Book description
James Still remains one of the most beloved and important writers in
Appalachian literature. Best known for his acclaimed novel River of
Earth (1940), the Alabama native and adopted Kentuckian left an
enduring legacy of novels, stories, and poems during his nearly
seventy year career.
The Hills Remember: The Complete Short Stories of James Still honors
the late writer by collecting all of Still's short stories, including
his stories from On Troublesome Creek (1941), Pattern of a Man and
Other Stories (1976), and The Run for the Elbertas (1980), as well as
twelve prose pieces originally published as short stories and later
incorporated into River of Earth. Also included are several
lesser-known stories and ten never-before-published stories.
Recognized as a significant writer of short fiction in his day -- many
of his stories initially appeared in The Atlantic and The Saturday
Evening Post and were included in The O. Henry Memorial Award Stories
and The Best American Short Stories collections -- Still's short
stories, while often overshadowed in recent years by his novels and
poetry, are among his most enduring literary works. Editor Ted Olson
offers a reassessment of Still's short fiction within the contexts of
the author's body of work and within Appalachian and American
literature. Compiling all of James Still's compelling and varied short
stories into one volume, The Hills Remember is a testament to a master writer.
""James Still chopped a path through the literary
landscape that Appalachian writers continue to follow. He gave the
land and culture a vivid life on the page, using language of such
quality that it set a standard for all the writers from the hills. Mr.
Still is more than the master. He is our grandfather, our
great-grandfather, our godfather -- the revered elder of the tribe of
Appalachian writers.
Here is a sentence he wrote: "We went on, not stopping or
speaking until we saw our hill standing apart from all the
others." These words readily describe James Still's work. If each
published book is viewed as a hill in the geography of literature, his
stories will forever stand apart from all the others." --Chris
Offutt, Author of Kentucky Straight" --
James Still (1906--2001) was the author of several works of
fiction and poetry, including River of Earth, From the Mountain, From
the Valley: New and Collected Poems, and Chinaberry.
Ted Olson is professor of Appalachian Studies and English at East
Tennessee State University. He is the editor of From the Mountain,
From the Valley, the editor of two scholarly books exploring James
Still's work, the coeditor of The Bristol Sessions: Writings about the
Big Bang of Country Music, and the author of Blue Ridge Folklife and
Breathing in Darkness: Poems.
