I'm happy that a Thomas McGuane short story appears in the current New Yorker.
"Thataway," about an elderly brother and sister reconciling after the death of another sister, isn't one of McGuane's best stories, but I read it with a quick rush of pleasure.
Most contemporary stories in the New Yorker and literary journals lose me after the first paragraph. McGuane at age 84 is one of the few remaining writers whose stories I look forward to reading.
McGaune began publishing stories in the New Yorker in 1994 after writing classic novels such as "Ninety Two in the Shade" and "The Bushwacked Piano." He also turned to screenwriting and directing films.
Beginning in the 1960s, McGuane along with Jim Harrison, Raymond Carver, Sam Shepard, Harry Crews, Richard Brautigan and other writers brought a new macho energy to American literature.
Like many of his stories, "Thataway" takes place in the American West. He's lived in rural Montana and Key West, Fla. along with other "outsider" writers.
While McGuane's reputation as a novelist has somewhat declined, he's established himself as a master of the American short story.
One of the last surviving writers of his generation, McGuane's still creating work of enduring value.
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