The Magic Barrel

"In Malamud we may indeed salute a new American writer of power and originality. He has a wonderful sense of character and atmosphere" Daily Telegraph "No crude summary can convey the subtleties of these stories... He is not only an original but a passionately honest writer" Times Literary Supplement "He is a master of an alchemy whereby the grossest reality is converted to the most imaginative uses. He transcribes everyday life and yet the result glows with lights never seen on land or sea" New York Herald Tribune "Is he an American Master? Of course, he not only wrote in the American language, he augmented it with fresh plasticity, he shaped our English into startling new configurations...He wrote about the plenitude and unity of the world" -- Cynthia Ozick