Reviewers have been unanimous in proclaiming Paul West a writer whose sheer energy and acrobatic intelligence demand attention. West has performed in many different arenas--as critic, theoretician, poet, and novelist--and in each he has probed the limits of his art. Yet it is as a fiction writer that he seems most happy, for there he can demonstrate at one and the same time the strength of the critic and the grace of the poet. However, despite years of critical praise, a series of awards (including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1962, the Aga Khan Prize in 1974, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1979, and most recently, the 1981 literature prize of the Pennsylvania Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts), and a body of work that spans genre and nationality, West's writings have not gained the full attention they deserve. With intelligent consideration and lively reading, his novels can illuminate...