English Summary/英文概要： Twenty-five years ago, Denis Johnson published Jesus’ Son, "a work of spare beauty and almost religious intensity" (Entertainment Weekly), which remains a touchstone today, ardently beloved by readers and writers alike. Included in The New York Times’ list of the "25 Best Books of the Last 25 Years" (alongside Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Philip Roth’s American Pastoral), it is routinely described in the press as the single most important and influential book of short stories in a generation.

Now, after years of writing novels and plays in a very different mode, Johnson returns to the short story form that first catapulted him to the highest pedestal of American writers. Though the subject matter -- middle-aged life and the elusive and unexpected ways the mysteries of the universe assert themselves -- finds Johnson in new territory, the style is pure, vintage, inimitable Johnson.

Taken together, the stories in this powerful and deeply felt collection are Denis Johnson at his absolute best, the highest-caliber work of an American master.

Awards/获奖情况： "A true American artist . . . a revelator for this still new century."--The New York Times Book Review

"The most essential writer of his generation."--Los Angeles Times

"America’s most incandescent novelist."--Slate

"The God I want to believe in has a voice and a sense of humor like Denis Johnson’s."--Jonathan Franzen

"Prose of amazing power and stylishness."--Philip Roth

"When Denis Johnson is justly praised for his voice, I always think, just the one? He has an eerie symphony at his command."--Karen Russell

"Infinite fannage."--George Saunders

"Great prose, truly great."--David Foster Wallace