Reynolds Price Summary

Price, Reynolds (1933—) Southern novelist and man of letters Reynolds Price has been a distinguished figure in American literature since the 1962 publication of his first novel, A Long and Happ... Read more

(Edward) Reynolds Price was born in Macon, North Carolina, on 1 February 1933, the son of William Solomon and Elizabeth Rodwell Price. Both in his work and his life, he has rarely strayed far from the... Read more

In the preface to her study of Reynolds Price's works, Constance Rooke claims that Price's vision is "darker than many of his readers have supposed." Perhaps one of the reasons for this dark vision is... Read more

Critical Essay by Anne Hobson Freeman When a work of fiction as compelling and original as [The Surface of the Earth] comes along, it deserves evaluation in its own terms. Why should the reader worry ... Read more

Critical Essay by Jay L. Halio The Surface of the Earth is a grim, Faulknerian story of three generations of middle-class southerners…. Covering a span of forty years and told largely through l... Read more

In the following positive review of The Names and Faces of Heroes, the critic contends that while Price's stories examine many of the same themes as those of other Southern writers, he does it ... Read more

Johnson is an American novelist and short story writer. In the excerpted review below, he notes Price's preoccupation with the theme of homecoming and praises his writing style. One of the sali... Read more

In the following review, Garrett praises the complexity and scope of Price's short stories. Reynolds Price has been a significant figure on the American literary scene for more than 30 years. H... Read more

Folks is an American scholor with a special interest in Southern literature. In this positive review, he remarks on Price's continuing interest in the human struggle against a threatening reali... Read more

In the following excerpt, Price discusses his early career, Eudora Welty's influence on his career and work, and gives his reaction to being labeled a Southern writer. [Kaufman]: . . . . Most r... Read more

Davenport is an American scholar, poet, essayist, illustrator, and fiction writer. In the following review, Davenport identifies the problems of intimacy and communication faced by characters in Perma... Read more

Rooke is an American critic and short story writer. In the following excerpt, she examines the series of errors that lead to isolation and imperfect love in Permanent Errors. Permanent Errors is, acco... Read more

Following is an excerpt from a lecture Price gave at Hendrix College in Arkansas where he answered questions from the faculty and staff. Price discusses his relationship to the setting and characters ... Read more