The Knife Thrower
Book description
Included in this short story collection is "The Sisterhood of the Night", now a major motion picture. From the bestselling author of Martin Dressler, this volume explores the magnificent obsessions of the unfettered imagination, as well as the darker, subterranean currents that fuel them.
With the panache of an old-fashioned…
Why read it?
2 authors picked The Knife Thrower as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Millhauser’s stories are miracles. He combines the wonderstruck imagination of the fairy tale lover with surpassing technical expertise, and the result is beautiful art. This collection’s title story, for instance, is simultaneously a fairy tale, an exploration of group morality, a rigorous demonstration of the Freytagian dramatic structure, and a gripping story from start to finish.
From Hugh's list on the world as a dream.
Stephen Millhauser writes so elegantly. He’s also one of the smartest writers on the miniature that I’ve come across. He doesn’t just use tiny things to delight and enthrall us but interrogates why we find the miniature so compelling. It’s fitting that his best work is to be found in short story form, where he crafts fiendishly complex tales of obsessed miniature makers, like in “The New Automaton Theatre.” This intriguing example, told in (I think) first-person plural perspective, is a fictional history of ‘automaton theatre’ that speculates not just on our fascination with the miniature, but with imitative art…
From Sam's list on miniature stories about the miniature.
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