Killings
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Killings by Calvin Trillin
True stories of sudden death in the classic collection by a master of American journalism Reporters love murders, Calvin Trillin writes in the introduction to Killings. In a pinch, what the lawyers call 'wrongful death' will do, particularly if it's sudden. Killings, first published in 1984 and expanded for this edition, shows Trillin to be such a reporter, drawn time after time to tales of sudden death. But Trillin is attracted less by violence or police procedure than by the way the fabric of people's lives is suddenly exposed when someone comes to an untimely end. As Trillin says, Killings is more about how Americans live than about how some of them die. These stories, which originally appeared in The New Yorker between 1969 and 2010, are vivid portraits of lives cut short. An upstanding farmer in Iowa finds himself drastically changed by a woman he meets in a cocktail lounge. An eccentric old man in Eastern Kentucky is enraged by the presence of a documentary filmmaker. Two women move to a bucolic Virginia county to find peace, only to end up at war over a shared road. Mexican American families in California hand down a feud from generation to generation. A high-living criminal-defense lawyer in Miami acquires any number of enemies capable of killing him. Stark and compassionate, deeply observed and beautifully written, Killings is that rarity, reportage as art (William Geist, The New York Times Book Review). Praise for Killings Riveting tales of murder and mayhem. . . . Calvin] Trillin is a superb writer, with a magical ability to turn even the most mundane detail into spellbinding wonder. Armed with this wealth of material, he utterly shines. Every piece here is a gem.--The Seattle Times What Mr. Trillin does so well, what makes Killings literature, is the way he pictures the lives that were interrupted by the murders. Even the most ordinary life makes a terrible noise . . . when it's broken off.--Anatole Broyard, The New York Times Fascinating, troubling . . . In each of these stories is the basis of a Dostoevskian novel.--Edward Abbey, Chicago Sun-Times The stories . . . are unforgettable. They leave us, finally, with the awareness of the unknowable opacity of the human heart.--Bruce Colman, San Francisco Chronicle Trillin] writes brilliantly. . . . These stories still hold up, as classics.--The Buffalo News In his artful ability to conjure up a whole life and a whole world, Trillin comes as close to achieving the power of a Chekhov short story as can anyone whose material is so implacably tied to fact.--Frederick Iseman, Harper's Bazaar I have a book for you true-crime addicts if you're caught up on the podcast Serial, the cascade on TV of 48 Hours and Dateline NBC episodes. . . . It's time to pick up Calvin Trillin's Killings.--The New York Times Book ReviewWell-crafted and thoughtfully composed, lacking judgment and admonishment, these are a true piece of quality journalism, which clearly continues to captivate audiences.--Library Journal
With telling detail and shrewd insights, Calvin Trillin] masterfully evokes the places and personalities that hatched these grim episodes.--Publishers Weekly
CALVIN TRILLIN
Calvin Trillin has been acclaimed in fields of writing that are remarkably diverse. A staff writer for The New Yorker for forty years, Trillin has been called perhaps the finest reporter in America. His antic commentary on the American scene and his books chronicling his adventures as a happy eater have earned him renown as a classic American humorist. Trillin was born and raised in Kansas City, MO. He graduated from Yale in 1957, served in the army and then joined Time magazine. After a year covering the South from the Atlanta bureau, he became a writer for Time in New York. In 1963, he became a staff writer for The New Yorker. From 1978 to 1985, Trillin was a columnist for The Nation, writing what USA Today called simply the funniest regular column in journalism. From 1986 through 1995, the column was syndicated to newspapers. His columns have been collected in five books: Uncivil Liberties; With All Disrespect, If You Can't Say Something Nice (1987), Enough's Enough, and Too Soon to Tell. From 1996 to 2001, Trillin did a column for Time. Since 1990, Trillin has written a piece of comic verse weekly for The Nation. In 1994, he published Deadline Poet, his account of being a commentator-in-rhyme on the news of the day. Trillin's books have included three comic novels, a collection of short stories, a travel book and an account of the desegregation of the University of Georgia. His three antic books on eating -- American Fried, Alice Let's Eat and Third Helpings -- were compiled in 1994 into a single volume called The Tummy Trilogy. His memoirs include Remembering Denny and Messages from My Father, both New York Times bestsellers. Trillin lives in New York City.
Calvin Trillin has been acclaimed in fields of writing that are remarkably diverse. A staff writer for The New Yorker for forty years, Trillin has been called perhaps the finest reporter in America. His antic commentary on the American scene and his books chronicling his adventures as a happy eater have earned him renown as a classic American humorist. Trillin was born and raised in Kansas City, MO. He graduated from Yale in 1957, served in the army and then joined Time magazine. After a year covering the South from the Atlanta bureau, he became a writer for Time in New York. In 1963, he became a staff writer for The New Yorker. From 1978 to 1985, Trillin was a columnist for The Nation, writing what USA Today called simply the funniest regular column in journalism. From 1986 through 1995, the column was syndicated to newspapers. His columns have been collected in five books: Uncivil Liberties; With All Disrespect, If You Can't Say Something Nice (1987), Enough's Enough, and Too Soon to Tell. From 1996 to 2001, Trillin did a column for Time. Since 1990, Trillin has written a piece of comic verse weekly for The Nation. In 1994, he published Deadline Poet, his account of being a commentator-in-rhyme on the news of the day. Trillin's books have included three comic novels, a collection of short stories, a travel book and an account of the desegregation of the University of Georgia. His three antic books on eating -- American Fried, Alice Let's Eat and Third Helpings -- were compiled in 1994 into a single volume called The Tummy Trilogy. His memoirs include Remembering Denny and Messages from My Father, both New York Times bestsellers. Trillin lives in New York City.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780399591402 |
| ISBN 10 | 0399591400 |
| Title | Killings |
| Author | Calvin Trillin |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year published | 2017-04-04 |
| Number of pages | 320 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |