary skill of All Souls' Rising, finding that Bell's "gifts have never been more fully on display."
Madison Smartt Bell...
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In the following review, Roberts compares All Soul's Rising to William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!, noting that Bell's novel "suffers only a little in comparison."
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In the following excerpt, Winchell focuses on Bell's role as author of The Washington Square Ensemble.
The novelist starts out as God, creating a world that he knows and controls. In decidin...
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In the following review, Johnson faults the "moribund" characterization and "somnolent" pacing of Soldier's Joy, but concludes that "the determination and ris...
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In the following review, DeMarinis analyzes the themes of pain and search-and-rescue in Barking Man.
A collection of short stories that work well together has the effect of standing the reader in a...
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In the mixed review below, McGrath ponders the themes of abuse and vulnerability in Barking Man, suggesting that "the events that befall Bell's misfits and outcasts lack significant powe...
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Below, McCarthy considers the moral progression of the stories in Barking Man, calling the collection "a splendid testament to Bell's superb narrative, stylistic gifts and passionate hum...
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In the review below, Tallent discusses the interplay of the ordinary with the extraordinary in Doctor Sleep.
A harrowing wakefulness sets the tone for Madison Smartt Bell's sixth novel. Adri...
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In the following review, Donnelly admires the unreal, dreamlike narrative and atmosphere of Doctor Sleep.
To say that an air of unreality hangs over a book is not usually a compliment. To say it ab...
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In the following interview, which originally took place in August, 1992, Weaks questioned Bell about the southernness of his fiction, the influence of the Fugitives/Agrarians on his work, and the futu...
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