Maggie, a Girl of the Streets and Selected Stories [Paperback]

Published in 1893,Maggie: A Girl of the Streetsshocked a world unprepared for its grim and starkly realistic exploration of a pretty young girl’s fall on New York’s Bowery, and its critical depiction of the irresponsibility of men toward women. The five other stories in this collection are tales of quiet tension and raw intensity. From the local color of small-town life to the bustle of the city to war stories imbued with an ironic view of heroism, these stories are brilliantly constructed, extraordinarily lyrical, and psychologically penetrating. As a whole, this masterful collection demonstrates the unique and stunning genius of Stephen Crane and makes up an enduring testimony to one of America’s finest writers.
 
Edited and with an Introduction by Alfred Kazin and an Afterword by Tom WolfeIntense, volatile, and spontaneous,Stephen Crane(1871–1900) expended himself in a frenzied search for experiences about which to write. While attending Syracuse University, he finished the first draft ofMaggie: A Girl of the Streets, leaving to become a freelance writer in New York.  In 1895, the young author, who had never seen a battle, publishedThe Red Badge of Courage, the extraordinary revelation of the mind and heart of a Civil War recruit. This book made Crane famous and established his reputation as a war correspondent. Pursuing a career as a journalist, Crane traveled to Greece to cover the war with Turkey and to Cuba to report on the Spanish-American War. His experience being shipwrecked led to the short story “The Open Boat.” He died of tuberculosis at Badenweiler, Germany.
 
Born in Brooklyn,Alfred Kazin(1915–98) was a prolific literary critic and social historian whose reputation was established early with the publication ofOn Native Grounds: An Interpretation of Modern American Prose Literature(1942). Among his many other acclaimed books are his trilƒ5