In Rough Country: Essays and Reviews

“A poignant, nostalgic collection of literary criticism by one of America’s premier authors.”

In Rough Country is a sterling collection of essays, reviews, and criticism from Joyce Carol Oates that focuses on a wide array of books and writers—from Poe to Nabokov, from Flannery O’Connor to Phillip Roth. One of our foremost novelists, National Book Award and PEN/Malamud Award winner Oates demonstrates an unparalleled understanding and appreciation of great works of literature with In Rough Country, and offers unique and breathtaking insights into the writer’s art.

But In Rough Country is also a startlingly personal work, born from a time of grief, where reading and writing became a lifeline.

• Classic American Authors: Explore the "treacherous terrains" of Edgar Allan Poe, the witchcraft of Shirley Jackson, and the startling figures of Flannery O’Connor.
• Contemporary Masters: Delve into the rough country of Cormac McCarthy and Annie Proulx, Philip Roth’s tragic jokes, and the tales of Margaret Atwood.
• A Memoir of Reading and Grief: In a deeply moving preface, Oates reveals how literature became a "traditional solace to the bereft" after the death of her husband, Raymond Smith.
• On the Writer’s Craft: A master novelist offers an unparalleled look into writerly influences, the structure of a literary essay, and the "lifeline" of the written word.