A broad selection of titles available
'[Maurice] Blanchot’s fiction draws the reader in by upsetting expectations, we are confronted by characters who are in situations they don’t completely understand. The settings are mysterious, almost surreal. As we read further into the story, hoping for greater clarity—why is this character here? Where did he come from?, etc.—meaning and resolution are constantly deferred. The lack of closure in Blanchot’s fiction gives it at an odd kind of suspense and his spare but poetic language contributes to creating a very distinct atmosphere.'
Established in 1977 by George Quasha and Susan Quasha, American publishers Barrytown / Station Hill have been pioneers in promoting and publishing the work of author/critic Maurice Blanchot. From his first novel, Thomas the Obscure, to collections of critical essays such as The Gaze of Orpheus, the publishers are among the first to support English editions of Blanchot's work, translated by Robert Lamberton, Lydia Davis and Paul Auster.
For some time I've wanted to become properly acquainted with Blanchot's writing. Having read through The Writing of the Disaster, and sections of Friendship and The Space of Literature, I'm intrigued to find out what his fiction is like. Station Hill offers a very convenient Maurice Blanchot anthology that includes their entire collection of English translations, but some of the stand-alone editions look so good I think I would prefer to buy them separately.
