The complete short fiction of Morley Callaghan appears as he comes into full recognition as one of the singular storytellers of our time. In four volumes, several stories are collected for the first time, two of which--"An Autumn Penitent” and "In His Own Country”--have been out of print for decades.
Completed in 1930 while the author was living in Paris--imbibing and boxing with James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway--this novel has violence at its core. The story opens with the hanging of an ex-World War I soldier for involuntary murder. First and foremost, though, it is a story of love--a love haunted by that hanging.
In 1928, just after he published his first novel, Morley Callaghan asked his editor, "Do you think The New Yorker would be a good magazine for my stories? They have never printed fiction before, but are going to start with that story of mine called 'An Escapade.'" Through these short stories from Callaghan--whom Ernest Hemingway compared to James Joyce--readers will realize just how good a fit is was.
Originally published in New York in 1928, this book announced the coming of the urban novel in Canada through the story of Harry Trotter--a "hero” who cannot escape his tendancy toward brutality. Incapable of reflection, he does not realize that he has become a thug, believing instead that if he feels good, things must be right.
One of the great novels of the 1930s, Such Is My Beloved recounts the tragic story of two down-and-out prostitutes and the young priest who aspires to redeem their lives. The novel is at once a compassionate portrait of innocence and idealism, and an emphatic condemnation of a society where the lines between good and evil are essentially blurred. Such Is My Beloved is widely considered to be Morley Callaghan’s finest novel.
Luke is not yet 12 when his father dies of a heart attack, leaving him an orphan. Small for his age and something of a loner, Luke goes to live with his Uncle Henry and Aunt Helen in Collingwood on Georgian Bay, where Uncle Henry has a saw mill on the edge of town. The practical Uncle Henry sees that the family dog, Dan, is old and lame and no longer useful, and he concludes the dog should be destroyed. Luke, whose sense of dignity and loyalty transcend the practical, fights to save his dog, and in his struggle, he comes to a better understanding not only of Uncle Henry, but of the expedient world of adults.
This audacious and intriguing new version of the story of Christ’s trial, crucifixion, and resurrection is based on the writings of Philo of Crete, a secretary to Pontius Pilate. Throughout his time as Pilate’s scribe, he attended Christ’s trial, mingled with city prostitutes and desert bandits, and became acquainted with Judas Iscariot. It was through Judas that he learned the real story of the betrayal and what actually happened to Christ’s body. His convincing account is a radical and dramatic version of the commonly accepted story.
A new selection of stories by Canada's Hemingway, with an afterword by Pulitzer Prize--winner William Kennedy. Morley Callaghan's literary circle included Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Joyce. In a career spanning more than six decades, he published sixteen novels and more than one hundred works of short fiction. Bringing together more than twenty-five stories from five different collections, Ancient Lineage and Other Stories confirms Callaghan's pre-eminent status.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.