McFarland Literary Companions

Author Alice Munro (1931-2024) solved one of the conundrums of science--how to quantify what happens in human interaction. She wrote 14 collections of stories and stand-alone narratives based on matter-of-fact observation and evaluation of unfathomable consequences, relying on simplicity and a lack of affectation. This book explores 188 works of a Canadian prodigy via 100 A-to-Z topics surveying her story collections, book introductions, and essays. Generous commentary by literary critics and journalists offer a range of opinions about Munro's style and subject matter. Entries highlight the intangibles--parenting, achievers, sex, women, feminism, coming of age--alongside historical themes of World War II, health, religion, and Ontario. This unique companion provides the most complete treatment of the Canadian writer to date.