Stegner s method of weaving the stories together works marvelously and so many of his sentences are simply perfect. Angle of repose first edition wallace stegner bauman rare. Set in many parts of the west, angle of repose is a story of discovery personal, historical, and geographical that endures as wallace stegners masterwork. William stegner said of his epic novel, its perfectly clear. Wallace stegner books list of books by author wallace stegner. First edition of stegners acclaimed pulitzer prizewinning novel. Angle of repose is an enthralling book based on the lives of east coast born quaker writer and illustrator, mary hallock foote 18471938, and her pioneer, mining. Read angle of repose by wallace stegner available from rakuten kobo. Dive deep into wallace stegners angle of repose with extended analysis, commentary, and discussion.
Though i have used many details of their lives and characters, i have not hesitated to warp both personalities and events to fictional. Wallace stegner primary author only author division. In 1972, wallace earle stegner won a pulitzer prize for angle of repose 1971, a novel about a wheelchairbound mans recreation of his new england grandmothers experience in a late nineteenthcentury frontier town. The book tells the story of a history teacher who tries to escape the struggles of his personal life by dedicating his. In the late 1960s lyman ward, a crippled history professor abandoned by his wife some years before, researches and recreates the life of his grandparents, particularly his grandmother susan. Stegners method of weaving the stories together works marvelously and so many of his sentences are simply perfect. Angle of repose by wallace stegner penguin random house. This is a blurb from one of the front pages of a penguin books publication of aor. Wallace stegner s most popular book is angle of repose. Stegner was born on february 18, 1909 in lake mills, iowa. How does stegner s novel reflect the issues that were prevalent at the time of his writing. If you are interested in stegner, a biogrpahy is a good place to begin, and jackson j.
Angle of repose is the pulitzerprize winning fictional work by wallace stegner awarded in 1972 that has become a contemporary classic. Confined to a wheelchair, retired historian lyman ward sets out to write. Stegners pulitzer prizewinning novel of personal, historical, and geographic discovery confined to a wheelchair, retir. A fellow writer suggested i read angle of repose by wallace stegner.
Although the term angle of repose refers to a resting point, stegners novel, if nothing else, helps us. Well, you get wallace stegners novel angle of repose, of course. Near fine in light green cloth covered boards with gilt text stamping on the spine and on the front board. Angle of repose by wallace stegner, first edition abebooks. This book is the 729th greatest fiction book of all time as determined by. This in partial contrast to and rebuttal of his son at berkeley interested in change but only as a process. His works cover both nonfiction and fiction ideas upholding. Angle of repose 1971 wallace stegner 19091993 when lyman ward pardons his bitchy wife, his brash son and his gangbanging secretary, not every reader is going to feel that he has risen above his distaste for our times. Long considered by most critics as stegner s fiction masterwork, angle of repose is a book quite as ambitious in its own way as the big rock candy mountain. I nearly included this in the summer reading guide but decided maybe not too many of you would be interested in a 672 page book published in 1971. A late autumn retrospective, accomplished with a long lens, in which lyman ward, retired, ill and wheelchairbound, attempts to affirm the continuity of the past and the doppler effect of time by reconstructing his grandparents lives. Crossing to safety by wallace stegner is my first book club recommendation. In a dust jacket, with agetoning, and four closed tears along the bottom edge, the deepest measuring 1.
He had lived to the respectable age of 85, after all, had lived to see the wideopen american landscape that he celebrated over a long career as a writer carved by bulldozers, devoured by cities, and filled with people. Long considered by most critics as stegners fiction masterwork, angle of repose is a book quite as ambitious in its own way as the big rock candy mountain. Angle of repose book by wallace stegner thriftbooks. One of stegners biggest successes was angle of repose, published in 1971. Crossing to safety is popular with book groups shorter, easier and its another favorite of mine. Lyman, a retired historian, writes a history of his grandparents lives after his wife leaves him for his surgeon. Angle of repose is a 1971 novel by wallace stegner about a wheelchairusing historian, lyman ward, who has lost connection with his son and living family and decides to write about his frontierera grandparents. Angle of repose is a long, intricate, deeply rewarding novel, wrote william abrahams. As one who writes books and monographs about the frontier, ward is well suited to contrast. Angle of repose is an exceptional novel that exposes through a well plotted story the early myth of americas west as a land of opportunity and glamorous cowboys. Angle of repose won the pulitzer prize for fiction in 1972. The novel is directly based on the letters of mary hallock foote, later published as a victorian gentlewoman in the far west.
Lyman is a retired amputee historian with a bone disease who becomes. Susan wards lifeand lymans and shellys is the believable story of a flawed human beingits not picture perfect. One of stegner s biggest successes was angle of repose, published in 1971. Wallace stegner has 101 books on goodreads with 258432 ratings. Angle of repose first edition wallace stegner bauman. Angle of repose, which won, in 1972, the pulitzer prize for wallace stegner, unites past and present in telling two stories. He wrote books of nonfiction as well, books that helped restore a sense of. This worldfamous author received commonwealth club gold medal for all the little live things 1967, pulitzer prize for angle of repose 1972 and the u. In order to do that, he plans on holing up in their old homedubbed the zodiac. Based on the correspondence of the littleknown 19th century writer, mary hallock foote, the novels heroes represent opposing but equally strong strains of the american.
Angle of repose by wallace stegner 19091993 october 28, 2017 olli at nc state university 1 comment fiftyeight year old lyman ward, the narrator of the story, is a retired historian, wheel chair bound with a painful bone disease. Wallace stegner 19091993 was a historian, novelist, short story writer, and environmentalist. What are the parallels, if any, between susan wards story and that of shelly hawkes. This page contains details about the fiction book angle of repose by wallace stegner published in 1971. He wrote novels such as angle of repose and the big rock candy mountain that evoke all that is right and wrong with the west. In his beautiful novel angle of repose, wallace stegner explores the challengeand the artof making changes, through the dual stories of lyman ward and his grandmother susan burling ward.
Angle of repose by wallace stegner the 729th greatest. Wallace stegner was a novelist and shortstory writer whose work celebrated the american west and won him the countrys highest literary awards. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Angle of repose by wallace stegner book club discussion. Lyman wards history of his grandparents and his need to keep his. Wallace earle stegner february 18, 1909 april, 1993 was an american novelist, short story writer, environmentalist, and historian, often called the dean of western writers. It was considered by stegner to be the masterpiece of his literary career and substantial body of work. Angle of repose by wallace stegner is a pulitzer prize winning novel about marriage. If you dont feel like tackling angle check out any of his other books for a rewarding experience. In order to do that, he plans on holing up in their old homedubbed the zodiac cottageand writing all day, every day. Four american photographers in egypt by teeter, emily and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. Angle of repose by wallace stegner and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. What happens when you cross a cowboy movie, a book on american history, and the nastiest episode of the jerry springer show youve ever seen. Angle of repose is a 1971 novel by wallace stegner about a wheelchairusing historian. Mar 01, 1971 angle of repose is the pulitzerprize winning fictional work by wallace stegner awarded in 1972 that has become a contemporary classic. Lyman ward is a wheelchairbound exhistorian whos diving into the most ambitious project of his life. Stegner states in the forward to the book that it was the first of my books to acheieve wide recognition, the big rock candy mountain, was an attempt to capture in the experiences of a single family the social and psychological consequences of the ending of the f. Now, in an equally groundbreaking work, benson takes on the late wallace stegner conservationist, teacher, and author of more than two dozen works of history, biography, essays, and fiction, including the pulitzer prizewinning angle of repose 1971, the national book awardwinning spectator bird 1976, and the bestselling crossing to. Wallace stegner described angle of repose as a novel about time, as much as anythingabout people who live through time, who believe in both a past and a future.
It may deal with geopolitics, romance, horror, murder, or any other topic you can think of. Like the 1943 novel, angle of repose seeks to characterize a major part of the western experience by showing it through the eyes,actions, and feelings of individual human beings. Angle of repose was written in 1971, during a period of great upheaval in americas social and political culture. How does stegners novel reflect the issues that were prevalent at the time of his writing. It is a testament to the power of stegner s prose and vision that angle of repose, winner of the 1972 pulitzer prize for fiction, can be appreciated as americas story as well. Lyman, a retired historian, writes a history of his grandparents lives after his wife leaves him for his surgeon during his struggle. Wallace stegners pultizer prizewinning novel is a story of dis. Wallace stegners death on april, 1993, was not, as the funereal cliche has it, untimely. I read angle of repose shortly after it was published and it remains one of my favorite books of all time. Apr 26, 2019 i would start with crossing to safety.
A sweeping novel, a commentary on marriagewhy it works, why it fails. In his use of literary history in angle of repose, stegner follows lymans borrowed. Wallace stegner dean and mentor of western american writers. This 1972 pulitzer prize winner for fiction is based on historical letters of mary hallock foote, a little known 19th century writer. Pulitzer 1972 explores the marriage relationships of susan and oliver ward and lyman and ellen ward and the freelove relationship of shelly rasmussen and larry. Its a pulitzer winner, but its dream sequence ending feels like a copout. Published in 1971, angle of repose is widely seen as stegners masterpiecethe thing won a goshdarned pulitzer prize, after all. Stegner s son page has edited a posthumous collection of his fathers essays and occasional pieces, marking the sparrows fall. Stegner s pulitzer prizewinning novel of personal, historical, and geographic discovery confined to a wheelchair, retired historian lyman ward sets out to write his grandparents remarkable story, chronicling their days spent carving civilization into the surface of americas western frontier. Well, you get wallace stegners novel angle of repose, of course published in 1971, angle of repose is widely seen as stegners masterpiecethe thing won a goshdarned pulitzer prize, after all. Wallace stegners 19091993 masterpiece angle of repose 1971. The authors characters try valiantly to find their own angle of repose. While i was doing some new yearinspired reorganizing of bookshelves, angle of repose penguin books 1971, a pulitzer prize winning novel by william stegner, rose up from among the stacks. Angle of repose by wallace stegner angle of repose tells the story of lyman ward, a retired professor of history and author of books about the western frontier, who returns to his ancestral home of grass valley, california, in the sierra nevada.
It is told by a former college professor and historian who looks at his grandparents lives in search of a reason for the success or failure of a marriage. Stegners son page has edited a posthumous collection of his fathers essays and occasional pieces, marking the sparrows fall. Angle of repose by wallace stegner modern mrs darcy. Angle of repose by wallace stegner, paperback barnes. Stegners pulitzer prizewinning novel of personal, historical, and geographic discovery. Wallace stegner booklist wallace stegner message board. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Angle of repose summary lyman ward is a wheelchairbound exhistorian whos diving into the most ambitious project of his life. Angle of repose wallace earle stegner, author, mark bramhall, read by, read by mark bramhall. Oct 29, 2012 wallace stegners 19091993 masterpiece angle of repose 1971. At 58 years old, forced to use a wheelchair because of a debilitating bone disease, and dependent on others for his most basic needs, retired historian. Stegners pulitzer prizewinning novel of personal, historical, and geographic discovery confined to. Wallace stegner is currently considered a single author.
A book is generally a fast paced and entertaining story. Angle of repose ebook by wallace stegner rakuten kobo. See all books authored by wallace stegner, including crossing to safety, and angle of repose, and more on. The angle of repose was on most of these lists and in my opinion it should be on all of them. While angle of repose is not a depressing book, it is a sad one the. Its his most accessible book, a warm, charming story that allows the reader to familiarize herself with his signature style of one chapter past tense, one chapter present tense, one chapter past tense, etc. There is a huge difference between a book and a novel.
373 951 1456 129 1182 818 1036 733 249 388 550 515 1606 1160 1054 36 675 937 763 897 669 1415 1102 668 397 385 1061 178 390 222