The Woman Who Wrote 'King Lear' and Other Stories

In his 3rd collection of short fiction Louis Phillips a widely read author of fiction poetry drama and children's stories takes his readers into numerous strange worlds. From the opening story Errata which lists dozens of strange mistakes with a previously published story to the final piece Lee Harvey Oswald's Can Opener a reader soon discovers oneself visiting an unpredictable consciousness. Phillips who teaches Introduction to Poetry and The History of Hell at the School of Visual Arts creates stories which lead the reader to scratch ask what in the world is going on? These are the kinds of questions asked of Kafka Borges Barthelme and Barth as well as so many other authors of poetic realism the unusual and yes the absurd. As for humor well there is plenty of that too. What is the theme connecting these stories? Madness perhaps but not only the madness of single characters. Madness as well of entire communities the madness of crowds. Read these stories and be prepared to confront new realities some of which you may never entirely escape.