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list price: $19.95
edition:Paperback
category: Fiction
published: Oct 2018
ISBN:9780889713390
publisher: Nightwood Editions

Difficult People

by Catriona Wright

tagged: short stories (single author), literary, humorous
Description

Manipulators, liars, egomaniacs, bullies, interrupters, condescenders, ice queens, backstabbers, hypocrites, withholders, belligerents, self-deceivers, whiners, know-it-alls, nitpickers: these are some of the characters you’ll encounter in the collection of stories, Difficult People.
As these characters fumble through their quests for freediving fame, stand-up glory, romantic love, stable employment or anyone who can tolerate them, they reveal that we are all, in our own ways, difficult people.

Praise for Catriona Wright’s recent book of poetry, Table Manners:

“... a baroque feast of juicy diction and inventive wordplay that explores food as social ritual and slippery signifier of desire.”

—Barb Carey, The Toronto Star

“Deft, dark, and unflinching, Catriona Wright’s work is stand-up comedy for the mind.”

—Emily Schultz, author of The Blondes

“If you've ever Instagrammed your lunch, or directed distain toward somebody who has, this is the book for you. The poems are vivid, surprising, and pretty much devourable.”

—Kerry Clare, 49th Shelf

“Tightly woven and elaborate in their conceit, the poems in Table Manners linger both on the mind and palate.”

—Gillian Sze, Montreal Review of Books

About the Author

Catriona Wright is a writer, editor and teacher. Her work has appeared in PRISM international, Prairie Fire, The Rusty Toque, Lemon Hound, The Best Canadian Poetry in English 2015 (Tightrope Books) and elsewhere. She’s been a finalist for The Walrus’ Poetry Prize, Arc’s Poem of the Year Contest, a National Magazine Award and is the author of the poetry collection, Table Manners (Véhicule Press, 2017). Wright currently lives in Toronto where she is poetry editor of The Puritan and co-founder of Desert Pets Press.

Awards
  • Short-listed, ReLit Award for Short Fiction
Editorial Reviews

Difficult People is Toronto writer Catriona Wright’s bombastic fictional debut.… Each story in this brilliant collection reverberates with raw disappointment and longing as the broken characters angrily confront, or slickly deny, their thwarted ambitions and obvious personal limitations.… Difficult People is a tour de force—there isn’t a single flaw in this airtight collection populated by a modern cast of misfit characters.… While these characters are certainly Difficult People, in Wright’s capable hands they shift imperceptibly from snarky underachievers to unsung heroes. This ambitious collection reinforces the dynamic state of the short story. Well done, Catriona Wright—you have won this difficult reader’s admiration.”

— Patricia Dawn Robertson, <i>Winnipeg Free Press</i>

“Potent, unforgettable tales and razor-sharp writing.”

— <i>Kirkus Reviews</i>

“A remarkably brave, sexy, sophisticated collection fuelled by brilliant language and wicked humor.”

— Barbara Gowdy

“Deft, dark and unflinching, Catriona Wright’s work is stand-up comedy for the mind.”

— Emily Schultz

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