The Tea Ceremony: The Uncollected Writings of Gina Berriault

(Hardback)

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Description

Gina Berriault had written critically acclaimed stories and novels for decades, but in 1996 she was in the literary spotlight as never before, winning both the PEN/Faulkner Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Women in Their Beds. This new collection, compiled by Berriaults daughter and her longtime companion, Leonard Gardner, opens with five stories, including The Figure Skater, the final story she saw to publication before her death in 1999. Berriaults stories have been praised for their elegance, compassion, and psychological intelligence. We are first drawn in by her deep understanding of human emotions and predicaments, and then astounded by her remarkable eye for detail. Essays on topics as diverse as topless dancers and firing squads are also included, together with three rare self-revelatory pieces on why the world needs writers, comprising a sort of ars poetica for Berriault. As a whole, this collection becomes her credo on American culture, politics, and the written word.

Author Bio

Gina Berriault was the author of four novels, three earlier short story collections, and several screenplays. One of the most celebrated short story writers in her lifetime, she was the recipient of multiple prestigious awards, including the PEN/Faulkner Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Rea Award for the Short Story, and a Commonwealth Gold Medal for Literature. She died in 1999.

Leonard Gardner is a novelist and screenwriter. His novel Fat City was made into a film by John Huston and is recognized as a classic American novel. He lived with Gina Berriault for many years.