Paley, Grace

orig. Grace Goodside

born Dec. 11, 1922, New York, N.Y., U.S.

U.S. short-story writer and poet.

Paley's first languages were Russian and Yiddish, a circumstance that may have some bearing on her ability to vividly reproduce in her fiction a variety of accents and speech mannerisms. She was active in the opposition to the Vietnam War in the 1960s and continued her political activism after the war ended. Her stories, compassionate and often comic explorations of family and neighbourhood life and of individuals struggling against loneliness, are collected in The Little Disturbances of Man (1959), Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (1974), and Later the Same Day (1985). Her poetry appears in Leaning Forward (1985) and Begin Again (1992).

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▪ 2008

      American short-story writer and poet

born Dec. 11, 1922, New York, N.Y.

died Aug. 22, 2007, Thetford Hill, Vt.

was known for her realistic seriocomic portrayals of working-class New Yorkers and for her political activism. Paley's first languages were Russian and Yiddish. She attended (1938–39) Hunter College, New York City, and then studied with poet W.H. Auden at the New School for Social Research, also in New York City. She became involved in the antinuclear movement in the early 1950s and started to write short stories soon thereafter. In 1966 she joined the faculty of Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, N.Y. She was actively involved in the opposition to the Vietnam War and continued her political activism after the war ended, turning her attention to U.S.-Soviet relations, Latin America, human rights, and feminist concerns. Her first volume of short stories, The Little Disturbances of Man: Stories of Men and Women at Love (1959), was noted for its realistic dialogue. It was followed by Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (1974) and Later the Same Day (1985), both of which continued her compassionate, often comic, exploration of ordinary individuals struggling against loneliness. All feature the character of Faith, Paley's reputed alter ego. The Collected Stories appeared in 1994. Two volumes of her poetry, Leaning Forward (1985) and Begin Again: New and Collected Poems (1992), were followed by Just as I Thought (1998), a collection of her essays, speeches, and other writings.

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▪ American author

original name  Grace Goodside 

born Dec. 11, 1922, New York, N.Y., U.S.

died Aug. 22, 2007, Thetford Hill, Vt.

      American short-story writer and poet known for her realistic seriocomic portrayals of working-class New Yorkers and for her political activism.

      Paley's first languages were Russian and Yiddish. She attended Hunter College, New York City (1938–39), and then studied with the poet W.H. Auden (Auden, W H) at the New School for Social Research, also in New York City. She became involved in the antinuclear movement in the early 1950s and started to write short stories soon thereafter. In 1966 she joined the faculty of Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. During the 1960s she was actively involved in the opposition to the Vietnam War and continued her political activism after the war ended, turning her political attention to U.S.-Soviet relations, Latin America, human rights, and feminist concerns.

      Although her active life limited her literary output, Paley received critical notice from the start of her career. Her first volume of short stories, The Little Disturbances of Man: Stories of Men and Women at Love (1959), was noted for its realistic dialogue. It was followed by Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (1974) and Later the Same Day (1985), both of which continued her compassionate, often comic, exploration of ordinary individuals struggling against loneliness. All feature the character of Faith, Paley's reputed alter ego. The Collected Stories appeared in 1994. Leaning Forward (1985) and Begin Again: New and Collected Poems (1992) are volumes of Paley's poetry. Just as I Thought (1998) is a collection of Paley's essays, speeches, and other writings.

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