The Norton Book of American Autobiography

Marc Notes: Classics in tradition of American memoir: Founding Fathers, former slaves & contemporaries. Publisher Marketing: In this diverse and abundant selection, Parini brings together the classics in the tradition of American memoir with an astonishing variety of modern and contemporary writings. Here are the voices of the Founding Fathers and of African American slaves; of transcendentalists and suffragists; of ancestors such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, Mark Twain, Henry James, Helen Keller, Zora Neale Hurston, Gertrude Stein, James Baldwin, and many others; and of contemporaries including Maxine Hong Kingston, James Alan McPherson, Annie Dillard, Richard Rodriguez, and Kathleen Norris. From Mary Rowlandson's story of her capture by Indians in the mid-seventeenth century to Sherman Alexie's unvarnished portrait of Native American experience in the mid-twentieth century, the autobiographical form has provided our literature's most vivid, intimate glimpses of daily American life and self-understanding. This is a necessary book for writers and would-be writers in all genres considering their own autobiographies, and for readers of all kinds interested in how Americans have recorded their inner and outer landscapes. Publisher Marketing: From Mary Rowlandson's story of her capture by Indians in the mid-seventeenth century to Mary Paik Lee's story of being a pioneer Korean woman in America at the beginning of the twentieth century, the autobiographical form has provided our most vivid, intimate glimpses of daily American life and self-understanding. In this groundbreaking anthology, respected writer and critic Jay Parini brings together an abundant selection from over three centuries of "the democratic voice . . . discovering itself." Here are the voices of the Founding Fathers and African American slaves; of transcendentalists and suffragists; of ancestors such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, Mark Twain, Henry James, Helen Keller, Zora Neale Hurston, Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, James Baldwin, and many others; and of a wide range of contemporaries, including Maxine Hong Kingston, Gore Vidal, Julia Alvarez, and Mark Doty. The rich, continuous influence of autobiographical writing in our culture is clear, and as memoirs continue to fascinate readers, this invaluable anthology provides an essential guide to our foremost American literary tradition. Review Citations:

Booklist 03/01/1999 pg. 1149 (EAN 9780393046779, Hardcover)

Library Journal 04/01/1999 pg. 108 (EAN 9780393046779, Hardcover)

Library Journal Prepub Alert 10/15/1998 pg. 56 (EAN 9780393046779, Hardcover)

Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/1999 pg. 132 (EAN 9780393046779, Hardcover)

Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/2004 pg. 722 (EAN 9780393046779, Hardcover)

Wilson Public Library Catalog 12/31/2008 pg. 913 (EAN 9780393046779, Hardcover)

Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/2013 pg. 1102 (EAN 9780393046779, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Parini, Jay Michael Hoffman is a filmmaker known for creating complex and layered stories with great attention to detail and character. A skilled writer and director, he has worked on both feature films and documentaries, including A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Emperor's Club, Game of Six, and the ESPN documentary Out of the Blue. The Last Station is his most recent film. Jay Parini is a professor of English & Creative Writing at Middlebury College in Vermont. A writer and academic, he is best known for his novels and poetry. He is the author of the novel The Last Station, which is now a major motion picture from Sony Classics. Contributor Bio:  Vidal, Gore Gore Vidal is the author of many bestselling novels including Julian, Burr, Myra Breckinridge, and Lincoln. He lives in Italy.