Most Popular Books by Lorrie Moore

From the national bestselling author of Birds of America comes “a brilliant collection” (The Philadelphia Inquirer) of eight exquisite stories of men and women stumbling through their daily existence. In Like Life, Lorrie Moore’s men and women, unsettled and adrift and often frightened, can’t quite understand how they arrived at their present situations. Harry has been reworking a play for years in his apartment near Times Square in New York. Jane is biding her time at a cheese shop in a Midwest mall. Dennis, unhappily divorced, buries himself in self-help books about healthful food and healthy relationships. One prefers to speak on the phone rather than face his friends, another lets the answering machine do all the talking. But whether rejected, afraid to commit, bored, disillusioned or just misunderstood, even the most hard-bitten are not without some abiding trust in love.

"Fifty years from now, it may well turn out that the work of very few American writers has as much to say about what it means to be alive in our time as that of Lorrie Moore." —Harper''s Magazine Lorrie Moore’s first novel since A Gate at the Stairs—a daring, meditative exploration of love and death, passion and grief, and what it means to be haunted by the past, both by history and the human heart From “one of the most acute and lasting writers of her generation” (Caryn James; The New York Times)—a ghost story set in the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries, an elegiac consideration of grief, devotion (filial and romantic), and the vanishing and persistence of all things—seen and unseen. A teacher visiting his dying brother in the Bronx. A mysterious journal from the nineteenth century stolen from a boarding house. A therapy clown and an assassin, both presumed dead, but perhaps not dead at all . . . With her distinctive, irresistible wordplay and singular wry humor and wisdom, Lorrie Moore has given us a magic box of longing and surprise as she writes about love and rebirth and the pull towards life. Bold, meditative, theatrical, this new novel is an inventive, poetic portrait of lovers and siblings as it questions the stories we have been told which may or may not be true. I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home takes us through a trap door, into a windswept, imagined journey to the tragic-comic landscape that is, unmistakably, the world of Lorrie Moore.

From the national bestselling author of A Gate at the Stairs—and a master of contemporary American fiction—comes “a funny, cohesive, and moving collection of stories" (The New York Times Book Review). In these tales of loss and pleasure, lovers and family, a woman learns to conduct an affair, a child of divorce dances with her mother, and a woman with a terminal illness contemplates her exit. Filled with the sharp humor, emotional acuity, and joyful language Moore has become famous for, these nine glittering tales marked the introduction of an extravagantly gifted writer.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR • From the bestselling author of A Gate at the Stairs: A collection of twelve stories that’s “one of our funniest, most telling anatomies of human love and vulnerability" (The New York Times Book Review). A volume by one of the most exciting writers at work today, the acclaimed author of Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? and Self-Help. Stories remarkable in their range, emotional force, and dark laughter, and in the sheer beauty and power of their language. From the opening story, "Willing"—about a second-rate movie actress in her thirties who has moved back to Chicago, where she makes a seedy motel room her home and becomes involved with a mechanic who has not the least idea of who she is as a human being—Birds of America unfolds a startlingly brilliant series of portraits of the unhinged, the lost, the unsettled of our America. In the story "Which Is More Than I Can Say About Some People" ("There is nothing as complex in the world—no flower or stone—as a single hello from a human being"), a woman newly separated from her husband is on a long-planned trip through Ireland with her mother. When they set out on an expedition to kiss the Blarney Stone, the image of wisdom and success that her mother has always put forth slips away to reveal the panicky woman she really is. In "Charades," a family game at Christmas is transformed into a hilarious and insightful (and fundamentally upsetting) revelation of crumbling family ties. In "Community Life,"a shy, almost reclusive, librarian, Transylvania-born and Vermont-bred, moves in with her boyfriend, the local anarchist in a small university town, and all hell breaks loose. And in "Four Calling Birds, Three French Hens," a woman who goes through the stages of grief as she mourns the death of her cat (Anger, Denial, Bargaining, Häagen Dazs, Rage) is seen by her friends as really mourning other issues: the impending death of her parents, the son she never had, Bosnia.

A revelatory tale of love gained and lost—from a master of contemporary American fiction. • "An extraordinary, often hilarious novel." —The New York Times Book Review Gerard sits, fully clothed, in his empty bathtub and pines for Benna. Neighbors in the same apartment building, they share a wall and Gerard listens for the sound of her toilet flushing. Gerard loves Benna. And then Benna loves Gerard. She listens to him play piano, she teaches poetry and sings at nightclubs. As their relationships ebbs and flows, through reality and imagination, Lorrie Moore paints a captivating, innovative portrait of men and women in love and not in love.

Set just after the events of September 2001, Moore''s deft, lyrical novel brings readers up against the heart of racism, the shock of war, and the carelessness perpetrated against others in the name of love.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A collection of stories by one of America’s most beloved and admired short-story writers that explores the passage of time and summons up its inevitable sorrows and hilarious pitfalls to reveal an exquisite, singular wisdom. • “Uncanny.... Moving.... A powerful collection.” —The Washington Post Here are people beset, burdened, buoyed; protected by raising teenage children; dating after divorce; facing the serious illness of a longtime friend; setting forth on a romantic assignation abroad, having it interrupted mid-trip, and coming to understand the larger ramifications and the impossibility of the connection ... stories that show people coping with large dislocation in their lives, with risking a new path to answer the desire to be in relation—to someone….

Taken from award-winning writer Lorrie Moore''s debut short story collection Self-Help (1985), How To Become a Writer is a wryly witty deconstruction of tips for aspiring writers, told in vignettes by a self-absorbed narrator who fails to observe the wrold around her. A modern classic, this story has been pulled out to accompany the launch of the Faber Modern Classics list.

A beautiful hardcover edition of the collected stories of one of America''s most revered and admired authors—originally published in the acclaimed collections Self-Help, Like Life, Birds of America, and Bark and including three additional stories excerpted from her novels. Moore is one of America’s most revered writers, and this career-spanning collection showcases her exceptional talent for leavening tragedy with humor, for blending sorrow with subversive wit. Her keenly observed stories are peopled by a variety of lost souls—husbands, wives, lovers, tourists, professors, students, even a ghost—who are often grappling with pain or disappointment: a divorced man obsessed with self-help books, a washed-up Hollywood actress living in a hotel, a woman with a terminal illness. But however lovelorn or dislocated the characters—from the wisecracking wedding guest in “Thank You for Having Me” to the self-deluded musicians in “Wings” to the complicated parent-child pairs in “How to Talk to Your Mother (Notes)” and “The Kid’s Guide to Divorce”—their stories are always grounded in insight and compassion. Moore’s portraits of the parents of a seriously ill child in “People Like That Are the Only People Here” and of a woman haunted by guilt over the death of her friend’s baby in “Terrific Mother” achieve a notably unsentimental and yet quietly devastating power. Whether moving or darkly funny, all of these pieces channel the messiness of the human condition through Moore’s characteristically knowing, wry voice, and together they confirm her as a master of the short story.

A remarkable collection of essays and reviews on everything from Philip Roth to Margaret Atwood, from race in America to the shocking state of the GOP—from the national bestselling author of Birds of America and a master of contemporary American fiction. “The kind of book, and the kind of human, you’d want to guide you through the past few decades in letters and culture.... Moore is one of our best documentarians of everyday amazement.” —The New Yorker This essential, enlightening, truly delightful collection shows one of our greatest writers parsing the political, artistic, and media landscape of the past three decades. These sixty-six essays and reviews, culled from the pages of The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, Harper’s, The Atlantic, and The New Yorker, among others, find Lorrie Moore turning her discerning eye on everything from celebrity culture to the wilds of television, from Stephen Sondheim to Barack Obama. See What Can Be Done is a perfect blend of craft, brains, and a knowing, singular take on life, liberty, and the pursuit of (some kind of) happiness.

Since the publication of Self-Help, her first collection of stories, Lorrie Moore has been hailed as one of the greatest and most influential voices in American fiction. Her ferociously funny, soulful stories tell of the gulf between men and women, the loneliness of the broken-hearted and the yearned-for, impossible intimacies we crave. Gathered here for the first time in a beautiful hardback edition is the complete stories along with three new and previously unpublished in book form: Paper Losses, The Juniper Tree, Debarking.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this moving, poignant novel by the bestselling author of Birds of America—and a master of American fiction—we share a grown woman’s bittersweet nostalgia for the wildness of her youth. "An enchanting novel." —The New York Times The summer Berie was fifteen, she and her best friend Sils had jobs at Storyland in upstate New York where Berie sold tickets to see the beautiful Sils portray Cinderella in a strapless evening gown. They spent their breaks smoking, joking, and gossiping. After work they followed their own reckless rules, teasing the fun out of small town life, sleeping in the family station wagon, and drinking borrowed liquor from old mayonnaise jars. But no matter how wild, they always managed to escape any real danger—until the adoring Berie sees that Sils really does need her help—and then everything changes.

A Vintage Shorts “Short Story Month” Selection The classic, often-humorous, and lyrical short story from literary giant Lorrie Moore’s much-celebrated third collection of stories, Birds of America, a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. In a comically disappointing attempt to revive their marriage, a seasoned couple moves into what appears to be a charming farmhouse near a nature conservatory and a zoo. But, not so. There, Ruth must desperately crusade against infestations of raccoons, crows, and teenagers that plague her new home. An ebook short.

Finn è un professore di mezza età, insegna storia e matematica in un liceo dell’Illinois, e sta vivendo un brutto periodo. È appena stato sospeso dal lavoro perché esortava i ragazzi a pensare criticamente la storia – ma soprattutto perché ha rifiutato le avances della moglie del preside, che si è vendicata denunciandolo. Inoltre l’amato fratello maggiore, Max, è gravemente malato di cancro e, come se non bastasse, la sua storica compagna, Lily, lo ha lasciato per mettersi con Jack. Mentre si trova a New York in visita a Max, a cui non resta molto da vivere, Finn riceve una chiamata che lo costringe a tornare subito a casa. Lily si è suicidata, cosa che aveva già provato a fare varie volte, e lui a causa di una serie di sfortunati eventi non è riuscito nemmeno ad assistere al funerale. Finn è stremato, confuso e addolorato mentre si reca al cimitero per visitare la tomba della donna che aveva sempre amato e che, con grande stupore, ritrova sotto forma di fantasma. Lily si dice pronta a riprendere il filo della loro storia, a patto che lui la accompagni fino al luogo dove lei vuole riposare per sempre. Comincia così un insolito viaggio che li porterà anche a scoprire le tracce di un omicidio avvenuto a fine Ottocento e in cui il loro rapporto sembra prendere nuova forza, nonostante lei non sia più in questo mondo. Ma Lily sarà disposta a restare per Finn? E lui farà in tempo a rivedere e salutare Max un’ultima volta? Sono senza casa, se questa non è la mia è un romanzo divertente, straziante, surreale e indimenticabile, un passaggio verso un altrove immaginario, lirico e tragicomico, che altro non è che il mondo straordinario di Lorrie Moore. “Una storia di fantasmi straziante ed esilarante. Un risultato indimenticabile di un’autrice americana fondamentale.” David Varno Commissione del National Book Critics Circle Award “La più irresistibile scrittrice americana contemporanea.” Jonathan Lethem “Una delle scrittrici più acute della sua generazione.” The New York Times

Em uma reflexão sobre o 11 de setembro, Lorrie Moore constrói um romance sobre a ansiedade e desconexão que atingiram os Estados Unidos após o ataque às Torres Gêmeas, sobre o racismo na sociedade americana, sobre a guerra e também sobre os riscos de se apaixonar. Por meio da história da jovem Tassie Keltjin, a autora mostra a alma de seus personagens, mapeando seus medos e desapontamentos.

O mais poderoso livro da premiada autora norte-americana Lorrie Moore. Pássaros da América reúne 12 contos originalmente publicados em jornais e revistas como The New York Times, Elle, The Paris Review e The New Yorker. Particularmente delicadas, as narrativas têm como fio condutor personagens que se sentem fora de seus ninhos, consumidos pelo tédio, pela angústia, pela falta de objetivo: pela vulnerabilidade humana. Em cada história, Moore faz com que seus personagens brilhem com jogos de palavras e sarcasmo, usados com originalidade surpreendente. Os cenários das histórias são os mais diversos: Chicago, conhecida por suas aparições no cinema, reduzida ao local decrépito de uma atriz decadente de Hollywood; um Natal em família em uma casa tradicional no Maine; um professor 50 anos, de Minnesota, desiludido com suas experiências amorosas, que decide escrever um ensaio para tentar escapar das frustações da vida. Moore retrata a vida dessas pessoas e suas relações interpessoais, suas idiossincrasias, seus sonhos e, principalmente, como lidam consigo mesmos. O que poderia ser difícil de ler nos faz rir.

Benna Carpenter es cantante en un club nocturno y rehúye de su vecino Gerard, que la ama con locura. Benna Carpenter es profesora de aerobics para ancianos, le detectan un bulto en un pecho, escribe errados anagramas y está enamorada de Gerard, un músico que le rompe el corazón reiteradamente. Benna Carpenter es profesora universitaria, tiene una hija imaginaria y un amigo íntimo, Gerard, de quien descubre un poderoso secreto cuando ya es demasiado tarde. En Anagramas, su primera novela, Lorrie Moore despliega un agudo sentido del humor y un delicado manejo del lenguaje que serán característicos de toda su obra, y construye una suerte de laberinto de espejos que reflejan otras vidas posibles en una solapada estrategia para combatir la soledad y el abandono. Como si la vida no fuese otra cosa que intentar todas las combinaciones posibles con las letras que a cada uno le tocaron en gracia.

Berie y Daniel están de viaje en París. Son un matrimonio anquilosado, comparten una serie de instrucciones implícitas que intentan evitar peleas, o al menos mitigarlas. En una cena, entre bocados de seso y copas de vino, mucho vino, Berie intenta recordar, como si existiera una suerte de reflejo proustiano, su adolescencia en Horsehearts, la casa invadida por exóticas visitas, la estricta convivencia con sus padres y su querido hermano Claude, su trabajo como cajera en el parque de diversiones Storyland y, sobre todo, su amistad con la encantadora Silsby Chaussée. Con un sagaz sentido del humor, Lorrie Moore construye una historia conmovedora que se detiene en el momento exacto en que una niña se convierte en mujer, ese tiempo en el que todo es una posibilidad y la amistad dura para siempre.

Tras el éxito de Pájaros de América, que consagró a Lorrie Moore como una de las grandes narradoras de la literatura norteamericana actual, no podía faltar en castellano esta serie de relatos publicada en Estados Unidos en 1986, cuando la autora contaba con veintitrés años. En ellos, Moore dejaba entrever claramente las claves de su estética narrativa: su particular manera de ver el mundo, su voz penetrante y cargada de percepción psicológica. Girando en torno a ese punto difuso en el que determinadas situaciones de angustia se acercan peligrosamente al ridículo, los nueve relatos que conforman Autoayuda presentan la misma cohesión subterránea de Pájaros de América, inusual en este tipo de colecciones. Sus protagonistas, que acusan una anomalía profunda en las relaciones con sus seres más próximos, sean padres, maridos, amantes o amigos, se encuentran sedientas de una dosis de «autoayuda» que les permita curar sus heridas y protegerse contra nuevas decepciones. Ya sea la falta de una voluntad de compromiso que estropea una relación, o la dificultad de una madre y una hija para hablar de lo que realmente les preocupa, por poner sólo dos ejemplos, las historias de Moore encuentran en su carácter cotidiano y universal la mejor materia para exponer la naturaleza paradójica de la vida. Con un agudo sentido del humor y una gran sutileza en el uso del lenguaje, Lorrie Moore ha escogido la estructura formal de un libro de autoayuda para asumir una posición extremadamente crítica con una sociedad que pretende resolver el sufrimiento del ser humano con una receta de manual.

Mentre els Estats Units es troben enmig de la guerra a l''Orient Mitjà, la Tassie, una noia de vint anys filla de grangers, es trasllada a la ciutat universitària de Troy, al bell mig del Midwest americà. Per pagar-se els estudis comença a treballar com a cangur d''una nena afroamericana adoptada per una sofisticada parella que aparentment tenen molt de glamur i certs misteris. A mesura que el curs universitari avança, la Tassie s''endinsa en el dia a dia d''aquesta atractiva família. La seva relació amb la nena s''estreny fins a convertir-se en quelcom molt intens i alhora inquietant. La vida, però, aviat comença a revelar certes desagradables sorpreses i uns pocs secrets inevitables. En tan sols un any, la Tassie haurà après unes quantes lliçons crucials.Una valenta dissecció de la condició humana, que denuncia la indecència i la deixadesa perpetrada cara als altres en nom dels bons sentiments.

El triunfal regreso a la novela de una de las voces más celebradas de la literatura norteamericana con una tragicomedia inolvidable . Finn es un profesor de mediana edad que se ve forzado a tomarse un descanso del trabajo cuando lo alertan de que su expareja, Lily, tiene graves problemas. Juntos inician un último viaje que hará que Finn se replantee cuestiones ineludibles sobre lo cómico y lo trágico de la vida, la muerte y el pasado compartido. Con su inigualable humor negro, su desbordante imaginación y un talento único para desafiar los géneros, Lorrie Moore firma una prodigiosa novela que funciona como una caja mágica que contiene tanto una historia de amor memorable como un irónico cuento de fantasmas y un misterio anclado en el siglo XIX. Un atrevido libro sobre la pérdida que nos recuerda que deberíamos atesorar los fugaces momentos de felicidad.

Maria ha due ragazzi e legge vestita di bianco in un parco di Cleveland, Harry da anni scrive e riscrive la stessa commedia nel suo appartamento a New York, Jane lavora in un negozio di formaggi e in compagnia del gatto Fluffers aspetta la sua occasione, Dennis legge solo libri di self-help e non è mai stato così felice come da quando ha divorziato, Odette ha quarant’anni, fa la poetessa, e per permettersi di vivere a New York accetta di passare dei mesi a scrivere nelle biblioteche del Midwest. I personaggi di Lorrie Moore sono normali eppure indimenticabili, instabili, confusi, disillusi, bloccati in una quotidianità ripetitiva ma, nonostante tutto, indomiti. Guidati da una fiducia nell’amore inscalfibile che rende qualunque vita degna di essere vissuta. “ Acuto e ricco di pathos. Una lettura gratificante, persino esilarante.” The New York Times Book Review “ Ironico, generoso e vero. Lorrie Moore continua a meravigliare.” Newsday

Leading sociologist Irving Louis Horowitz examines the response social science has made to contemporary subjects and issues: the so-called "new class" of the intelligentsia, the ecology movement, social planning, alienation, privatization, anomie, the threat of nuclear war. Horowitz evaluates as a social scientist the question of values—those disclosed through analysis, and those threatened by it—and discusses the overall political and moral impact of knowledge and methodology in social science.

Vuelve Lorrie Moore. Una mirada ingeniosa y penetrante en los absurdos privados y públicos de la vida americana. En las ocho historias que componen Gracias por la compañía, Lorrie Moore explora el paso del tiempo y convoca sus inevitables penas e hilarantes decepciones para revelar una singular y exquisita sabiduría. Un hombre recién divorciado intenta mantenerse a flote mientras Estados Unidos se prepara para invadir Iraq; el fantasma de una amiga recién fallecida visita a una profesora en una reunión de pesadilla, dos músicos que no han conseguido hacer carrera muestran los mecanismos del arrepentimiento... La ironía dramática y el amor imperfecto se abren paso en cada uno de estos relatos escritos con el característico estilo de Lorrie Moore, siempre tierno, nunca sentimental y a menudo extremadamente divertido.

Come condurre una relazione con un uomo sposato. Come barcamenarsi con la mamma divorziata e infelice. Come diventare scrittrici. Tutto da sole. Scritta ironicamente in forma di manuale di auto aiuto, questa raccolta di racconti di Lorrie Moore ha fatto conoscere al grande pubblico una delle più originali e acute autrici americane. Sono storie di amori perduti e di infedeltà, che hanno come protagonisti vicini di casa, colleghi di lavoro, amici, fino a coinvolgere il lettore stesso, che viene totalmente sedotto da una narrazione suggestiva e realistica. Storie dal gusto dolceamaro, che raccontano i piaceri e le sorprese delle nostre relazioni. “ La più irresistibile scrittrice americana contemporanea.” Jonathan Lethem

L’estate in cui Berie aveva quindici anni, lei e la sua migliore amica Sils lavoravano a Storyland, un parco divertimenti nella piccola città di Horsehearts. Le loro pause erano fatte di sigarette, risate, pettegolezzi. Vivevano a modo loro, insofferenti alle regole, sempre capaci di spassarsela anche in una minuscola città di provincia. Anni dopo, a Parigi, Berie è seduta accanto al marito, ma con la mente si trova lontano. Ripensa alla sua adolescenza e subito torna nitida l’immagine di Sils. Insieme all’amica, Berie rivede la propria eccentrica famiglia, la casa sempre affollata di ospiti, che arrivavano da ogni parte del mondo, il rimpianto per quella irripetibile stagione della vita. L’ospedale delle rane è un romanzo sentimentale e poetico, un inno a una adolescenza selvaggia, estrema, mai davvero perduta. “ Un romanzo bellissimo, irresistibile. Sempre magistralmente in bilico tra ironia e nostalgia.” Chicago Tribune

Pour Benna, la vie est un théâtre. Elevée dans un camping-car, cette jeune poète a un penchant pour les anagrammes. Benna ne jongle pas qu''avec les mots - elle jongle aussi avec les réalités. Un jour chanteuse, l''autre prof de gym ou enseignante, amante comblée ou veuve esseulée, elle remodèle son existence à sa convenance. Que veut vraiment Benna, perdue dans la nébuleuse de son imagination ?