First Things First

Description

A reSet original,First Things Firstgathers 18 of the best of Diane Schoemperlens earliest and uncollected stories, with several being published in book form for the first time. Playfully inventive, comic, moving and profound, this collection will reinforce Schoemperlens importance as one of the leading short story writers of her generation.Praise for First Things FirstThe pleasures of such a collection spanning three decades are that it provides a bounty of good reading while charting the growth of one of our most interesting and iconoclastic writers.Toronto Stara generous selection of early and uncollected stories to provide a cross-section of Schoemperlens output in the genre. This single-volume collection showcases the authors skill and versatility.Quill & QuireSince 1974, Diane Schoemperlen has been producing fine, often-quirky and sardonic short stories about young Canadian women grappling with self-identity and elusive love The stories are presented in the order in which Schoemperlen wrote them. The stories get better, more assured and more insightful, over the years. The final four are exceptional, highlighting the authors strengths and giving three-dimensional pictures of authentic characters and their worlds.Dave Williamson,Winnipeg ReviewPraise for Diane SchoemperlenThere is no mistaking a Schoemperlen storydevoted to form, faithful to the mysteries of the everyday.The Globe & MailSchoemperlen takes off from the modest launchpad of these seemingly simple concepts, soaring away in wholly unexpected directions. And we follow, thrilled by her quicksilver prose, warm humor, sexiness, precision, and tenderness.BooklistSchoemperlens inventive language and narrative structures encourage readers to be free from the prison of everyday thinking.The New York Times Book ReviewLovely, clever [and] imaginative.The Wall Street Journal