The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever

John Cheever's work is both timeless and valuable, and his stories are celebrated around the world. Representing both the old and the new, John Cheever’s stories of family and collective history, love and death, hope and despair speak deeply to readers of any generation. Cheever’s stories, full of surprising pathos and humor, are among the most beloved of the twentieth century.

John Cheever was born in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1912. He attended Thayer Academy and Harvard College before moving to New York, an autobiographical narrative that is strongly represented in his writing. It was in New York that Cheever stumbled upon his passion for writing and the art of story-telling. His stories meander from the everyday to the remarkable, from the profoundly sad to the inexplicably funny.

Cheever wrote extensively in the field of “short story” for many years, during which time he published several collections of his stories. His first collection, The Way Some People Live, was published in 1943, and a second collection, The Enormous Radio, in 1953. His most famous collections, The Stories of John Cheever, was published in 1978, and included stories from his first two collections, as well as eight previously unpublished stories.

The stories in The Stories of John Cheever are some of the best examples of his writing style. They range from humorous insights into the lives of New Yorkers to stories of tragedy and heartache. Cheever wrote these stories with an unmistakable voice, brimming with insight, wit, and charm.

“The Swimmer” is one of the most popular stories in The Stories of John Cheever. In it, Cheever tells the story of Neddy Merrill, a man overcome by a strange urge to swim home from a cocktail party. Neddy swims across various pools, and hallucinates encounters along the way. The story’s slow-building intensity allows for an exploration of the fragilityof life and its constant movement, emphasizing Cheever’s mastery of the craft of fiction.

“The Country Husband” is another much-acclaimed story from The Stories of John Cheever. It follows Francis Weed, a man who has been moved out of the city and into the suburbs by his wife. Francis’ transition from the city to the quiet suburbs is gradual, as he discovers new ways of living and encounters a diverse cast of characters as he strives for happiness, safety, and security in his new home.

Apart from these two stories, “The Five Forty-Eight”, “The Joneses”, “The Sorrows of Gin”, and “Goodbye, My Brother” are also essential stories to read in The Stories of John Cheever. Through these stories, readers explore Cheever’s consistent themes of family, love, and uncertainty, gaining insight towards the struggles of humanity in the twentieth century.

The Stories of John Cheever, a landmark among twentieth-century literature, deserves to be read and studied, for it exemplifies Cheever’s genius and captures the spirit of man grappling with human emotion and experience. This collection, with its universal themes and skillful writing, makes for a valuable, timeless addition to any library.