Moving stories of Jewish sensibility
The stories in John J. Clayton's newest collection are luminous, expressing a struggle to see growth and meaning in life as much as possible. Nearly all focus on family, and the characters, most of them Jewish, grapple with questions of living, dying, loving, and worshipping. Clayton has published several novels, including
Mitzvah Man
(TTUP, 2011), but he is best known for his critically-acclaimed short fiction, which has been included in
O. Henry Prize Stories
,
Best American Short Stories
, and Pushcart Prize anthologies
.
His collection
Radiance
was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award.
The ten stories in
Many Seconds into the Future
were written after Clayton’s collected stories were published in
Wrestling with Angels
in 2007. Many of these new stories originally were published in
Commentary
and some in literary magazines. Some are appearing for the first time. They are masterful stories of spiritual questing, emotional depth, and often great humor.