Many Seconds Into the Future - (Modern Jewish Literature and Culture) by John J Clayton (Paperback)

About the Book

"Moving stories of Jewish sensibility The stories in John J. Clayton's newest collection are luminous, expressing a struggle to see growth and meaning in life as much as possible. Nearly all focus on family, and the characters, most of them Jewish, grapple with questions of living, dying, loving, and worshipping. Clayton has published several novels, including Mitzvah Man (TTUP, 2011), but he is best known for his critically-acclaimed short fiction, which have been included in O. Henry Prize Stories, Best American Short Stories, and Pushcart Prize anthologies. His collection Radiance was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. The ten stories in Many Seconds into the Future were written after Clayton's collected stories were published in Wrestling with Angels in 2007. Many of these new stories originally were published in Commentary and some in literary magazines. Some are appearing for the first time. They are masterful stories of spiritual questing, emotional depth, and often great humor"--

Book Synopsis

The stories in John J. Clayton's newest collection are luminous, expressing a struggle to see growth and meaning in life as much as possible. Nearly all focus on family, and the characters, most of them Jewish, grapple with questions of living, dying, loving, and worshipping. Clayton has published several novels, including Mitzvah Man (TTUP, 2011), but he is best known for his critically-acclaimed short fiction, which has been included in O. Henry Prize Stories, Best American Short Stories, and Pushcart Prize anthologies. His collection Radiance was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. Written after his collection Wrestling with Angels (2007), the ten stories in Many Seconds into the Future first appeared in Commentary and various other literary magazines, while some are appearing here for the first time. Often humorous, they are masterful stories of spiritual questing and emotional complexity.

Review Quotes

John Clayton has proven once again that he is not just a master writer, but a master of breaking and mending the reader's heart. I read these stories in one great and terrible rush. They have such powerful momentum, such essential and true gravitas that there was no stopping. The world here, dark as it can be, glitters. There is a lifetime of knowing in this book. --Victoria Redel, author of The Border of Truth: A Novel

John Clayton is a mystic, a seer, a magi, and yet he doesn't know all, or care to. Within the mysteries lie the hearts of these great stories. His people are as real as ours, and we worry over them, listen to them, laugh with them, most of all feel with them. No writer evokes emotion like John Clayton, from tears to joy, from shock to acceptance, and Many Seconds into the Future is a testament to faith, compassion, and the power of love. --Bill Roorbach, author of Life Among Giants and The Remedy for Love

About the Author

John J. Clayton has taught modern literature and fiction writing at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has been a visiting professor at Mt. Holyoke College and Hampshire College. He lives in western Massachusetts and Cape Cod.