The Secret Goldfish by David Means

The Secret Goldfish by David Means

‘Means evokes a deep, troubling pathos without a speck of sentimentalityThe same could be said of his work in general … Means is a fine writer, superior to many of his more famous contemporaries … His prose is now reliably well-judged, often masterful’ Michel Faber, Guardian

‘Means weaves punchy tales that arrive straight at the violent heart of a relationship. He writes in ‘A Visit From Jesus’: “The World, this world this great country of his, could eat anything, absolutely anything up.” Means shows us, with intense honesty, just how this is done’ Carl Wilkinson, Observer

‘The short story is Mean’s natural medium: in his hands it seems as elemental a form as the landscape from which he patiently carves it – he takes you to places you don’t want to visit, but makes you understand why you have to go there’ Daily Telegraph.

‘Short stories is a form at which he excels. Reading these stories is like being resensitised, woken up to the astonishing possibilities of language’ The Sunday Business Post

David Means was born and raised in Michigan. He now lives in Nyack, New York with his wife and twins.