Best Selling Books by Michael Bishop

"Perhaps the most difficult task in undertaking a study of nineteenth-century French poetry would be the selection of poets to study: who among us would care to choose only one from among Mallarme, Vigny, Hugo - and literally dozens of others - who so thoroughly and powerfully interpreted, shaped, and challenged the art forever more? Author Michael Bishop, charged with that forbidding duty, has concentrated his study on ten central figures of that century: Desbordes-Valmore, Lamartine, Vigny, Baudelaire, Hugo, Mallarme, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Laforgue, and Lautreamont. And while the list of subjects is compact, Bishop''s intense critical and personal analysis of th ese extraordinary giants is astounding. Not only has he delved deeply into the complex structure of each of these ten poetic oeuvres, but in so doing has introduced to the discussion a number of those poets seemingly excluded from the book. Indeed, his thoughts on Nerval, Gautier, and others are frequently as perspicacious and comprehensive as those put forth in works devoted solely to those poets." "In examining the clearest and most distinct voices of nineteenth-century French poetry, Bishop has shrewdly probed a tradition, come to terms with modern criticisms, imparted truly fresh details of coherence resulting from intimate and informed readings, and joined hands across the ages - all the while preserving (and occasionally solidifying) the exquisite, individual integrity of particular oeuvres. As he canvasses the charm and strength of Desbordes-Valmore''s unaltered passion, Baudelaire''s unsurpassed powers of versification, the stunning descriptive-narrative specificity of Hugo''s lexicon, or the interplay of fiction and reality in Mallarme, Bishop constantly reflects the teeming fascinations and elan of the poets themselves."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

SCIENCE FICTION: The evolution of 21st century Atlanta from Utopia to tyranny through the lives of its citizens.

Imagine a living specimen of a multimillion-year-old hominid species, Homo habilis, encountering the contemporary world. Told in the first-person narrative of Paul Loyd, divorced owner of a small town restaurant, Ancient of Days tells the story of a habiline man found wandering in a Georgia pecan orchard, a living descendant of a habiline tribe, brought from Africa via Haiti as a slave. Paul''s ex-wife, RuthClaire, takes in the living fossil, appropriately naming him Adam, and as an artist she discovers Adam''s mute but vibrant artistic sensibility, falls in love with him, and marries him - much to Paul''s confusion and dismay. And then the story begins to widen out onto a broader canvas, as Adam first faces persecution by small town Georgia Klansmen, then, surviving that, moves with RuthClaire to Atlanta and encounters the whole spectrum of American culture, from art critics and media spectacles to evangelists and punk clubs. Throughout the peregrinations and travails of Adam, however, runs a rich and developing strain of self-conscious spiritual, intellectual, and artistic growth, interwoven with Adam''s genuine anguish over the problematic nature of his true humanity. In the end, the central characters come together on the Haitian island of Montarez in the aftermath of crisis, and in a moment of illumination and revelation meet the mysterious and extraordinary origins of Adam and his race in human prehistory.

The acclaimed author of No Enemy But Time combines humor, tragedy, and suspense to tell a uniqely American story reminiscent of the film Field of Dreams. When 17-year-old Danny Boles joins a Class C farm club in Georgia, he forms some unusual friendships--but his mind is on making it to the big leagues.

From Smock To Cassock tells the fascinating story of a young boy who makes his career in farming but changes mid-life into the priesthood. Born in 1927, his father''s ill health brings him to London during the Second World War where he experiences the horrors of the Blitz. While he survives the bombings, the end of the war brings the death of his father. This deeply personal loss, combined with a change in family fortunes, results in Michael seeking his own way in the world. He soon finds his passion in farming. Michael gains experience working for a variety of farmers, learning different methods and skills. Ultimately, he is able to acquire his own farm. His life continues to flourish as he marries and starts a family. Sadly tragedy strikes in the form of a disabling injury, which brings an end to this career. Before long, Michael finds himself living in a caravan. Searching for a new purpose, Michael is drawn to the Church. Completing various educational requirements, he achieves ordination into the priesthood. This autobiography details this journey and provides a fascinating story about overcoming the odds, pursuing your dreams and following your heart.

Fifteen offbeat tales. They range from the title piece, on a man in the U.S. South who decides to commit harakiri, to God''s Hour, on a TV program hosted by God.

In the domed city of Atlanta, after the breakup of the United States, a young writer named Julian Cawthorn is in trouble. Because he insulted the daughter of a public official, Cawthorn is out of work, and virtually unemployable. He begs a temporary job on the city newspaper and finds himself assigned to cover the first public appearance of the aliens Cygnusians, travelers from outer space who have been living in seclusion in Atlanta while visiting Earth. A Christian revivalist dictatorship rules Atlanta; church services are as much social as they are religious events. When one of the aliens chooses to appear at a church service, Julian watches as the first alien from space stands up and is "saved". The alien''s voluntary salvation is taken as a sign that the state religion is indeed the one true religion, and minority groups, previously tolerated, are attacked by gangs, leaving Atlanta in turmoil. The service is a turning point in Julian''s life. He is hired by Fiona Bitler, hostess to and protector of the aliens; at her invitation he goes to work in the secret alien enclave. In this environment Julian comes to know the fascinating aliens. He is mystified by the aliens'' interest in his personal life and cannot understand how they have acquired so many oddly human characteristics in their brief period on Earth.

After accidental contact with radioactive waste, Xavier Thaxton, an art critic for a great metropolitan newspaper and an avowed enemy of popular culture, is gradually forced to assume the role of a comic book superhero.

Collects twenty-five of Michael Bishop''s stories and novellas, all newly revised, in one volume.

The Sacerdotal Owl and Three Other Long Tales gathers four of Michael Bishop''s unusual longer stories, from different stages of his almost fifty-year career, into a single remarkable volume. Discover the brave, far-ranging, unpredictable talent of Michael Bishop.

Two stories deal with the furthest reaches of humankind''s endeavors