"One of the most brilliant story writers in the language."
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The New Yorker "A terrifyingly good writer."
–Margaret Atwood
"Gallant's talent is as versatile and witty as it is somber and empathetic."
–John Updike
"Funny, exacting, and stern . . . Gallant's chronicles of internal and external exile are a fitting tribute to a diasporic century."
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The Guardian (London)
"Mavis Gallant has a technical daring and an innovative freedom that, as in a painting by Velásquez, remain hidden unless you look closely, pay attention, and at the same time manage to surrender to the mystery of art . . . She places a huge amount of faith in her reader's intelligence, a faith which demands and rewards careful reading. But she's also very funny, and a great deal of fun. Her stories are full of satisfying reverses and breathtaking passages of dazzlingly precise, virtuosic writing."
–from the new Introduction by Francine Prose