Love and Will by Stephen Dixon (1989 Paris Review Ed.)

Description

In the 1980s, American short fiction thrived in the hands of writers who pushed formal and emotional boundaries—Raymond Carver, Ann Beattie, Bobbie Ann Mason, and Barry Hannah among them. But perhaps no one was more relentless in exploring discomfort, ambiguity, and awkward human moments than Stephen Dixon, whose relentless output and distinctive voice stood apart. His stories often felt like confessions without catharsis—raw, funny, anxious, and unmistakably his.

Stephen Dixon (1936–2019) published more than 35 books, was twice nominated for the National Book Award, and taught for decades at Johns Hopkins. A longtime champion of small presses and literary risk, he built a reputation as a writer’s writer—someone unconcerned with mainstream success, yet whose work earned quiet reverence from fans of unflinching, structurally inventive fiction. Love and Will (1989) is a prime example of Dixon’s style: stories that fold in on themselves, start mid-thought, and leave readers slightly breathless by the end.

A high point of literary experimentation in the 1980s—perfect for readers who collect bold, uncompromising — and unheralded — voices in American fiction.