The Wounded and Other Stories about Sons and Fathers

The Wounded and Other Stories About Sons and Fathers is a powerful expression of Robert Bly's Men's Movement. Although Leask largely stood aside from Bly's followers, he published these connected short stories with New Rivers Press in the tradition of autobiographical fiction, reminiscent of Hemingway's In Our Time or Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man. Two stories published in anthologies after the release of The Wounded, have been ""collected"" into this new edition. ""With crackling prose and a clear perceptive eye focused on the world, Ian Graham Leask manages to capture damaged families in a way that breaks our hearts, even as he expands our feelings outwards for these characters. To read these stories is to be transported to England, India, and into families that struggle to find their way in a brutal world. I was impressed with his ability to make me feel present, and I envied his perceptive eye. Here is a collection of stories that teach us something about the art of short fiction. I was particularly taken with 'Bombay Morning,' Piggybank,' and 'Smoking Section.' Wonderful writing. Crisp, clear, generous in scope and vision."" -Patrick Hicks, In the Shadow of Dora ""In 'Piggybank,' the defining story of this remarkable collection, a good-natured, well-intentioned young boy is subjected to confusing images of violence during his first day at a holiday resort, where his bankrupt family is soon to live. The boy resists, in his imagination, what Leask perceives as an inevitable plunge toward violet manhood. Like young Calum, other characters in the collection follow this wrong-headed plunge into the confusing world of modern maleness. Leask's stylings are sometimes brutal, sometimes hilarious, always sensational and disturbing. Leask demonstrates a mastery of a wide variety of techniques and story types. His work is easy to read, but on close analysis reveals itself to be carefully, subtly crafted."" -Susan Welch, Crowning the Queen of Love