From Nelson Algren Award for Short Fiction and O. Henry Prize winner Steven Schwartz comes this indispensable collection spanning nearly four decades of artistic mastery. These compelling, deftly crafted narratives about fathers and sons, loss and separation, sorrow, comic happenstance, and the vagaries of romantic and familial love offers a resonating testament to the depth and promise of human connection.

Praise

"A collection to be held up as evidence that the short story not only endures but also flourishes."—Booklist, starred review

"Steven Schwartz's masterly Lives of the Fathers mines our deepest feelings toward parents, time, memory, and forgiveness."—Chicago Tribune

"Schwartz delineates with admirable and diverting finesse the timeless spectacle of parents and offspring locked in tenderly shattering combat."—Publishers Weekly

"These eight stories reveal Schwartz's remarkable ability to create a range of very believable characters." —Publishers Weekly