William Trevor Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Ted Solotaroff

Critical Essay by Ted Solotaroff

William Trevor's reputation has been slow to establish itself in America…. "Other People's Worlds," his most recent novel, received a good deal of praise for its radioactive portrait of a talented sociopath and his victims. Still, Trevor is probably best known for his stories, particularly among writers and critics who recognize a master when they see one. Graham Greene hailed his third collection, "Angels at the Ritz," as perhaps the best in English since "Dubliners," an astute comment that calls attention to the qualities Trevor shares with the early Joyce. Both write that austere Irish prose that quietly charms and that can be adapted to portray various walks of life. Further, both Trevor and the early Joyce are geniuses at presenting a seemingly ordinary life as it is, socially, psychologically, morally, and then revealing the force of these conditions in the threatened individual's moment of resistance to them. This is...
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