The Stories of Fannie Hurst

Front Cover
Feminist Press at CUNY, 2004 - Fiction - 349 pages

In her heyday, between 1910 and the mid-1930s, Fannie Hurst was the most popular writer in America. Twenty-nine films were based on her novels and short stories. Her fiction was not only beloved by readers, but also acclaimed by reviewers and regularly included in Best American Short Stories. And yet not one of her books remains in print.

The publication of this selection of Fannie Hurst's best short stories is sure to propel a long-overdue revival and reassessment of Hurst's work. No reader of these thirty stories, spanning the years 1912 to 1935, can fail to recognize Hurst's depth, intelligence, and artistry as a writer. Hurst was the one of the premier literary chroniclers of poor and working-class urban life in early 20th-century America, especially the vibrant life of Jewish immigrant communities. She was also a pioneer in writing about the lives of working women, from maids to secretaries to garment workers, from prostitutes to artists. And she wove these threads into captivating, deeply human stories that capture her characters' struggles, triumphs, conflicts, and loves.

 

Selected pages

Contents

The Joy of Living
1
Summer Resources
3
The Other Cheek
21
T B
43
White Goods
67
Sob Sister
92
A Boob Spelled Backward
113
She Also Serves
137
FortyFive
200
The Brinkerhoff Brothers
228
The Spangle That Could Be a Tear
249
The Gold in Fish
254
Song of Life
282
The HossieFrossie
300
Funny Face
324
Home James
341

Humoresque
144
She Walks in Beauty
169

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