This engaging volume provides an authoritative assessment of the middle period in the career of the widely-read, Nobel Prize-winning short story writer Alice Munro
What in terms of Alice Munros creative artistry and creative power allowed her to become the first and only short story writer, the first and only Canadian, and just the thirteenth woman in history to win the Nobel Prize in Literature? And exactly when during Munros career did her artistry and power advance to ensure that she would earn such world-wide renown? The answers lie in studying the boldly innovative yet greatly under-examined group of her four mid-career breakthrough books. Our volume therefore provides a carefully orchestrated analysis of Munros subtle yet potent handling of form, technique and style both within individual stories and across these special collections. Reading Alice Munros Breakthrough Books: A Suite in Four Voices not only addresses a significant vacancy in Munro criticism and, by extension, in all short story criticism but, equally importantly, offers an exciting new model for how criticism can be collectively written.
