Jay Parini

An intimate, authorized, yet frank biography of Gore Vidal (1925–2012), one of the most accomplished, visible, and controversial American novelists and cultural figures of the past century.

The product of thirty years of friendship and conversation, Jay Parini's Empire of Self probes behind the glittering surface of Gore Vidal's colorful life to reveal the complex emotional and sexual truth underlying his celebrity-strewn life.

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In his fourth collection of poems, critically acclaimed Jay Parini transcends his earlier work to address the environmental and spiritual crises that afflict us in the late 20th century. The book moves from elegiac poems about the ontological status of nature itself to final meditations on many of the great themes of 19th-century visionary Ralph Waldo Emerson, even incorporating Emerson quotes within Parini's own verse.

"An apprentice writer has an entirely unexpected encounter with literary genius Jorge Luis Borges that will profoundly alter his life and work"--

Writer and critic Parini looks back over his own decades of trials, errors, and triumphs, in a memoir replete with hard-won wisdom about the teacher's craft for instructors of all levels. He offers valuable insight into the many challenges that educators face, from establishing a persona in the classroom, to fostering relationships with students, to balancing a teaching load with academic writing and research.

poems on coal mining and the hard coal region of Pennsylvania

An acclaimed American poet, Jay Parini is widely recognized for his ability to confront modern issues in a variety of forms, while adding a highly musical sense of phrasing and a relentless sense of humor. Parini, as seen in his previous works of poetry-Anthracite Country (1982), Town Life (1988), andHouse of Days (1998)-has created a remarkable voice of his own. The Art of Subtraction: New and Selected Poems is a testament to Parini's unique poetic...

Jesus comes to me and you through thousands of years of imagery and writing-a vast web of material that often does more to obscure than reveal. Now, one of America's greatest living storytellers retells the greatest story ever told with unprecedented clarity and insight. An accomplished poet and author, Jay Parini has earned widespread recognition as an innovator in the genre of biographical fiction. Among his books on towering literary figures like...

In 1910, Count Leo Tolstoy, the most famous writer in the world, is caught in the struggle between his devoted wife and an equally devoted acolyte over the master's legacy. Sofya Andreyevna fears that she and the children she has borne Tolstoy will lose all to Vladimir Chertkov and the Tolstoyan movement, which preaches the ideals of poverty, chastity, and pacifism. As Tolstoy seeks peace in his final days, Valentin Bulgakov is hired to be his secretary...

Thirty-five years ago, when "searching for America" was not yet the cliche it has since become, Steinbeck hit the highways with his French poodle, Charley. In a custom-built camper he named Rosinante after Don Quixote's steed, the two traveled the country--10,000 miles and 34 states. Their varied experiences comprise several slices of small-town back-roads Americana. Steinbeck laments the rise of plastic-covered everything, the vacuousness of "sad...