Novelists Cheuse (The Light Possessed) and Delbanco (In the Name of Mercy) have assembled an impressive gathering of the late Malamud's essays, interviews, lectures and notes, a good number of which have never before been published. The collection reveals the author of The Natural and many other books as a dedicated craftsman and teacher, firmly connected to a larger Jewish literary tradition and animated by a deep-seated humanism and a sly wit. In addition to admirers of Malamud's fiction, this book should also be of considerable interest to aspiring writers, as Malamud is open and revealing about his own creative process, and consistently engaging in his often politicized and outspoken views on the artist's role in society. The book's biggest weakness lies in the fact that it is clearly a gathering of disparate occasional pieces, with considerable repetition. Malamud often uses the same examples to make the same point, sometimes almost quoting himself word for word. And while his comments on his own work and on the creative process are enduring, some of his comments on the cultural moment already feel dated. While readers may find themselves wishing the author himself had been given the opportunity to form these pieces into a larger whole, the collection is nevertheless filled with Malamud's distinctive and compassionate wisdom. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

This collection of interviews, speeches, lectures, notes, and essays, many of them never before published, will inspire and challenge all readers, especially those interested in the craft of writing. Winner of a Pulitzer Prize and two National Book Awards, novelist Malamud (1914-86) is best known for The Natural (1952), The Assistant (1957), and The Fixer (1966), as well as for a number of short stories. During his lifetime he revealed little of his writing process, making this collection particularly valuable. Editors Cheuse, a commentator for National Public Radio, and Delbanco, a novelist whose works include In the Name of Mercy (LJ 8/95), were colleagues and friends of Malamud at Bennington College. Their introduction and notes at the beginning of each section add biographical facts and personal anecdotes. Of particular note is Malamud's revelation of his source material and ruminations when beginning a work, permitting us to glimpse a novel or short story's birth. In the discussion of "The Writer and His Craft," he offers valuable, detailed advice for the beginning writer, stressing that hard work must accompany natural talent. Recommended especially for students of writing.-Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.