“Earthy, thoughtful, funny” stories of love and despair, destiny and dumb luck, by the author of Last Exit to Brooklyn and Requiem for a Dream (Library Journal).
Hubert Selby Jr. made an indelible mark on contemporary American literature with Last Exit to Brooklyn, a controversial novel that explored life at the lowest strata of urban society. But even before that novel altered the landscape of American fiction, Selby was honing his literary craft with short fiction that cast the human condition in a stark light, stories “known for their harrowing portrayal of mere mortals chasing their delusions down the drain” (Salon.com).
The stories here represent Selby at his best, whether he’s exploring a married commuter’s fantasy about a stranger he sees every morning on the subway or wryly spinning the tale of a salesman whose life is dictated by Chinese fortune cookies. In these pages, a homeless man clings to his old army coat during a bitter lost weekend; and a young man’s successful attempt to impress a girl on their first date comes back to haunt him. In the intimate, sometimes shocking portraits collected in Song of the Silent Snow, Selby finds the delicate balance between joy and despair, revealing humanity in the darkest corners of existence.
“Selby’s writing never diminished; it always increased. His body of work is among the very highest of contemporary writers. He did not get the acknowledgment that he deserved, but he will.” —John Rechy, author of City of Night
“Selby’s place is in the front rank of American novelists. . . . To understand his work is to understand the anguish of America.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Selby brings a scorching light to a limited area of human existence, which most people know of but do not know.” —Newsweek
“We believe Selby’s characters and will never forget them. Selby has written from the gut with great compassion.” —The Nation
