Clifford Garstang is a fiction writer and former international lawyer. His first novel, THE SHAMAN OF TURTLE VALLEY, was published in May 2019. His novel in stories, WHAT THE ZHANG BOYS KNOW, won the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Fiction. He is also the author of two story collections, IN AN UNCHARTED COUNTRY and HOUSE OF THE ANCIENTS AND OTHER STORIES, and the editor of three anthologies, EVERYWHERE STORIES: SHORT FICTION FROM A SMALL PLANET, Volumes I, II, and III. His new novel, OLIVER’S TRAVELS, will be published in May 2021.
>I have to say, OLIVE KITTERIDGE was a wonderful choice for the Pulitzer. Personally, I’m so glad Jhumpa Lahiri didn’t win. Too much undeserved praise has been heaped on her already, in my opinion. I read her most recent book and was very underwhelmed and found it filled with grammar mistakes.
I did love OLIVE KITTERIDGE, though.
>I also am not a fan of Lahiri. You and I may be the only ones, however.
I thought OK was excellent and that Strout’s PP was richly deserved.