Tobias Wolff Summary

"I was a liar myself when I was a kid. I'm still a liar, really, and I don't mean just in terms of telling stories and being a story writer. I wouldn't ever want to be held to a literal version of the... Read more

In the following essay, Hannah discusses Tobias Wolff's representation of a veteran's reintegration into American society in “Soldier's Joy.” “Soldier'... Read more

In the following excerpt, Desmond examines Wolff's preoccupation with liars in “In the Garden of the North American Martyrs” and The Barracks Thief, and comments on the influence ... Read more

In the following essay, Hannah studies the twelve stories included in In the Garden of the North American Martyrs, focusing on how each reflects themes about changing one's life for the better.... Read more

In the following excerpt, McGraw explores the moral resonance of the stories collected in The Night in Question. Tobias Wolff frequently uses narrative passages to give dignity to his characters, alth... Read more

In the following excerpt, Flower offers a mixed assessment of In the Garden of the North American Martyrs, lamenting Wolff's use of both physical and mental “gratuitous cruelty” i... Read more

In the following review, Sutcliffe calls Hunters in the Snow dispiriting and remarks that the stories' individual strengths are overshadowed by the collection's dejected tone. Short stor... Read more

In the following essay, Hannah reviews several stories that have appeared in anthologies and magazines but that Wolff has yet to include in a collection of his short fiction. Introduction When I sit d... Read more

In the following essay, Scofield argues that realism and experimentalism in literature are not mutually exclusive concepts. What is the best way to get a critical purchase on the stories of Tobias Wol... Read more

In the following review, Glasser praises Back in the World for its candor and poignancy. Reading a good short story is like falling in love. Some quirk, some strangeness, some difference, piques your ... Read more

In the following interview, originally published in Contemporary Literature, spring 1990, Wolff discusses his approach to the writing and revision of the title story “In the Garden of the North... Read more

In the following review of The Night in Question, Stone remarks on Wolff's moral perspective and the religious overtones in his work. The work of Tobias Wolff provides a blend of satisfactions ... Read more

In the following essay, Hannah studies each of the twelve stories that compose In the Garden of the North American Martyrs, focusing on how each reflects themes about changing one's life for th... Read more