The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze and Other Stories

by William Saroyan

Hardcover, 1941

Status

Available

Call number

813.52

Genres

General Fiction

All Topics

Fiction

Collection

Your library

Publication

Modern Library (1941), Hardcover, 270 pages

Description

A timeless selection of brilliant short stories that won William Saroyan a position among the foremost, most widely popular writers of America when it first appeared in 1934.With the greatest of ease William Saroyan flew across the literary skies in 1934 with the publication ofThe Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze and Other Stories. One of the first American writers to describe the immigrant experience in the U.S., Saroyan created characters who were Armenians, Jews, Chinese, Poles, Africans, and the Irish. The title story touchingly portrays the thoughts of a very young writer, dying of starvation. All of the tales were written during the great depression and reflect, through pathos and humor, the mood of the nation in one of its greatest times of want.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member jeffome

This was a complete mixed bag for me!! First of all, it is one more book off my list of those fascinating titles that i have always yearned to know what they meant - and it was less significant than i expected. Some great stories nestled in amongst some that were just dreadful to me. In fact, i

never would have predicted the 3-stars 1/3-way through or more. Way too much melancholy introspection about mankind and the world and a beginning writer struggling to get by and his damned phonograph. Many too many that were just the same drivel on and on. But then, some very insightful and almost charming nuggets started to show up to save the day. Highlights for me were - - 'Snake', Seventeen', 'The Shepherd's Daughter', 'Love', & 'Laughter.' Also, my volume is an old hardcover Modern Library Edition which i just love to hold and carry and read, so that helped a little. Proceed with caution....

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LibraryThing member MrsLee

Saroyan has a gift for articulating the thoughts and emotions which the rest of us have worked hard to bury. I especially appreciated his ability to explore the darkest corners of the human mind and still find good in the world and in life.

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