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Steve Paul's well-written narrative offers the first in-depth biography of Evan S. Connell, providing a welcome overview and cogent analysis of his work. --Tracy Daugherty, Oregon State University, author of The Last Love Song

Evan S. Connell, as a man and artist, has long been the Sphinx of Kansas City, mute and unknowable. Until now. Steve Paul serves as a perfect foil to his laconic subject, and Literary Alchemist, in addition to being assiduously researched and a pleasure to read, treats the great writer with something more useful than awe: understanding and compassion. --Joshua Ferris, author of A Calling for Charlie Barnes 'What an extraordinary man is Evan Connell, ' Alice Adams wrote. She admired him for writing 'about his obsessions, his major passions rather than about himself, ' and found his work 'so compelling that we come to partake of his enthusiasms.' Thus, too, Connell's 'quaint mania, ' as he called his devotion to writing, inspires every page of Steve Paul's thorough, witty biography. Elegantly and without jargon, Paul persuades us that Evan S. Connell, already revered as a writer's writer, is an indispensable maker of American literature. --Carol Sklenicka, award winning author of Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life and Alice Adams: Portrait of a Writer Steve Paul's deep research and warm engagement with his fellow Kansas Citian Evan S. Connell returns from obscurity one of the most original Midwestern writers of the twentieth century. Highly recommended. --Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb With his iconic Bridge novels, Evan S. Connell inspired a generation of writers and left an indelible mark on twentieth-century American literature. Steve Paul's illuminating, highly readable biography paints a vivid portrait of a writer who eschewed fashion and maintained an almost monastic dedication to craft. Informed by a deep understanding of Connell's work, Literary Alchemist is a satisfying exploration of the demands and pleasures of the writing life. --Jennifer Haigh, author of Mercy Street Steve Paul's well-written narrative offers the first in-depth biography of Evan S. Connell, providing a welcome overview and cogent analysis of his work. --Tracy Daugherty, Oregon State University, author of The Last Love Song

Paul's impressive research and close reading of Connell's oeuvre illuminates the many autobiographical connections between the artist's life and work. This should reestablish Connell in the pantheon of literary arts. --Booklist Literature lovers will find this a satisfying introduction to a mysterious figure. --Publishers Weekly Evan S. Connell, as a man and artist, has long been the Sphinx of Kansas City, mute and unknowable. Until now. Steve Paul serves as a perfect foil to his laconic subject, and Literary Alchemist, in addition to being assiduously researched and a pleasure to read, treats the great writer with something more useful than awe: understanding and compassion. --Joshua Ferris, author of A Calling for Charlie Barnes 'What an extraordinary man is Evan Connell, ' Alice Adams wrote. She admired him for writing 'about his obsessions, his major passions rather than about himself, ' and found his work 'so compelling that we come to partake of his enthusiasms.' Thus, too, Connell's 'quaint mania, ' as he called his devotion to writing, inspires every page of Steve Paul's thorough, witty biography. Elegantly and without jargon, Paul persuades us that Evan S. Connell, already revered as a writer's writer, is an indispensable maker of American literature. --Carol Sklenicka, award winning author of Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life and Alice Adams: Portrait of a Writer Steve Paul's deep research and warm engagement with his fellow Kansas Citian Evan S. Connell returns from obscurity one of the most original Midwestern writers of the twentieth century. Highly recommended. --Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb With his iconic Bridge novels, Evan S. Connell inspired a generation of writers and left an indelible mark on twentieth-century American literature. Steve Paul's illuminating, highly readable biography paints a vivid portrait of a writer who eschewed fashion and maintained an almost monastic dedication to craft. Informed by a deep understanding of Connell's work, Literary Alchemist is a satisfying exploration of the demands and pleasures of the writing life. --Jennifer Haigh, author of Mercy Street Steve Paul's well-written narrative offers the first in-depth biography of Evan S. Connell, providing a welcome overview and cogent analysis of his work. --Tracy Daugherty, Oregon State University, author of The Last Love Song

'What an extraordinary man is Evan Connell, ' Alice Adams wrote. She admired him for writing 'about his obsessions, his major passions rather than about himself, ' and found his work 'so compelling that we come to partake of his enthusiasms.' Thus, too, Connell's 'quaint mania, ' as he called his devotion to writing, inspires every page of Steve Paul's thorough, witty biography. Elegantly and without jargon, Paul persuades us that Evan S. Connell, already revered as a writer's writer, is an indispensable maker of American literature. --Carol Sklenicka, award winning author of Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life and Alice Adams: Portrait of a Writer Steve Paul's deep research and warm engagement with his fellow Kansas Citian Evan S. Connell returns from obscurity one of the most original Midwestern writers of the twentieth century. Highly recommended. --Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb With his iconic Bridge novels, Evan S. Connell inspired a generation of writers and left an indelible mark on twentieth-century American literature. Steve Paul's illuminating, highly readable biography paints a vivid portrait of a writer who eschewed fashion and maintained an almost monastic dedication to craft. Informed by a deep understanding of Connell's work, Literary Alchemist is a satisfying exploration of the demands and pleasures of the writing life. --Jennifer Haigh, author of Mercy Street Steve Paul's well-written narrative offers the first in-depth biography of Evan S. Connell, providing a welcome overview and cogent analysis of his work. --Tracy Daugherty, Oregon State University, author of The Last Love Song

Author Information

Steve Paul worked for the Kansas City Star for 40 years, as a reporter, writer, and editor. He is the author of two books, including Hemingway at Eighteen: The Pivotal Year That Launched an American Legend. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri.

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