George Washington Cable merges the poetry of South Louisiana and religion of the soul in this collection of short stories. Cable tests his characters’ spirits, highlighting their capability for tremendous strength. “The Solitary,” “The Taxidermist,” and “The Entomologist” all take place in southern Louisiana and include Creole and post-Civil War characters. In this collection, Cable exposes his own philosophy on life and morality. He reaches into the depths of the soul by examining the surface of the heart. These are stories with feeling told from a singularly Southern voice.
The first is about a Civil War soldier who lets fear rule his life. He is a “crackedfiddle” with stage fright, and he lets his timidity and hesitation keep him from his sweetheart. Cable introduces the reader to the haunted memories of a soldier, the unpredictability of hurricanes, and resilience of the human spirit. The second involves an unusual friendship between a deacon and taxidermist. Cable gives the reader a taste of the Creole tongue, a glimpse of old New Orleans, and renewed belief in hope. “The Entomolgist” is a tale of bugs and betrayal. The narrator notices as two couples’ lives intertwine, and he watches as the fates unravel them.
A new foreword by noted Lyle Saxon scholar Chance Harvey provides insight into both the author and the prevailing themes of the time. Her comments provide a lamp with which to truly appreciate these masterful stories of the early twentieth century.
About the Author
One of the greatest and most celebrated Southern writers of his day, George Washington Cable (1844-1925) helped lead the local color movement of the late 1800s with his pioneering use of dialect and his skill with the short-story form. After serving in the Confederate army during the Civil War, he wrote for the New Orleans Picayune. Cable has been called the first modern Southern writer, and his treatment of racism in his writing inspired William Faulkner and Robert Penn Warren. Other books by Cable available from Pelican are Bylow Hill; The Grandissimes; The Creoles of Louisiana; The Flower of the Chapdelaines; John March, Southerner; Kincaid’s Battery; Madame Delphine; Old Creole Days; and Strange True Stories of Louisiana.
About the Foreword Writer
Chance Harvey was a student at Tulane University when she came across a collection of letters addressed to Lyle Saxon. These letters began a fascination with Saxon that led her to a life-long passion and resulted in Saxon’s biography, The Life and Selected Letters of Lyle Saxon, also published by Pelican. Harvey resides in Tylertown, Mississippi.
STRONG HEARTS
By George Washington Cable
Foreword by Chance Harvey
FICTION / Short Stories (single author)
232 pp. 5 x 7
2nd Edition
ISBN: 9781455619955 pb