Gardner was almost as famous as a teacher as he was for his writing. Distilled from his courses and seminars, The Art of Fiction is a no-nonsense and cogent guide to the principles and techniques of good writing. This is a work for the serious beginning writer and makes no apologies for the demands of craft.

"A densely packed book of advice to all writers, not just young ones..." —Margaret Manning, Boston Globe

"He lays out virtually everything a person might want to know [about] how to say it, with good and bad examples." —William McPherson, Washington Post
John Gardner received wide acclaim for his novels, his collections of short stories, and his critical works. He was born in Batavia, New York, in 1933, and taught English, Anglo-Saxon, and creative writing at Oberlin College, Chico State College, San Francisco State University, Southern Illinois University, Bennington College, and SUNY–Binghamton. His books include The Art of Fiction, The Art of Living, Grendel, Jason and Medeia, The Life and Times of Chaucer, Mickelsson’s Ghosts, Nickel Mountain, October Light, The Resurrection, The Sunlight Dialogues, Stillness and Shadows, and various books for children. He died in a motorcycle accident in 1982. View titles by John Gardner

"It will fascinate anyone interested in how fiction gets put together.  For the young writer it will become a necessary handbook, a stern judge, an encouraging friend... In the first half of the book, Gardner investigated just what fiction is.  In the second half, he treats specific technical matters. The Art of Fiction is filled with lecture counsel, wise encouragement." -John L'Heureux, The New York Times Book Review

"A densely packed book of advice to all writers, not just young ones... It is serious, provocative, and funny, and I recommend it to anyone who cares about literature."- Margaret Manning, The Boston Globe

"He lays out virtually everything a person might want to know [about] how to say it, with good and bad examples and judgments falling like autumn leaves in a November storm." -William McPherson, The Washington Post

"The next best thing to graduate workshop in fiction writing. Drawing on examples from Homer to Kafka to Joyce Carol Oates, Gardner unravels the mysteries of plot, sentence structure, diction, and point of view." - Book-of-the-Month Club News

About

Gardner was almost as famous as a teacher as he was for his writing. Distilled from his courses and seminars, The Art of Fiction is a no-nonsense and cogent guide to the principles and techniques of good writing. This is a work for the serious beginning writer and makes no apologies for the demands of craft.

"A densely packed book of advice to all writers, not just young ones..." —Margaret Manning, Boston Globe

"He lays out virtually everything a person might want to know [about] how to say it, with good and bad examples." —William McPherson, Washington Post

Author

John Gardner received wide acclaim for his novels, his collections of short stories, and his critical works. He was born in Batavia, New York, in 1933, and taught English, Anglo-Saxon, and creative writing at Oberlin College, Chico State College, San Francisco State University, Southern Illinois University, Bennington College, and SUNY–Binghamton. His books include The Art of Fiction, The Art of Living, Grendel, Jason and Medeia, The Life and Times of Chaucer, Mickelsson’s Ghosts, Nickel Mountain, October Light, The Resurrection, The Sunlight Dialogues, Stillness and Shadows, and various books for children. He died in a motorcycle accident in 1982. View titles by John Gardner

Praise

"It will fascinate anyone interested in how fiction gets put together.  For the young writer it will become a necessary handbook, a stern judge, an encouraging friend... In the first half of the book, Gardner investigated just what fiction is.  In the second half, he treats specific technical matters. The Art of Fiction is filled with lecture counsel, wise encouragement." -John L'Heureux, The New York Times Book Review

"A densely packed book of advice to all writers, not just young ones... It is serious, provocative, and funny, and I recommend it to anyone who cares about literature."- Margaret Manning, The Boston Globe

"He lays out virtually everything a person might want to know [about] how to say it, with good and bad examples and judgments falling like autumn leaves in a November storm." -William McPherson, The Washington Post

"The next best thing to graduate workshop in fiction writing. Drawing on examples from Homer to Kafka to Joyce Carol Oates, Gardner unravels the mysteries of plot, sentence structure, diction, and point of view." - Book-of-the-Month Club News

PRH Education High School Collections

All reading communities should contain protected time for the sake of reading. Independent reading practices emphasize the process of making meaning through reading, not an end product. The school culture (teachers, administration, etc.) should affirm this daily practice time as inherently important instructional time for all readers. (NCTE, 2019)   The Penguin Random House High

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PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

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PRH Education Classroom Libraries

“Books are a students’ passport to entering and actively participating in a global society with the empathy, compassion, and knowledge it takes to become the problem solvers the world needs.” –Laura Robb   Research shows that reading and literacy directly impacts students’ academic success and personal growth. To help promote the importance of daily independent

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