Overview

"Darkly comedic, lyrically mighty, and unabashedly vulnerable, There Is Happiness brings together Brad Watson's most celebrated pieces alongside new, unpublished works. Watson's characters-often boys and brothers, fathers and sons-are shaped by oddities of nature, while nature itself communicates loudly. In these pages, dogs most certainly have their day, a one-eyed woman swims the breaststroke, and Dolly Parton holds the key to a convict's salvation. Spouses grow apart while bitter landlords bang on the ceiling to quiet the creaking bedframe upstairs. Grotesque twins exercise in tandem, and two men drink to forget their dead wives (though ""dead"" is a relative term). Roller-coastering from the mournful to the hilarious (sometimes in the same paragraph) and steeped in both the Southern gothic tradition and a universal literature of the tragic, the beautiful, and the absurd, Watson's stories waltz masterfully with surprising, lovely, and strange melancholy, infused with wit and bound by authenticity."

Full Product Details

9781324076421

Table of Contents

Reviews

"""Brad Watson’s stories have the attentiveness to language and a narrative energy we expect of our best fiction writers, but what sets Watson’s work apart from his contemporaries is a singular strangeness. The world we know is always present, yet it is widened into something more wonderous, more heartfelt, and we find ourselves elevated into the sublime. There Is Happiness allows the reader to encounter the same generosity of spirit Brad Watson showed to those of us fortunate enough to know him in his all-too-brief life."" -- Ron Rash, author of The Caretaker ""Brad Watson is best known for his novels, but his remarkable talent truly shines in short fiction. It’s hard to know which element is strongest—his bold inventiveness for story or the deep compassion he brings to his characters. As I read these wonderful stories, I often stopped to reread sentences, stricken by awe at his glittering prose. Always unpredictable and moving, this book is truly great. For those people already familiar with Brad’s work, you are in for a wonderful treat. If you’re new to his work, I envy you for the many books ahead of you to revel in."" -- Chris Offutt, author of Code of the Hills"

Author Information

Brad Watson (1955–2020) was the National Book Award–shortlisted author of Last Days of the Dog Men, The Heaven of Mercury, Aliens in the Prime of Their Lives, and Miss Jane. Originally from Mississippi, at the time of his death he was a professor of literature and creative writing at the University of Wyoming.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available