Lynne Sharon Schwartz

The emotionally realistic and elegant portrait of mourning in the days and months following 9/11 As Renata, a linguist for the New York City Public Library, crosses the Brooklyn Bridge on her way to work one morning, she looks up to see a flash of orange and blue. Two planes have hit the World Trade Center, and with that, her world changes entirely.   Renata's connection to the tragedy grows deeper as her boyfriend, an overzealous social worker,...

"A grab bag of realist and experimental stories, each one a treasure . . Wise, wry, and witty -- theses stories in all their stylistic variations are perfect." -- Kirkus Reviews , starred review A man generously lends his car to his ex-wife, and is bewildered when she not only neglects to return it but makes increasingly implausible excuses for her actions. A neat and orderly clothing store owner is taken in and manipulated by an ailing elderly neighbor....

Retirement doesn't spell the end after all, in this rousing journey through loss and rebirth Max has lived a long and fulfilling life. He and his wife were star trapeze artists and acrobats in the Brandon Brothers circus. But with her passing, he's left alone in New York, and suffers a heart attack after a terrifying mugging. Without family to fall back on, Max is forced to leave his beloved Manhattan for a rest home in Westchester. He fears it will...

A dynamic collection of stories that portrays different generations and explores various genres with compassion and dry wit In The Melting Pot, nothing is ever what it seems. In these short stories from critically acclaimed author Lynne Sharon Schwartz, characters grapple with the desires and needs of daily life, no matter how absurd or mundane. In the title story, a woman finally reveals her tangled family history to her widowed lover. In another...

The arithmetic of marriage is never easy to understandas time passes, the variables constantly change Caroline is set adrift in 1950s Rome when she meets Ivan. Though things start slowly, Ivan wins her over after a strong pursuit, and the two marry, agreeing never to inflict any irreparable wounds." But though Ivan proves to be a fine father, he is a distant husband, and Caroline finds herself daydreaming of other men. So as the years pass, the couple...

From an "American literary treasure" comes this humorous collection of essays on writing, friendship, family, and aging in an increasingly complex world(Publishers Weekly). In this diverting anthology, National Book Award finalist Lynne Sharon Schwartz explores the connections and complications of a life rich with travel, fascinating people, and writing. Her body of work includes acclaimed novels, poetry, essays, memoirs, and English translations...

In this collection of impeccably written essays, Schwartz tells us early on that she never thought of her life as a "continuous line" but rather a series of intertwined, interrupted experiences. Hers is a life that has been bumped, tumbled, and smoothed by an endless stream of travel, fascinating people, and books: writing them, pondering them, translating them. Her essays range from musings about the art of translation, the tribulations of major...

Gilman's turn-of-the century feminist novel offers a portrait of a marriage and describes the experiences of a woman suffering a nervous breakdown.