Grace Paley

Grace Paley (1922 – 2007) was an American short story writer, poet, teacher, and political activist. Educated in the Bronx, New York City, Paley attended the Teacher’s College of Columbia University and the New School of Social Research. She is best known for her short stories, which have been published in four collections. Her material always focuses on the ordinary lives of women and their families, as well as emphasizing themes of community and Jewishness in her work. As a political activist, Paley was heavily involved in the anti-Vietnam war movement, the feminist movement, and the nuclear disarmament movement throughout her lifetime.

Grace Paley’s first collection of short stories, The Little Disturbances of Man (1959), birthed the genre of “shrinkspeak”; a lyrical and conversational language, which allows the reader to feel immersed in the stories by providing depth and realism. The short stories in this collection concern the everyday domestic life of the urban Jew, and are humorous, experimental, and reflective. Paley’s work often focused on the relationships women have with one another and the importance of female friendship and motherhood in urban America.

Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (1974) was Paley’s next collection of short stories. The title was actually taken from a story from her earlier collection and chronicles the lives of characters from an unnamed city presumably in New York. The stories in this collection take a more serious tone than those of the previous collection, focusing on family relations and the radical changes to domestic life caused by war, poverty, and social displacement. Enormous Changes at the Last Minute has been said to situate Paley’s work securely within the trailblazing tradition of Jewish American fiction.

Paley’s last two collections were entitled Later the Same Day (1985) and Just As I Thought (1998). Both of these collections expand on the themes and characters of the previous books. Later the Same Day contains seventeen short stories, once again focusing on the daily life of women in the city of New York. Heavily influenced by her upbringing in the Bronx, Paley incorporates numerous details from her own life and those of her friends, family, and acquaintances throughout her writing.

The last of Grace Paley’s collections, Just As I Thought, is made up of both stories and poems. In her work, Paley repeatedly demonstrates her willingness to question, comment on, and represent the different lives of women, particularly with regards to the political issues of her time. The stories in this collection touch on gender, race, radical changes to family, and interconnectivity between citizens.

Essentially, Paley’s work is composed of an intimate view of urban life, her own reflections, political protest, and joyous humor. Her lyrical writing and natural storytelling ability has provided an honest representation of life and an accurate representation of the world. Paley a crafted works of great beauty that are both vivid and bold, drawing the reader in and engrossing them in the lives of her characters.