Almost Meeting (The): and other stories

ISBN 13: 978-1-896300-90-0
160 pages, paperback
Fall 2004

Fiction

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about this book

This finely crafted collection of Henry Kreisel’s short fiction, written between 1954 and 1980, explores  cultural identity and relationships between people of a different age, gender, and nationality. Kreisel was a master at creating suspenseful stories that are intelligent, literary reflections on what it is to be a citizen of Canada and of the world.

With an afterword by Ted Blodgett, The Almost Meeting and other stories is the newest title in NeWest Press’ Landmark Editions Series, featuring early and previously-published works by established and recognized western Canadian authors. Playing Dead by Rudy Wiebe was the first book in the Landmark Editions. NeWest is proud to offer this series as a strong addition to the heritage of western Canadian literature.

reviews

“ These stories attest to Kreisel’s belief in the basic goodness of humankind. The characters in his stories are people for whom life has meaning, even though it is enigmatic and often beyond their control. . . . Henry Kreisel’s The Almost Meeting is a superb achievement of story writing. He is a Canadian Anton Chekhov.”
—Vancouver Sun

“Kreisel’s stories . . . are likely to impress immediately, but they go on to expand and develop within the mind. We realize that they contain depths and resonances that do not reveal themselves at once. . . . There is no one quite like Kreisel in Canadian fiction.”
—Dalhousie Review

“The swiftness and sureness with which Kreisel’s stories engage us mark him as a storyteller of considerable power.”
—Quill & Quire