False Gods

Fiction & Literature, Short Stories
Cover of the book False Gods by Louis Auchincloss, HMH Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Louis Auchincloss ISBN: 9780547799797
Publisher: HMH Books Publication: January 22, 1992
Imprint: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Language: English
Author: Louis Auchincloss
ISBN: 9780547799797
Publisher: HMH Books
Publication: January 22, 1992
Imprint: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Language: English

In this elegant collection of stories, Louis Auchincloss once again evokes the beguiling, complex world of New York society that he has made his own special literary landscape. Inspired by the colorful mosaic of ancient Greek myths, he has created six equally rich contemporary fables — six lives governed by false gods.
Hermes, or in Auchincloss's ironic interpretation, "god of the self-made man," is a Jewish lawyer who finds acceptance into WASP society only at greatest personal cost; Hephaestus is a bachelor designer of Palladian villas whose young bride, enamored of newfangled things, compels him to "go modern." In other stories, a former World War II naval officer, guided perhaps by the goddess Athene, escapes a sinking cruise ship by disguising himself as a woman; and a Catholic convert, distracted by the muse Polyhymnia, is torn between his priestly duties and his worldly social and artistic ambitions.
In every tale a unique moral sensibility holds sway, revealing how the pagan impulse may surface in the most unlikely and provocative situations, compromising even the noblest of spirits. Keenly insightful, flawlessly executed, False Gods is the work of a master storyteller, widely acclaimed as American society's most entertaining and intelligent critic.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In this elegant collection of stories, Louis Auchincloss once again evokes the beguiling, complex world of New York society that he has made his own special literary landscape. Inspired by the colorful mosaic of ancient Greek myths, he has created six equally rich contemporary fables — six lives governed by false gods.
Hermes, or in Auchincloss's ironic interpretation, "god of the self-made man," is a Jewish lawyer who finds acceptance into WASP society only at greatest personal cost; Hephaestus is a bachelor designer of Palladian villas whose young bride, enamored of newfangled things, compels him to "go modern." In other stories, a former World War II naval officer, guided perhaps by the goddess Athene, escapes a sinking cruise ship by disguising himself as a woman; and a Catholic convert, distracted by the muse Polyhymnia, is torn between his priestly duties and his worldly social and artistic ambitions.
In every tale a unique moral sensibility holds sway, revealing how the pagan impulse may surface in the most unlikely and provocative situations, compromising even the noblest of spirits. Keenly insightful, flawlessly executed, False Gods is the work of a master storyteller, widely acclaimed as American society's most entertaining and intelligent critic.

More books from HMH Books

Cover of the book Rumpelstiltskin (Read-aloud) by Louis Auchincloss
Cover of the book 100 Perfect Pairings: Main Dishes to Enjoy with Wines You Love by Louis Auchincloss
Cover of the book The Word According to Eve by Louis Auchincloss
Cover of the book CliffsNotes on Aeschylus' Agamemnon, The Choephori & The Eumenides by Louis Auchincloss
Cover of the book Curious George Ready for School by Louis Auchincloss
Cover of the book Man in the Holocene by Louis Auchincloss
Cover of the book Sophie Hartley and the Facts of Life by Louis Auchincloss
Cover of the book Balloons over Broadway by Louis Auchincloss
Cover of the book ER Vets by Louis Auchincloss
Cover of the book CliffsNotes ASVAB Cram Plan 2nd Edition by Louis Auchincloss
Cover of the book March Forward, Girl by Louis Auchincloss
Cover of the book Illuminations by Louis Auchincloss
Cover of the book Be Bold, Baby: J.K. Rowling by Louis Auchincloss
Cover of the book Strange Happenings by Louis Auchincloss
Cover of the book The Warrior's Heart by Louis Auchincloss
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy