Many superb, unalloyed, slice-of-existentially-depressing-life tales. I particularly like his stories set in Italy, including the Fidelman narratives.

I loved most of these stories. I really felt transported into the time. And like I understood the characters. I like short stories and Malmud's collection is excellent. I have to say in some ways growing up in industrial and (for many months of the year) dreary and cold Cleveland area-in the 70sWith its history of eastern Europeans, many Jewish and Slovakian and Hungarian EtCetera-I felt historically/regionally that I could relate well somehow.. even tho I was an generally affluent suburban resident of Irish/Czech mix. Knowing my grandmother my great uncle who were born in the late 1800s…hearing stories-Life was so very very different. Little nuances and details were luxurious and really appreciated -both in these stories and in people's lives.

For such a massive volume, it is difficult to arrange my thoughts. Malamud achieved a feat I've never seen before: He failed to write a single uninteresting short story in his entire life. Some stood out, but none bored. Each of the Fidleman stories--save the last--is a masterpiece. "Still Life" may be the greatest short story I've ever read, certainly in the top three. "The First Seven Years", too, is extraordinary.

As one who had read several of Malamud's novels, and adored his long-form fiction, I wondered if he could possibly achieve such heights in short-form. The answer is yes, yes, yes. I can confidently say that if anyone does not see the brilliance of Malamud, s/he is not reading attentively enough.

If you want to read THE definitive collection of Short Stories of the 20th century - Malamud is your guy.

You can read pretty much everything he wrote here...

"Life is for the Living"...
"A Pimp's Revenge"...

Will take your breath away...!

I really like this compendium. Filled with subtlety, smooth but properly unsettling (when its called for).

Really enjoyable stories. I feel like I’ve been reading these forever—I can’t believe I finally finished. I’ll miss reading these. I would read a few of these when I was between reading larger books.

Bernard, you will deny your Jewishness three times before the cock crows!

Sorry, just a random reflection on "The Lady in the Lake," which is pretty much bunk--but bunk with a point!

From what I've gathered, Malamud has about an ounce or two of cleverness, but that's pretty much it. Besides that, he's a mainstream hack who writes about ordinary schlubs who fantasize about Italian aristocratic beauties, run delicatessens, or contemplate suicide. Or maybe all three. His intentions are probably good. Basically he's aiming to express something about the ongoing suffering of Jews who have been psychically and culturally damaged by the atrocities of pogrom and Holocaust. But to tell the truth, as a writer, he's kind of clumsy and kind of obvious most of the time.

At least that's how I figure it now. He wrote a lot of stories. I read a few of them. He's been acclaimed (perhaps by a talented PR man) as "modern master" etcetera, etcetera, but for now I'm putting him aside... Or maybe I'll give "The Magic Barrel" a roll sometime soon... maybe...