The Collected Stories of Diane Williams

Two confessions: I had never heard of Diane Williams before reading about this book AND I've never been a big fan of "experimental" fiction.But this sounded too intriguing to ignore, so I didn't... ignore itAnd I'm glad: Ms Williams is an invigorating writer and her output, stories that may or may not be linked and which, individually, do not take up more than two pages (many, most,1 page... some 1 paragraph) are in the main fascinatingIt's nor as singular an achievement as Lake Effect Days, but there's a LOT more of it

Having never read MS Williams books, they were mentioned in a review of Henry Miller's works. I thought I would give it a try. In retrospect, it was too much to attempt to digest this compendium of Ms Williams's work in a single book. She writes in what must be called a stream of consciousness method and it was difficult to try to decipher all this material in a single volume.

If you don’t know about Diane Williams, then you should get to know her. A master of style, her sentences cut and her stories haunt. I’m so delighted that SOHO published this collection.

Ms. Williams is a mad genius.

The Collected Stories of Diane Williams covers this author's interesting, quirky, shocking, incomprehensible, and remarkable output from 1990 to present. In this nearly 800 page collection, there are 300+ short stories--most 1-2 pages in length--and three novellas, only one of which seems novella, the other two more like longer stories.I thought many of these stories were pure nonsense, but I found quite a few to be remarkable--the author managed to provide a powerful punch, emotion, or jolt with a remarkable dearth of words. I found the longer stories (three or more pages) to be more entertaining than the shorter ones, and generally less bizarre. Many of these stories are in the 5-star range based on quality of the writing and impact. But many are also 1-star due to the lack of what I'd call a story--many read like snippets flung on paper.Overall, it's an interesting, frustrating, and awe inspiring collection. And worth slugging through...over time.

Diane Williams's short -- very, very short -- stories are intriguing, and generally start with a description of something very familiar and mundane and ending with a shocking twist. Like bestiality, incest, murder kind of shocking twist, always thrown in to the narrative as if nothing to be alarmed about. This is not something to be consumed in a single sitting. If you like reading a few pages at a time that will leave you a little disturbed, give this book a try. The stories are a little bit sick and disturbed -- and not always transparent.

Perhaps it is fashionable to assemble words into nonsensical sequences and call them stories, but these are not stories. These are wackdoodle mumblings. I am beyond tired with this "I will disturb you with my bizarre thoughts" crap.

Yes, I longed for this book and here it is! I am so glad of it. All the stories, in one sturdy book. I’ve been reading Williams for many years now and it has always seemed to me that they are best read this way, in order. The early stories give a reader a little more to go on, then more and more one is left stranded in midair. It is a delight one learns, I think. The recent stories seem to circle around a bit, provide a little ground again -- but never much!If you are new to Williams, I suggest you read a half dozen of the tiny stories themselves, rather than rely on anyone’s opinion, including mine. I adore to read these stories, to try to read them and fail, to lose my balance again and again. It’s an entirely different experience of reading than most people are accustomed to and it’s an experience I crave. I like very much to hang out in the strange atmosphere the stories create, to let my sensitivity to language be tuned by them.But I have no idea how this translates, in terms of so-called “normal people”! I am admittedly the sort of person who reads Gertrude Stein for fun. I enjoy difficulty, at least in prose. To me, the tiny size of the stories is so inviting. I love to practice paying attention in this way. Or, as I like to joke, If everything is entirely straightforward, how can I be distracted from the wretched condition of my life? I am, in short, a tortured soul. As such, I adore these stories.(If you are contemplating the splurge of purchasing a hardcover, for me a very rare occurrence, I note happily that this is an exceptionally beautiful book. It is just as it should be. The typeface, cover, the sense of space, endpages. The interior of the book was done by Janine Agro, of Soho Press. I’ve never mentioned a book designer in a review before -- but this is utterly beautiful work, done by someone who totally understood that it was crucial how the stories appeared on the page. Bravo.)

This is such a gem of a collection. Huge, it is and heavy, but it's great for a staple in the living room for a humorous pick-me-up. Love her writing so much.