Swimmer in the Secret Sea: Novella - Hardcover

Kotzwinkle, William

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0811807150 ISBN 13: 9780811807159

Publisher: Chronicle Books Llc, 1994

Synopsis

First published in Redbook in 1975 to enormous acclaim, this O. Henry Award winner sold 100,000 copies in paperback. Available for the first time in hardcover, Swimmer in the Secret Sea is the poignant story of how a man and a woman endured the shock and anguish of their newborn baby's death.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

This novella tells the simple story of Johnny and Diane Laski, a sculptor and his wife, and their attempt to bring a new life into the world, set against the backdrop of a cold Maine winter, deep in the country. In the language of a poet, William Kotzwinkle tells the story of the couple's quiet night drive to the hospital, their long labor, and their, ultimately, unsuccessful breech birth. Unafraid of his subject, Kotzwinkle destroys any sentimental illusions about the "beauty" of childbirth or the distance of birth from death; he reminds us of how closely the two are intertwined, of the frightening power of the life force, and of the unpredictability and uncanniness of death. And yet, his small book is not without hope: "It's just the two of us again," Johnny remarks to his wife as they are returning home from the hospital, and the reader senses that in them the potential for beginning is still alivethe beginning, which, as Plato wrote, "is like a god which as long as it dwells among men saves all things."

About the Author:

William Kotzwinkle is the author of many acclaimed children's books, including Walter the Farting Dog, Trouble in Bugland, and E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial. His novels and short story collections include The Bear When Over the Mountain, The Fan Man, Fata Morgana, and Doctor Rat. A celebrated author, he is a two-time winner of both the National Magazine Award for Fiction and the World Fantasy Award. He lives with his wife in Maine.

About this edition

• Publisher: Chronicle Books Llc
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0811807150
• ISBN 13: 9780811807159
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 91