The practical heart : four novellas / Allan Gurganus.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gurganus, Allan, 1947- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--Social life and customs--20th century--Fiction.

United States.

Manners and customs.

Genre:

Fiction.

Novellas.

Gay fiction.

Short stories.

Physical Description:

322 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2001.

Summary:

The title novella, an ode to a great aunt who takes an artistically inclined young boy under her wing and shows him through kindness the meaning of love, won the National Magazine Prize. Each of the tales explores the impact that one individual can have on another and how courage and beauty can arise from the most unexpected sources. There is the young preservationist dying of AIDS whose joy in saving old homes never falters and whose smile in the face of death continues to bring happiness to his survivors. There is the pillar of the community whose sudden disgrace confirms a young boy's determination to tell the truth, to be out in the world. Lastly, there is "Saint Monster" the amazingly "ugly" man whose love and devotion to his son transcends race, public humiliation, and even death. These stories may all arise from Gurganus's Carolina home soil, but their messages are universal in scope.--Publisher.

Contents:

The practical heart

Preservation news

He's one, too

Saint Monster.

Notes:

Lambda Literary Awards - Gay Fiction, Winner, 2002

Other Format:

Online version: Gurganus, Allan, 1947- Practical heart.

ISBN:

0679437630

9780679437635

OCLC:

46918445

Online:

Contributor biographical information

Publisher description