In Brief: Short Takes on the Personal

In their previous collection Judith Kitchen and Mary Paumier Jones coined the term short for those creative nonfiction pieces -- literary rather than informational, and characteristically short -- that are attracting our finest writers. Now, with a more introspective focus, this new collection emphasizes the personal as a way of seeing the world, of expressing an interior life. It is intimate without being maudlin, it is private without being secret. From Harriet Doerr's recollection of a halcyon time to Josephine Jacobsen's reverie on memory, In Brief offers vivid glimpses into the ways experience can be shaped in language that is fresh and inventive. The seventy-two authors here include the known -- John McPhee, Cythia Ozick, James Salter -- as well as remarkable new writers. Essays (all under 2000 words) range from Frank McCourt's search for his father in the pubs of Limerick to William Maxwell's thoughts about growing old; from Charles Baxter's early experience of reading to Brady Udall's confession as a liar. Patricia Hampl recalls meals at her grandmother's house, while Jane Brox contemplates the meaning of bread. In each piece, imagination becomes a way to explore reality. The real world we are fortunate enough to live in is revealed as endlessly rich and deep.